On top of the expected launch of the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro lineup next month, Apple is also set to debut a new smartwatch as they have normally done every year. This time around it will be the Apple Watch Series 9, which will be another incremental upgrade to Cupertino’s mainstream smartwatch lineup. However, the one after that could be a major redesign altogether.
In a new report by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, it is said that Apple is planning a Watch X model for the 10th anniversary of the smartwatch which would be the biggest revamp their wearable has ever seen; Apple first debuted the Apple Watch in 2014, with public availability in 2015. As such, we could be seeing the Watch X debut in either 2024 or 2025. Gurman says that the Watch X will see a much thinner watch case than before, with Cupertino also looking at different ways to attach the band to the watch.
One possibility Apple is understood to be considering is a new magnetic band attachment mechanism. This will make it not compatible with its previous generations of Apple Watches though, which have traditionally used a band that slides onto the sides of the Watch and locked into place. However, the designers in Cupertino aren’t particularly impressed with this method, which takes up a lot of space in the already tiny Watch chassis, which could have been used for other components or battery capacity instead. On top of that, this Watch X revamp should also see Apple finally switch to a microLED display for its smartwatch as well as a blood pressure monitor.
As for this year’s release though, the Watch Series 9 will likely remain the same size as Apple’s current offerings at 41mm and 45mm, and any Watch Ultra refresh will also come in at the same 49mm size as its predecessors. Gurman claims that we’ll likely be seeing the most minor upgrade in the Apple Watch’s history, with just faster processors and newer colours for this year’s Apple Watch lineup.
