Main points
- Apple Watch Series 10 is rumored to have a thinner body and a new magnetic band.
- Potential health functions include detecting sleep disorders and elevated blood pressure.
- It’s unclear whether blood oxygen monitoring will resume due to legal issues.
The Apple Watch was originally positioned as an ambitious successor to the iPhone. The original version was a hybrid of a futuristic communications device, an app-based microcomputer, and a fitness tool, but it wasn’t particularly good at any of those skills. After years of refinements and a complete overhaul of watchOS, we now have the wearable we know and love: a health and fitness tracker that’s deeply integrated with Apple’s iPhone and subscription services.
All in all, it’s a nice change, but the ambition drops dramatically when you consider that Apple imagines people sending heartbeat records to each other because of its smartwatches.
The Apple Watch Series 10, or “Apple Watch X,” could be as dramatic a shift as the iPhone
However, despite being gradually streamlined, the Apple Watch’s appearance has remained very consistent over the past decade – until 2024. If the rumors and reports are true, the Apple Watch Series 10, or “Apple Watch X,” could be as dramatic a shift in the iPhone lineup as the iPhone X. A new decade of smartwatches from the company with refined looks and new features. Here’s everything we know ahead of the release of the next-generation Apple Watch later this year.
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When will Apple Watch Series 10 be released?
Apple Watch releases are often bundled with the iPhone. The Apple Watch Series 9 was released with the iPhone 15, the Apple Watch Series 8 was released with the iPhone 14, and so on. This model makes sense because while a cellular Apple Watch or Apple Watch Ultra can be used on their own, these are fundamentally smartphone accessories that can display smartphone notifications and control media playback from smartphone apps, and that’s just Two uses for the Apple Watch.
We won’t know the exact date until later this year, but given Apple’s tendency to release new smartphones in September and then make them available for pre-order a few days later, it’s likely the Apple Watch Series 10 will launch around the same time.
How is Apple Watch Series 10 different?
Rumors about a square Apple Watch continue, but this time there are credible reports that the next generation Apple Watch will look significantly different and come with at least two noteworthy new software features.
Thinner watch body
Over the past decade, the Apple Watch has become more compact, but not as small as traditional watches such as the Timex Weekender. Apple was able to expand the smartwatch’s display without fundamentally changing the dimensions of the device’s two sizes (41mm and 45mm). However, the sensors on the back of the watch that are meant to be worn on the wrist still take up a lot of space, adding to the overall thickness of the watch.
According to Bloomberg, the Apple Watch X or Series 10 will have a thinner case and a new way to attach the strap, which could free up more space for the Watch itself. It’s unclear how thin the watch will be, but if it’s thin enough that it doesn’t constantly get stuck on your sleeve, that’d be a welcome change.
New magnetic watch strap
In the same report, Bloomberg claims that the connector used to connect the original Apple Watch’s existing band to the Apple Watch Series 9 takes up a lot of space in the smartwatch that would be better used for a larger battery Or reduce the overall size. Apple has “explored a new tape attachment system” that could alleviate the issue, but the Bloomberg report warns it may not be ready in time for the Apple Watch Series 10.
It’s unclear how thin the watch will be, but if it’s thin enough that it doesn’t constantly get stuck on your sleeve, that’d be a welcome change.
Considering how many watch bands Apple and third-party accessory manufacturers produce, switching to a new system, especially one that sounds more expensive to manufacture and design, isn’t a change to be taken lightly. For example, if an avid Apple Watch user decides to upgrade, they may encounter dozens of bands that simply don’t work. This has never stopped Apple before, but it will certainly give pause to customers considering upgrading.
Bright microLED display
Apple has reportedly been trying to develop its own microLED displays for years to reduce its reliance on Samsung, which makes many of the displays for Apple’s various products. The Apple Watch was supposed to be the first place where the company would test its domestic displays, whether on the Apple Watch or the Apple Watch Ultra.
Now, Apple has reportedly completely scrapped plans for brighter, more vibrant microLED Apple Watch displays because the displays “do not add significant value to users.” [the Apple Watch]Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said: “And the production cost is too high to be economically feasible.” Analysts and leakers are bound to always be misunderstood about Apple’s plans, but for now, it seems that this is a new display on the Apple Watch . Series 10 unlikely.
Two new health detection features
Providing a non-invasive way to monitor blood sugar using the Apple Watch remains Apple’s white whale. Meanwhile, the company reportedly plans to use the Apple Watch’s ability to measure breathing to detect sleep disorders and let you and your doctor know if you might have sleep apnea.
Introducing the Apple Watch’s function of detecting elevated blood pressure and recording it in the “Blood Pressure Log.”
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Apple also plans to introduce the ability for Apple Watch to detect elevated blood pressure and log it into a “blood pressure log,” which can be filled in with details of what happened when elevated blood pressure is detected. According to Bloomberg, this is the first step toward a more in-depth measurement system that could eventually tell your doctor or cardiologist your “accurate systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements.”
Will Apple Watch Series 10 support blood oxygen monitoring?
Apple chose to sell modified versions of the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 that disable blood oxygen measurement features to circumvent an International Trade Commission ban after a U.S. ITC judge ruled that Apple violated health technology company Masimo implemented later. The patent for oximetry technology, and the whole legal mess, you can read more about in our article about the ban.
Bloomberg has since reported that Apple engineers are working on modifying the algorithm used for blood oxygen calculations, which could allow the company to move forward without changing the Apple Watch’s hardware. Whether these changes will actually appear in this year’s watch remains to be seen.
When will Apple Watch Series 10 be available for purchase?
We won’t know for sure until Apple’s fall event, but a rough estimate is that if Apple releases new phones and smartwatches on a Tuesday in September, they’ll typically be available for pre-order on Friday.
As for price, Apple is likely to keep the entry-level price of $399 unchanged, as the Apple Watch Ultra already sells for $799. Starting in 2017, the iPhone
Is now still a good time to buy an Apple Watch Series 9?
If you’re interested in the Apple Watch Series 10’s new design and new health tracking features that may be exclusive to it, the wait will be worth it. In fact, since Apple is rumored to be moving to new watch bands, waiting could also save you from investing in watch parts that won’t be useful the next time you buy a new watch.
