Apple is exploring a major Apple Watch overhaul — including screenless models
Apple is considering a major rethink of the Apple Watch lineup as the wearables industry increasingly moves toward screenless devices and new form factors.
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who has a strong track record reporting on Apple’s plans, the company’s design team has spent roughly a year exploring different directions for the overhaul, though Apple has not publicly confirmed any of the plans.
Since its launch, the Apple Watch has largely evolved incrementally, becoming thinner and larger while adding Ultra models, cellular and satellite connectivity, and health features such as ECG and sleep apnea detection. The basic formula and design have remained largely unchanged, with the Ultra looking essentially the same since 2022 and the current Series 11 still building on the rounded design introduced with the Series 4 in 2018. Meanwhile, smart rings and screenless fitness bands from Oura, Whoop and Google are gaining popularity as lighter, cheaper and, for some users, more convenient alternatives.
According to Gurman, Apple has explored screenless devices, different display types and sizes, a circular design that is unlikely to reach the market, premium models positioned above the Ultra and Hermès versions, and more affordable concepts below the current SE. The company has yet to settle on a single direction.
The next Apple Watch models are expected to remain evolutionary, with the Series 12 and Ultra 4 reportedly getting under-the-hood improvements, the first notable performance boost in several years, the return of ceramic casing options, new colors and bands, and additional health features.
Artificial intelligence could become a bigger part of the Apple Watch as the company rolls out its next-generation AI-powered Siri and develops more advanced health tracking, opening the door to wrist-worn devices built more heavily around AI.
Apple’s broader Health app overhaul is being overseen by Eddy Cue, who reportedly uses Whoop bands and Oura rings himself and is pushing the company to adapt to changing consumer preferences. Gurman compares the scale of the potential Apple Watch overhaul to the iPhone’s move from a traditional slab design into foldables, while noting that such changes will take time.