The Apple Watch Series 10 models coming in the fall could get Ultra-sized screens along with a new chip, resulting in a thinner appearance.
Mark Gurman published his thoughts on this year’s Apple Watch refresh in the latest edition of his Power On newsletter on Bloomberg. Planned updates allegedly include a new Apple Watch SE with a plastic case and the Apple Watch Series 10 models featuring bigger displays on par with the Apple Watch Ultra.
These watches are said to run a new chip and sport a thinner profile, Gurman writes. Apart from these improvements, however, the device won’t undergo major changes this year. The Apple Watch Series 10 is “unlikely to look much different,” he said.
Rumor: Apple Watch Series 10 to have Ultra-sized screen
“Both versions of the Series 10—codenamed N217 and N218—will get bigger screens,” Gurman writes. “The change means Series 10 shoppers will be able to pick a screen about as large as the one found on the Apple Watch Ultra.”
The new chip may bring AI enhancements, but Apple Intelligence isn’t coming to the Apple Watch anytime soon. Gurman adds that some planned health initiatives might not be ready for the upcoming refresh. This includes blood pressure monitoring (many reliability issues still unsolved) and sleep apnea tracking (the project is stalled due to Apple’s legal dispute with Masimo).
On a brighter note, Gurman says Apple is testing 3D-printing watch cases to speed up production and use less material. Also, the company hit “major milestones” in developing its non-invasive blood glucose sensor, but the author gave no details.
How many times did the Apple Watch size change?
The Apple Watch case size has changed twice since its inception back in 2014. The first time was with the release of the Series 4 models, which went from 38mm and 42mm case sizes to 40mm and 44mm. And then in 2021, the Apple Watch Series 7 featured a bit larger cases at 41mm and 45mm.
The Apple Watch Ultra is 49mm, filing as the biggest Apple Watch model in the lineup. But if Gurman is correct, the bigger Series 10 models should come in a case approximately as large as the 49mm Apple Watch Ultra.
“The Ultra itself, meanwhile, won’t get a major design change (but the current one only dates to 2022),” he writes.