It’s a general principle of mobile design that you want screens to get bigger and devices to get smaller and lighter. By removing unnecessary front-facing hardware and slimming down bezels, Apple has mostly stuck to this strategy on the iPhone and iPad. But the Apple Watch moved away from that in 2022 with the launch of the Ultra model, which has a larger screen than the larger Series 7 model (1.93 inches versus 1.7 inches), but comes in a much larger and heavier chassis.
There are reasons for the Ultra’s heavy design, namely its target audience of divers, hikers, and extreme sports enthusiasts. But the Ultra’s size, as much as its high price, meant that it was never likely to achieve mainstream acceptance as effectively as the lighter, cheaper models in the series. At the very least, it’s uncomfortable to wear at night.
Later this year, Apple hopes to appeal to this mass audience with the Apple Watch Series 10 (or perhaps X, in a celebratory rebranding). And a new leak suggests that this device will return to the original strategy of offering a larger screen than that of the Ultra models, in a smaller body. Tech news site 91mobiles claims to have obtained CAD renderings of this fall’s new Apple Watch from “industry insiders” and shares some interesting details about the size of the upcoming watch.
The Series 10 will have a 2-inch screen. This would be the largest ever on an Apple Watch, surpassing even the Ultra models. (91mobiles doesn’t mention a smaller size option for the Series 10, which seems surprising but is consistent with a rumor from earlier this month. If there was a smaller version, it would probably be 1.79 inches or thereabouts. ) For reference, here are the sizes for the Apple Watch over the years:
- Apple Watch (1st generation): 1.5/1.65 inches
- Apple Watch Series 1: 1.5/1.65 inches
- Apple Watch Series 2: 1.5/1.65 inches
- Apple Watch Series 3: 1.5/1.65 inches
- Apple Watch Series 4: 1.57/1.78 inches
- Apple Watch Series 5: 1.57/1.78 inches
- Apple Watch Series 6: 1.57/1.78 inches
- Apple Watch SE (1st generation): 1.57/1.78 inches
- Apple Watch SE (2nd generation): 1.57/1.78 inches
- Apple Watch Series 7: 1.69/1.9 inches
- Apple Watch Series 8: 1.69/1.9 inches
- Apple Watch Series 9: 1.69/1.9 inches
- Apple Watch Ultra (1st generation): 1.92 inches
- Apple Watch Ultra (2nd generation): 1.92 inches
- Apple Watch 10: 2 inches (rumor)
The Series 10 will have a smaller chassis than the Ultra models, but larger than the Series 9: approximately 46 x 39.7 x 11.6mm, according to 91mobiles. (For comparison, the Ultra 2 has dimensions of 49 x 44 x 14.4mm, while the larger of the two Series 9 models measures 45 x 38 x 10.7mm.)
The overall design, including hardware controls, is largely the same as the Series 9. Rumors regarding changes to the strap attachment system appear to have either been abandoned or postponed until 2025.
It is important to emphasize that CAD renderings do not prove anything other than a particular design having been considered at some point in the procedure. The source does not have an exemplary background either; a colleague at igamesnews’s German sister site points out that 91mobiles predicted that the 13-inch iPad Air would get a vertical camera bump and that the iPhone 13 would get a bronze color option (both links are in German). In other words, don’t consider this settled.
But the theory of another increase in screen size is supported by renowned analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and it makes sense from a business perspective. We’ll find out the truth in about three months when Cupertino unveils the Apple Watch 2024 alongside the iPhone 16: watch this space for all the latest news and rumors leading up to the big day.
