We’re still months away from the likely September launch of the Apple Watch 9, but there’s already news of its successor, the Apple Watch X, and the headline is that it’s apparently going to be bigger.
This comes from David Hsieh, an analyst at a technology research firm Omdia (opens in a new tab) (By MacRumors (opens in a new tab)), which claims the Apple Watch X will be available in both 1.89-inch and 2.04-inch sizes. That’s more than the 1.69 inches and 1.9 inches of the Apple Watch 8.
The name is also interesting, though not surprising, as it makes the brand similar to the 2017 iPhone X. So, as in this case, the X here would be the Roman numeral for 10.
Hsieh also brings news on the Apple Watch SE 3, which will apparently land in 2024 alongside the Apple Watch X and see its own increase in size. Apparently, this will fit the screen size of the Apple Watch 8, from 1.57 inches to 1.78 inches.
There will apparently be no size increase for the Apple Watch 9, with it reportedly having the same screen size options as the Apple Watch 8.
Finally, Hsieh claims the Apple Watch Ultra 2 will land in 2024 with a 2.13-inch screen, which would also mean an increase in size and is in line with what we’ve heard elsewhere. But Hsieh adds some new details as the resolution will apparently be 540×440 or 556×452; leading to a pixel density of approximately 325 pixels per inch.
By comparison, the current Apple Watch Ultra has a 1.92-inch 502 x 410 screen, with 338 pixels per inch.
Analysis: 2023 could be a boring year for Apple Watches
With the Apple Watch Ultra 2 rumored not to land until at least 2024, the Apple Watch SE 3 doing the same, and the Apple Watch 9 apparently having the same screen size as the Apple Watch 8, there might not be much to get excited about this year. when it comes to Apple Watch.
If the above leak is accurate, we’ll likely only see one new Apple Watch model this year, and it may not be much different from the Apple Watch 8.
Of course, just because it’s not bigger doesn’t mean other updates won’t be present, but it would make sense for Apple to save major updates for the tenth-gen model next year, much like the iPhone X would be a big change in Apple’s smartphone lineup.
So while we can’t be entirely sure, this year’s Apple Watch releases may not make much of an impact on our list of the best smartwatches.