The Apple Watch Ultra 3, likely to be announced on September 9 at Apple's "It's Glowtime" event alongside the iPhone 16, is expected to offer fewer upgrades compared to its predecessor. Keep reading to learn what the rumored changes are.
On the flip side, Apple is rumored to be adopting new low-energy OLED panel technology in new Apple Watch models to further reduce the power consumption of its always-on display. If that's the case, it's unlikely that Apple would use the technology in its latest Series model without also bringing it to its latest Apple Watch Ultra model.
Notably, this year the larger of the two standard Apple Watch casing sizes in the Apple Watch Series models, the 45mm size, is rumored to become the smallest option. An all-new 49mm casing size, matching the current Apple Watch Ultra, is expected to be introduced as the new larger option. Given that the 49mm Apple Watch Ultra is compatible with bands designed for the 45mm Apple Watch Series models, it is possible that Apple Watch bands could be compatible across both Series 10 models and the Apple Watch Ultra for the first time.
The blood pressure monitoring featuring will let users know if their blood pressure is trending upward, and will provide an option for users to note what they were doing when hypertension occurred. Specific blood pressure numbers will not be provided, though. Meanwhile, sleep apnea detection will use sleep history and breathing patterns to estimate whether someone suffers from sleep apnea, with the watch suggesting that users contact a doctor if so.
However, the development of these features has reportedly encountered significant challenges. The hypertension detection feature has proven to be insufficiently reliable during testing, raising concerns about its integration into the refreshed design, which may delay its release until the following year.
Similarly, the sleep apnea detection feature faces issues as it depends on blood oxygen saturation measurements. Currently, Apple Watches in the United States cannot measure blood oxygen saturation due to a legal dispute with Masimo. This dispute could potentially be resolved by September, or Apple might argue that the blood oxygen sensor serves purposes unrelated to blood oxygen levels. Alternatively, Apple could announce the sleep apnea detection feature and delay its release until a resolution is achieved.
However, we know that Apple originally designed a first-generation Apple Watch Ultra with a dark ceramic back that was never launched. Moreover, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman in 2023 said it was "theoretically" possible the finish could be released for a later model. Previously, the high-end Edition model of the Apple Watch Series 7 was available with a Space Black titanium case. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes that if production yields meet expectations, a new dark/black case color option could be made available.
The above is the detailed content of Apple Watch Ultra 3: Everything We Know So Far. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!