14 DAY TRIAL // Apple will unveil a new Apple Watch model at its September 15 event, and according to people familiar with the matter, the company has prepared a bunch of surprises this time.
First of all, it’s worth noting that the Apple Watch will be the big star of the September event, as the new-generation iPhones wouldn’t see the daylight this month. Instead, Apple is planning a separate October event to announce the iPhone 12.
Apple Watch Series 6 will thus get a lot of stage time, and while Apple has tried to remain completely tight-lipped on this device, we already found out that some massive upgrades are coming this year.
For example, Apple plans to announce not one but two different Apple Watch models this year.
The first of them will be the new Series 6 that will be positioned as the premium option featuring the latest-generation hardware. The second will be a so-called Apple Watch SE whose purpose would be to make the device more affordable, coming with an older chip and without the most recent health features developed by Apple.
The Apple Watch Series 6 will feature the same design as its predecessor, so it will continue to be offered in two different sizes, just like before. Aesthetically speaking, it’ll be hard to distinguish a Series 6 from a Series 5, but rumor has it that Apple is also planning a new color and new band materials
Of course, the new bands will also be compatible with the previous Apple Watch models, so technically, only the new color will be the addition that represents a major visual makeover.
The most important smartwatch upgrade will happen under the hood, as the device will now come with blood oxygen level detection. Just like the heart rate monitoring sensor, the new feature will just keep an eye on the blood oxygen level and send a notification to the user is it drops below a certain value.
The ECG feature is also likely to get an upgrade, and the new Apple Watch will come with sleep monitoring out of the box. This is a feature that would be part of watchOS 7, so there’s a chance it would also make its way to the Series 5 too.
However, the sleep tracking feature appears to be pretty basic, as it only provides a very limited amount of details, such as how long you’ve slept. Other devices, such as Fitbit and Garmin smartwatches, provide a more detailed look at every sleep cycle in an attempt to prevent the sleeping overall.
The new Apple Watch will drop 3D Touch once and for all. This is a chance that Apple has also embraced on the iPhone, so the smartwatch will just follow in its footsteps. watchOS 7 itself has already removed the necessary code to power this feature, so the new Series 6 will also ditch the hardware inside. This is good news for a variety of reasons, but the most obvious is that the removal of the 3D Touch components free up some space inside the Apple Watch, essentially allowing Apple to offer a bigger battery or install other parts.
However, don’t expect the Apple Watch Series 6 to come with a larger battery. Apple will continue to promise an 18-hour battery life, which compared to Garmin and Fitbit is obviously a lot less than you’d normally expect.
The Apple Watch Series 6 is likely to go on pre-order shortly after the show, while the first units should be shipped to customers by the end of the month.