Here’s what to expect from the next gen Apple Watch

If previous launches are anything to go by, we could see Apple launching the next iteration of its Apple Watch (Which could possibly be called the Apple Watch X) sometime in September this year. Now, while the launch is a good six months away, online forums and social media channels are already rife with rumours about the next Apple Watch. Here’s what you need to know.

Design

According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the tenth-gen Apple Watch could perhaps sport a thinner bezel than ever. In addition to this, it is expected to also make the switch from the old band-compatible system to a new magnetic attachment mechanism. This means that you won’t be able to use your old Apple Watch’s bands with the new one. However, it also means that there could be more space for a larger battery on the device.

Blood pressure monitoring

Now, it has been long known that Apple is working on a blood pressure monitoring system for the Apple Watch. However, this could be the year that regular users finally get to see the feature and test it out for themselves. Bear in mind though. Apple’s implementation of a blood pressure monitoring system won’t show a user their exact systolic and diastolic reading in real-time. That said, it will show them their blood pressure trends over a given period, quite similar to how it does with users’ body temperature currently.

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If long-term trends suggest that a user’s blood pressure has been steadily increasing, they’ll receive a notification from the watch alerting them of the same, and to seek medical intervention. What’s cool is, a Journal app integration will also allow users to log just what was happening/ what they were doing, when their blood pressure spikes suddenly.

That being said though, Apple is still working on a system that can give exact blood pressure readings in real time. However, those numbers currently remain far off the mark, and it still remains to be seen whether the feature could be integrated into the Apple Watch as soon as the Watch Series X.

Sleep apnea detection

Sleep Apnea detection could be another important feature that will make its way to the next Apple Watch. How the watch will detect sleep apnea, reports suggest, is by monitoring both, the user’s sleep as well as breathing patterns in tandem, and alerting them of any anomalies or potential issues, such that they can get the same diagnosed.

Bearing in mind how sleep apnea detection currently requires an overnight sleep study under controlled conditions otherwise, the integration of the feature on the smartwatch could be a huge step forward.

Fun fact. Apple isn’t the only company working on such a feature. Just last month, Samsung received USFDA approval to integrate a similar feature in its upcoming Galaxy Watch series as well.

Blood oxygen monitoring capabilities (Or a lack thereof)

While users could expect to see a slew of new features on the next Apple Watch, another equally important feature to consider is blood oxygen level monitoring capabilities. Or a lack thereof. This is due to the company’s ongoing patent dispute with US-based medical equipment manufacturer Masimo.

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Apple, which was sued by the latter for copyright infringement (Masimo’s copyright on wearable devices that are capable of monitoring blood oxygen levels), has been banned from shipping the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 in the US. Therefore, it remains to be seen whether the feature will be present on the next Apple Watch. However, there has been no official confirmation regarding the same as of yet, and it’s anybody’s guess for now.