The first Apple Watch was unveiled in April 2015,
and the company’s first wearable device is approaching its tenth anniversary. With such a significant anniversary approaching, rumors are circulating about a significant 10-year anniversary upgrade that may be released in 2024 or 2025.
Apple released the “iPhone X” in 2017 to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the iPhone, so the Apple Watch may follow suit.
Design
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is planning a substantial overhaul of the Apple Watch to coincide with the device’s tenth anniversary. Apple intends to make the Apple Watch thinner than it already is, with a slimmer case.
Bands
According to Gurman, Apple is working on new ways for bands to connect to the Apple Watch. Apple is investigating a magnetic attachment mechanism, which would free up space currently occupied by cutouts for the existing band attachment points.
Removing the band cuts would free up more space for other internal components, potentially resulting in a thinner case.
An Apple Watch with a new band attachment method is unlikely to work with older bands. Apple has made new Apple Watch models compatible with current bands since the 2015 launch of the Apple Watch.
It is unclear whether the magnetic band technology will be ready for the launch of the so-called Apple Watch X, or whether Apple will proceed with plans to change the band design.
Display
There are claims that Apple is developing microLED display technology for the Apple Watch, and that a microLED watch will be released in 2025. That coincides with Apple’s planned release date for the Apple Watch X, so it would make sense for the Apple Watch X to be the first watch with the upgraded display.
MicroLED According to Apple device reports, it is a feature being developed for the larger Apple Watch Ultra because Apple is testing a 2.1-inch diagonal display, although there might be numerous sizes or the Apple Watch X could be a larger-sized device with a new case design and fewer bezels. According to one expert, Apple is working on 1.89 and 2.04-inch display sizes for Apple Watch versions in 2024.
MicroLED is a newer technology that employs small LEDs to create individual pixels. MicroLED technology is more energy efficient than LED technology, and while it has some of the same advantages as OLED, it has a longer lifespan and is less prone to screen burn-in.
MicroLED displays have faster response times and better contrast than other display types due to the pixel-level individual lights, and the color is better and brighter. Since 2015, Apple has been heavily investing in microLED technology.
Health Benefits
There are no rumors about additional health features for the Apple Watch X, but Apple is working on a handful of key upgrades that could be ready in time.
Blood pressure monitoring is one such feature that Apple has been working on, and rumors in 2022 stated that it might be ready for a 2025 release. There are currently wrist-worn blood pressure monitoring gadgets on the market, including one from Samsung, so it’s not too far-fetched to think that Apple is close to releasing this technology. Instead of wearing a blood pressure cuff, the Apple Watch would use infrared light to detect blood pressure from the wrist.
Watch that can test blood glucose, but that technology is still in the works and would most likely not be ready in time for the release of a 10th anniversary watch. Apple wants to use infrared and other sensors to test blood glucose without pricking the skin, but no one has worked out how to do so reliably yet. Glucose monitoring is life or death and must be extremely exact, which is difficult to achieve without damaging the skin.
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, functionality will be added to the Apple Watch by the end of the decade.
Release
According to Gurman, it is unclear whether Apple will introduce the new watch in 2024 or 2025. The original Apple Watch was launched in September 2014, but it did not go on sale until April 2015, thus Apple may celebrate the Apple Watch anniversary on either date.
In 2023, so a Series 10 or “X” would be more appropriate for 2024, not 2025, but the X designation is only speculation at this point.
