The next Apple Watch release is expected for this fall, and there’s good and bad news for one of the models, the Apple Watch Ultra 3. The situation still seems fluid, but a new report claims to know what’s on its way.
Apple Watch Ultra 2. What will Ultra 3 be like?
According to revered industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo six months ago, there might not even be an Ultra 3. Kuo said, “It’s almost confirmed that we won’t see a new Apple Watch Ultra in 2024.”
So, the good news is this: according to Joe Rossignol at MacRumors, Kuo has shared a direct message with the site, and says that the Ultra will be updated to a third-gen model this year. Hurrah!
The Apple Watch Ultra is a really splendid and powerful machine, with a gorgeous big screen great battery life, helpful extra buttons and redesigned Digital Crown.
But, and here we get to the bad news, according to Kuo, the new Apple Watch Ultra 3 will have, to quote, “almost no” hardware upgrades compared to the current Apple Watch Ultra 2.
Apple Watch Ultra 2: will Ultra 3 look different?
That could sound disappointing, but let’s drill down a little. Although the next regular Apple Watch is surrounded in mystery (will it be Series 10 or a radically different Apple Watch X?) the next Watch will undoubtedly have an upgraded processor. It’s unthinkable that the Ultra 3 wouldn’t also adopt this chip.
And let’s remember that the current chip was a big step forward from the previous model, so maybe Apple doesn’t need the same step change this year.
Secondly, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has previously said that he thinks this fall’s Watch will offer blood pressure measurements and sleep apnea detection. Again, if the regular Watch gets these, then the Ultra 3 certainly will.
Those features sound impressive to me, and definitely not “almost no” upgrade. But the key detail here may be that Kuo specified hardware updates and perhaps these new health capabilities can he largely handled by improved software.
And thirdly, though this may be wishful thinking on my part, I wonder if 2024 might be the year for the much-rumored Space Black titanium finish for the Ultra. To be honest, I’d be perfectly happy with that: it is rumored to look great and choosing that finish gives owners bragging rights as they have the unmistakably latest model.
More as we have it.
