All issues thought of, 2025 was a very good yr for the Apple Watch: we acquired three new fashions, and I gave two of them strongly optimistic opinions. (I haven’t tried the Extremely 3 but, however it’s most likely respectable too, if a bit cumbersome for my suburban tastes.) It simply wasn’t an thrilling yr.
The Sequence 11, as glorious as it’s, options only a few adjustments from final yr’s Sequence 10. And whereas the Apple Watch SE 3 affords a plethora of worthwhile upgrades, they’re new to the SE slightly than to the entire line. It was a yr of smart consolidation, in different phrases, slightly than headline fireworks.
However that might all change in 2026. After greater than a decade of samey designs and gradual iterative characteristic creep, is Apple lastly able to announce some massive information for its smartwatches? We hope so. On this article, half prediction and half want record, we define seven bulletins and adjustments we are able to anticipate from the Apple Watch subsequent yr.
A correct redesign finally
The theme of my Apple Watch opinions in 2025–to not point out my small contributions to our year-end awards article–was that the Sequence 11 is a terrific smartwatch, however the SE 3 is a greater buy. It merely isn’t value spending an additional $150 on the full-fat mannequin as a result of the finances version is greater than adequate for most individuals’s wants.
Apple likes to maximise its revenue margin and is keen on an upsell, so 2026’s mission shall be to offer causes to purchase the Sequence 12. And the obvious manner to do this is to offer it a flashy redesign for the primary time within the product’s historical past.
Spherical display screen? Unlikely. Yet one more button? Can’t see it occurring simply but. However different bodily adjustments predicted a number of years again for the once-rumored Apple Watch X, which included a thinner case, a bigger battery, and a brand new magnetic band locking mechanism, might lastly arrive subsequent yr. It’d even be fabricated from glass. With the inconvenient rise of the SE threatening Apple’s coffers, the timing couldn’t be higher.
A greater and far brighter display screen
These Apple Watch X rumors from 2023 additionally included a microLED show, which nonetheless is smart and would characterize a helpful improve on the present OLED.
microLED means improved shade constancy, higher energy effectivity, and, going by a idea proven off by Samsung at CES again in February, brightness ranges pushing 4,000 nits. For comparability, the Sequence 11 tops out at 2,000 nits and even the Extremely 3 has a most of three,000.
Halyna Kubiv
Apple Intelligence
Over the previous yr or so Apple has appeared decided to get its AI platform on each doable gadget–which is how we ended up with the deeply disappointing iPhone 16e state of affairs. However there are a number of exceptions. One is the baseline iPad; one other is your complete Apple Watch lineup.
As we now have reported, it’s extraordinarily probably Apple makes the Twelfth-gen iPad AI-ready, and whereas the watch is much less of an apparent slam-dunk, it makes loads of sense as a transportable AI assistant. And it might make a helpful differentiator for the costlier fashions.
On-board biometrics
I very hardly ever must enter my Apple Watch’s passcode, as a result of my iPhone 17 does such a very good job as chaperone: taking a look at its Face ID scanner unlocks the watch, and it stays unlocked as quickly because it stays on my wrist. (And so long as I nonetheless have a pulse, however let’s not take into consideration that an excessive amount of.) Apple is superb at these sorts of frictionless multi-device integration.
However there are nonetheless explanation why a fingerprint scanner can be a welcome improve for the Apple Watch in 2026 (almost definitely constructed right into a aspect button, however probably below the display screen). Most clearly there are the instances if you wish to unlock it however your iPhone isn’t close by; to not point out the long run, wherein wearables might want to function as standalone units slightly than equipment.
Having the ability to give biometric authentication from the watch on a case-by-case foundation may be helpful for Apple Pay and different monetary makes use of, in addition to well being/health apps and personal messaging, reminiscent of notifications from locked chats in WhatsApp.
This may all sound like an unlikely want record merchandise, however inner code suggests Apple is definitely contemplating Contact ID on the Apple Watch.
Blood glucose monitoring
One other Apple Watch era means one other spherical of hypothesis about new well being sensors. What’s going to we get in 2026? Prick-less blood glucose monitoring has been rumored for a while (we now perceive analysis was underway again within the Steve Jobs period), and on condition that the venture had reached the “proof of idea” part in 2023, it could lastly be prepared for the large time subsequent yr.
This could be a game-changer for watch customers with diabetes, in addition to offering helpful information insights for anybody seeking to enhance their well being and health.
David Worth / Foundry
A yr off for the SE
This yr, we acquired new fashions in all three Apple Watch strains: Sequence, SE, and Extremely. However this isn’t all the time the case. There was no SE in 2021 or 2023, and no SE or Extremely in 2024. The one fixed is the Sequence.
With this in thoughts, I feel there’s good motive to anticipate the SE to take a yr off in 2026. Proper now, the SE 3 is the Apple Watch to go for. However that can all change in fall 2026 if the Sequence 12 turns up with a bunch of latest options (or a brand new design) whereas the SE stays stagnant. Apple used to do one thing comparable with the baseline and Air editions of the iPad, which might come out at totally different instances and make one another look much less interesting.
Customized watch faces
I’ll end up with an working system improve thought up by Macworld contributor Mahmoud Itani: a customisation instrument to allow you to construct your individual watch face.
It all the time frustrates me after I discover a face I like (Flux is a large favourite of mine) then uncover that it doesn’t allow me to make use of the set of problems I depend on… or in Flux’s case, any problems in any respect. Having the ability to mix-and-match visible components, fonts, and problems from numerous faces would allow customers to construct the watch expertise they want.
