A rumored excessive sports activities Apple Watch may have bigger display, “strong metal” case

Apple is engaged on a model of the Apple Watch meant for “extreme sports athletes,” which is able to function an even bigger display and harder design, in keeping with a report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. The report says the sports activities mannequin will function a “nearly 2-inch display” with 7 p.c extra space than the one discovered on the present 45 mm watches and that it could be powered by a bigger battery. (Note that the 45 mm — or roughly 1.77-inch — measurement is in reference to the watch’s case dimension, not its display dimension.)

Gurman has reported on a possible rugged Apple Watch before, however now the prediction is barely completely different. He beforehand mentioned Apple may make its Watch extra rugged with a rubberized exterior, which he mentioned was typically internally referred to as the “Explorer Edition.” Now, he says the plan is for a watch with a “strong metal material rather than aluminum,” in addition to a “more shatter-resistant screen.”

Arguably, Apple does already make a watch with a heartier steel and display — its stainless-steel and titanium fashions function a “Sapphire crystal display” in comparison with the “Ion-X glass” discovered on the inexpensive aluminum fashions. Those watches, nonetheless, positively appear to be geared toward folks extra involved with style than bombing down a path or mountaineering; I’ve heard from stainless-steel version homeowners that the polished end may be very simple to scratch.

While the acute sports activities model could not look as luxurious as Apple’s fancier watches, Gurman does predict that it’ll be priced like them, saying they’ll price greater than $699, which is the beginning value of the present stainless-steel mannequin. That’s not out of the peculiar for rugged smartwatches — Garmin’s Epix 2, for instance, retails for round $900, and its Fenix 7S fashions begin at $700. But it and different sports activities watches from manufacturers like Polar or Coros can final for days or perhaps weeks on a single cost, one thing present Apple Watches aren’t sometimes able to. Some of Garmin’s watches additionally function fancier GPS capabilities than Apple’s present crop of wearables.

Bloomberg additionally experiences that Apple’s engaged on a brand new mannequin of the Apple Watch SE, the lower-cost gadget that was launched in 2020. That’s not essentially a shock, but it surely’s good to listen to. Apple’s least costly watch, the $199 Series 3, has been critically outdated for a number of years, and the corporate remains to be promoting it even supposing the following model of watchOS gained’t assist it. Introducing a brand new SE may give Apple a chance to repair the awkward pricing scenario on the low finish of its watch lineup.

The report says that the rugged watch, the SE, and the upcoming Series 8 fashions will all use a brand new processor that may have related efficiency to this 12 months’s chip. They’re additionally anticipated to have sensors to take your temperature.