Like clockwork, Apple has released a new Apple Watch around the same time every year since the device was first introduced in 2015. So it should come as no surprise to anyone that a new Apple Watch is coming later this year. But a report by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman and Debby Wu goes into much more detail than just “the Watch is coming.”
Citing “those with knowledge of the plans,” Gurman and Wu say the new smartwatch will “probably” be called the Apple Watch Series 7. That’s no surprise either.
More surprisingly, their sources say the new Apple Watch will likely be just a bit thicker than the current model. In addition, Apple is exploring reducing screen bezels and introducing “a new lamination technique that brings the screen closer to the front.” The Watch is also said to have the same ultra-wideband technology as AirTags and recent iPhones, which will be used for things like unlocking doors.
Some of the above suggests a noticeable redesign. Other recent rumors have claimed that the new Watch will have flat bezels like the ones on the new iPhones. While exact dimensions have varied and the screen has come to fill a larger portion of the face, the Apple Watch has generally stuck to a similar design since its introduction.
The article also contains a piece of news that seems likely to apply to the Apple Watch’s 2022 refresh, not this year’s. It claims Apple wanted to include a body temperature sensor in this year’s model, but the sensor has been pushed back to next year’s cycle.
Gurman and Wu go on to say a blood sugar sensor is planned, but not for “several years.” There were previously rumors of an upcoming rugged, extreme sports variant of the Apple Watch, but like the body temperature sensor, this too has been delayed to 2022.