Apple Watch Series 8 (2022): Everything We Know
The Apple Watch Series 8 is expected to debut on September 7 according to rumours, but we’ve already heard a lot of information regarding Apple’s next wrist-worn gadget.
This article compiles all of the information we currently have on the Apple Watch Series 8 based on rumours. Be aware that Apple’s intentions may change and that these features have not yet been verified.
Design
Multiple speculations stated Apple was developing a new design with flat edges comparable to the flat sides of the iPhone 13 and iPad Pro before the arrival of the Apple Watch Series 7, but that didn’t end up occurring.
However, flat borders are not anticipated for the Apple Watch Series 8’s higher-end model, which may have a similar kind of design with a flat display. There is a “high probability” that the Apple Watch Series 8 will include a flat front glass display, according to latest information from leaker ShrimpApplePro.
With no changes to the chassis, the regular Apple Watch Series 8 devices are anticipated to have the same design as the Apple Watch Series 7 models.
Options for Size
Display expert Ross Young predicts that one Apple Watch Series 8 model will have a five percent bigger display when it launches in 2022. The 45mm Apple Watch Series 7 has a diagonal display size of 1.901 inches; the Apple Watch is said to feature a diagonal display size of 1.99 inches. The watch may have a 47mm diameter, making it 2mm larger than the biggest Apple Watch currently available.
The more substantial Apple Watch will be the next “rugged” model, claims Mark Gurman of Bloomberg.
Colors
Rumors suggest that the Apple Watch Series 8 will come in Midnight, Starlight, PRODUCT(RED), and Silver colours.
Rugged Apple Watch “Pro”
Apple is developing a “extreme sports” model of the Apple Watch, which will have a bigger screen and a more durable metal case.
The new gadget, which will be Apple’s largest to date, is geared for those who use their Apple Watches in more challenging environments, including sports, hikers, and other people. It will have a diagonal measurement of approximately two inches, which is bigger than the 1.9-inch diagonal screens of the current Apple Watch Series 7 and the next Apple Watch Series 8.
It will feature a screen area that is around 7% larger than the 45mm Apple Watch Series 7 and a 410 x 502 pixel display. Gurman hypothesises that Apple may show more fitness data on the Apple Watch face at once using the additional display space. Since the next Apple Watch is anticipated to be made of titanium, the existing Apple Watch Edition may be replaced or transformed into it.
Apple’s new watch will have increased impact resistance and protection owing to the new titanium alloy, albeit it is unknown what the company will label it. It will include a bigger battery and a screen that is more resistant to breaking, allowing for longer training sessions. The more costly than the present Apple Watch models, the higher-end robust variant might cost somewhere about $900.
Apple anticipates shipping only one million units of the bigger Apple Watch Series 8 model due to its high pricing.
S8 Chip
The S8 processor in the Apple Watch Series 8 will have identical characteristics as the S7 chip, therefore there won’t be any significant gains in speed or effectiveness. Instead, Apple Watch models from 2023 will have a brand-new chipset.
Mode Low-Power
A new low power mode that would enable more functionalities to operate while preserving battery life may be included in the forthcoming Apple Watch.
Health Features That Could Exist
The Wall Street Journal and other publications claim that Apple is creating a number of new health capabilities for next Apple Watch models. These include diabetes diagnosis, sleep apnea detection, sleep tracking using a thermometer, and blood pressure monitoring.
Although it is unclear if all of these sensors are available, some of these functions may be included in the Apple Watch Series 8; however, Apple may decide to postpone the functionality until a later time.
Blood pressure and glucose monitoring are not projected to be available until 2025 or later; instead, women’s health features, sleep improvements, new exercise alternatives, and medication management are all scheduled to be on the market before those two features.
Sensor for Temperature
As early as 2022, the Apple Watch may have a body temperature sensor. This sensor would first be utilised for fertility monitoring. Future iterations of the Apple Watch could be able to tell whether a user’s body temperature is greater than usual, although it is unlikely to provide a precise reading.
Apple had originally planned to include temperature monitoring in the Series 7, but was unable to make it function properly. According to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the series 8 might contain the body temperature tracking capability provided Apple has sufficiently refined its algorithm.
Environmental factors may affect skin temperature, and because a smart watch cannot measure core body temperature, it is difficult to get an accurate measurement without the right algorithm.
In August, Apple received a patent for a “high-accuracy” temperature sensor that would be used in the Apple Watch. The application may provide some information about the Series 8’s capacity for temperature sensing.
The system determines the difference in temperature between the probe’s two ends using a temperature sensor and a differential temperature probe. While the other end is attached to a sensor, the other end contacts the surface being measured. According to Apple’s patent, the system provides “high-precision” and “high-accuracy” and has a probe that is mounted on the “back crystal of a smart watch.”
Detection of sleep apnea
It’s unclear whether Apple will offer the blood oxygen sensor-based sleep apnea detection function since it’s difficult to take many measurements without considerably depleting the battery.
Detection of Auto Crashes
For the iPhone and Apple Watch, Apple is creating a crash detection tool that may debut in 2022. When a vehicle collision occurs, it will employ sensors like the accelerometer to measure a surge in gravitational force and alert the user.
The iPhone or Apple Watch would immediately contact emergency services to request assistance when a vehicle collision is detected. This feature may have been created for the iPhone 14 models and the Apple Watch Series 8 since it is scheduled for release in 2022, although it is unlikely to be restricted to those models alone. The Fall Detection function seen in current Apple Watch and iPhone devices will be expanded upon.
Enhanced Atrial Fibrillation
Apple is extending atrial fibrillation detection in watchOS 9 to determine “burden,” or how often a person has atrial fibrillation over a certain time period.
Update on Activity Tracking
Activity tracking will get “significant upgrades” with the Apple Watch Series 8, claims Mark Gurman of Bloomberg. Nothing concrete about what could change has been announced.
Patents for Apple Watch
Future Apple Watch models may include some of the intriguing technologies that Apple holds patents for, such as a biometric verification function that verifies identity based on the wearer’s skin pattern. A feature like that would do away with the need for a password while using the Apple Watch.
Another patent envisions a self-tightening Apple Watch band that would adapt for accurate heart rate readings during strenuous activities like jogging or working out and relax up afterward. Additional uses for the tightening include instructions, exercise reps, and more.
An Apple Watch band with an LED indication is described in a third patent. This band would provide a visual cue when an activity or chore was finished, for as after finishing a workout or an Activity ring.
Apple in December 2019 issued a patent explaining how the Apple Watch might help physicians monitor the symptoms of Parkinson’s patients using sensors to keep track of tremors. Apple thinks that by using this kind of data collection, users would be able to keep better track of their symptoms and tailor their activities to symptom patterns.
Apple may be working on Touch ID and an under-display camera for the Apple Watch, according to two patents from 2020. Apple envisions a side button that has an embedded Touch ID fingerprint sensor that may be used to unlock the device and identify the user. Currently, the Apple Watch opens when the associated iPhone is unlocked as well as with a password.
The patent outlines a two-stage display technology that incorporates an under-display camera that is only outwardly visible when activated. In a patent application from 2021, Apple described a drastic makeover of the Apple Watch with a rounder watch face, a wraparound flexible display, and digitally adjustable watch bands.
Batteries, speakers, kinetic power generators, haptic feedback devices, cameras, and other hardware may be included into the Apple Watch’s band, according to a number of additional patents that Apple has submitted.
Although it’s unclear if these patent-protected features will ever appear in a real Apple Watch, it’s fascinating to see what Apple is working on and thinking about in the background.
SE Apple Watch
Along with a new robust variant and an updated version of the budget Apple Watch SE, the Apple Watch Series 8 will debut. The Apple Watch SE is anticipated to include a speedier CPU, however we are unsure of what else will be included.
Series 8 premiere date
On September 7, Apple will host a “Far Out” event where the Apple Watch Series 8 and new iPhone 14 models are anticipated to be unveiled.
Future features of the Apple Watch
Blood Sugar Checking
A team of biomedical engineers at Apple is reportedly working on a technique for non-invasively measuring blood glucose levels using optical sensors; this technology may eventually find its way into the Apple Watch. Because it wouldn’t need puncturing the skin, such a feature would make managing diabetes considerably simpler.
According to speculations, Apple has been working on blood glucose monitoring for years, but it’s a critical health function that probably needs regulation.
According to DigiTimes, Apple is developing short-wavelength infrared sensors that might enable the Apple Watch Series 8 to measure blood sugar levels and track blood glucose levels. Blood glucose monitoring is still decades away, according to Bloomberg and DigiTimes, which isn’t often the most credible source.
A target launch year is still several years away for the noninvasive blood sugar monitoring feature. Apple might upgrade support for external glucose metres in the meantime.
Taking blood pressure readings
At the earliest, blood pressure monitoring technology won’t be available until 2024, and a launch might be delayed until 2025. Apple is developing a new sensor and supporting software that would be able to detect excessive blood pressure, but testing has shown that it is not reliable.
Apple is experimenting with blood pressure monitoring on its staff. The feature will alert Apple watch users that they may have hypertension and should undergo additional testing instead of providing particular systolic and diastolic values.
The powerful digital sensor system being developed by Apple partner Rockley Photonics will enable wearable technology to track indicators such as core body temperature, blood pressure, body hydration, alcohol, lactate, glucose trends, and more using optical sensors. Given the collaboration between Apple and Rockley, this technology may ultimately find its way to the Apple Watch, and speculations predict that blood pressure monitoring features may be unveiled at some time.
Connectivity through satellite
Apple intends to add satellite connection to the Apple Watch in the future, enabling services like SOS response and emergency messages directly on the wrist. The iPhone 14 will include satellite connection, which will eventually be extended to the Apple Watch.
