The Apple Watch Ultra has looked mostly the same since it was first introduced. But it looks like in its fourth iteration, it will be getting a “major redesign” of some sort. And alongside the visual change, there will also be a “significant upgrade to sensing functions”, according to a recent report. These two changes were first reported by Digitimes, echoing a report the outlet published last year.
At the time, the outlet noted that the Apple wearables of 2026 will be getting a major redesign, as well as doubling the number of sensors. Part of this includes getting a new ring of eight sensors, with the more recent report pointing towards one of them being a new optical heart-rate sensor. Earlier Apple Watch models already have similar capabilities, with the new one looking to be a refined version.
That being said, in the latest edition of his weekly Power On newsletter, Mark Gurman of Bloomberg reiterates a prior claim that he’s “not expecting much in the way of major Apple Watch upgrades in 2026”. In it, he further claims that there will still be some, such as a new watch face that will be added as part of watchOS 27. It’s unclear if this is referring specifically to the base model Watch Series 12, or the range as a whole, contradicting the latest Digitimes report.
At any rate, the report also notes that the redesign to the Apple Watch Ultra 4 could boost shipments of the wearable by between 20% and 30% compared to last year. This, in turn, is expected to be a major benefit to the Taiwan-Asia Semiconductor (TASC). The company is noted to have the bitten fruit brand’s exclusive supplier of sensor components, “with new products likely to trigger large-volume orders as early as July and outperforming the first half of the year during the traditional second-half peak season”.
This would just about line up with the unveiling of the new wearables. For now, this is expected to happen in September, alongside this year’s batch of iPhones.
(Source: Digitimes via MacRumors, GSMArena, Bloomberg via AppleInsider)
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