Apple Watch Series 10 could get a game-changing update
The new Apple Watch is tipped to be thinner and will include a bigger screen, similar to the Apple Watch Ultra
🎂 The next Apple Watch is getting a big upgrade as it approaches its 10th birthday
👀 The Apple Watch Series 10 will include a bigger screen
⌚️ It’ll also be thinner but will retain a familiar design
📏 The Series 10 screen will be about as big as the Apple Watch Ultra’s display
If you’ve been waiting for an Apple Watch overhaul, you might be in luck this year. Apple is reportedly planning to make its biggest change yet to its popular smartwatch, just in time for the device’s 10th anniversary.
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the Apple Watch Series 10 will include a bigger screen, similar to that of the Apple Watch Ultra. It’ll also be thinner overall, but retain the same design we've grown accustomed to. A bigger display would certainly be welcome, though how it would affect battery life remains to be seen.
In his Power On newsletter, Gurman says, “This fall, Apple is planning some notable changes to its original smartwatch line — the “Series” models — including larger displays. The device also will be thinner, though the design itself is unlikely to look much different.”
Gurman says that the Apple Watch Ultra 2 won’t receive a major design change, which isn’t too surprising considering it's only a few years old. But it will benefit from a new chip, along with the Series 10, which may pave the way for some AI enhancements. However, it won’t be Apple Intelligence.
Both versions of the Apple Watch Series 10 – codenamed N217 and N218 – may be branded as an anniversary model, but this could also happen the following year. As Gurman notes, the Apple Watch was announced in 2014 but not released until 2015, which means Apple can technically choose between 2024 and 2025 for the 10th anniversary.
If you’re hoping to see new technology implemented, such as the ability to detect high blood pressure and sleep apnea, keep your expectations in check. Gurman says that Apple has “run into some serious snags” and that its technology “hasn’t been as reliable as hoped during testing.”
When the blood pressure check does eventually launch, Gurman says it won’t be an adequate replacement for a proper cuff. Instead, the tech will figure out your baseline and monitor if your blood pressure is relatively high. You can then figure out why that might be the case, based on your current activity.
The sleep apnea feature is also in limbo for now, as it needs to use a person’s blood oxygen saturation to work. However, Apple is tied up in a legal dispute with Masimo Corp. over the Watch’s blood oxygen sensor technology.
In better news, Apple is getting closer to achieving its goal of turning the Apple Watch into a glucose-monitoring device. Gurman says the feature has been in development “for about a decade” and that it has recently “hit major milestones”.
Finally, Apple is also said to be working on a new version of its cheaper Apple Watch SE. The last update was in 2022, and Apple might swap out the aluminum shell for a rigid plastic one instead, making it more cost-effective and competitively priced when compared to its rivals.
Up next: Whoops! Apple may have leaked next year’s iPad lineup
Adam Vjestica is The Shortcut’s Senior Editor. Formerly TechRadar’s Gaming Hardware Editor, Adam has also worked at Nintendo of Europe as a Content Marketing Editor, where he helped launch the Nintendo Switch. Follow him on X @ItsMrProducts.