The upcoming Apple Watch 10, or Apple Watch Series 10, is likely to introduce a number of upgrades. But the biggest change could come from the actual appearance of the watch, delivering first true design change in three years.
Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported the Apple Watch 10 will offer "larger screen sizes" and "a thinner design" compared to the Apple Watch Series 9 that launched last September. This predication tracks with the three-year alteration cycle that Apple has adhered to when it comes to the look and feel of its annually refreshed smartwatch.
As a reminder, the Apple Watch Series 7 amended the design we saw throughout the Apple Watch Series 4, Series 5 and Series 6. It welcomed a 20% larger display with thinner display bezels, as well as 41mm and 45mm sizes to replace the 40mm and 44mm ones found in previous models. Before that, the original Apple Watch through the Apple Watch Series 3 came in 38mm and 42mm sizes.
According to Apple's pattern, the Apple Watch 10 should be due for a new design. Kuo suspects the screen sizes will increase once again, growing to 45mm and 49mm sizes. That sounds like a major jump, and would likely require a larger watch frames than smaller display bezels.
Larger frames could come with additional benefits, such as room for a bigger battery or an additional health sensor. Blood pressure monitoring is something we've heard rumors about for several years, though we've not entirely convinced it'll arrive inside the Series 10 watch.
Alternatively, the larger frames may supports Kuo's claims of a thinner Apple Watch design. The interior components may be spread across a wider chassis, allowing the watch to sit more flush to the user's wrist. We're interested to see whether this would require a complete redesign of the watch's internals. It's also possible that the flagship Apple Watch would adopt the boxier shape used for the Apple Watch Ultra/Apple Watch Ultra 2.
Apple recently previewed watchOS 11 at its annual developers conference with a game-changing new feature for runners and the long-awaited option to Pause Activity Rings. It's possible that the rumored Apple Watch 10 design will support an exclusive watchOS 11 feature, similar to how the Apple Watch Series 7 came with a QWERTY keyboard.
Either way, we're still a few months out from learning what the Apple Watch 10 has in store compared to the best smartwatches right now. If Kuo's report is true, we may hear more design rumors leading up to the yet-to-be-announced Apple September Event.
