Apple has a special event later today – could we see an LTE version of the Apple Watch 3? Read the latest rumours on the 2017 Apple Watch features, specifications and UK launch date.
When will Apple launch a Watch Series 3? We round up the plentiful rumours surrounding the ‘new iWatch’ release date along with its specs and features.
Right now, most rumours say Apple will launch the Watch 3 in September 2017, and that’s hardly a stretch given the fact that it has combined iPhone and Watch launches in previous years.
Apple does indeed have an event at 10am PST (6pm UK) later today (12 September) , so if the new watch is coming soon it will be announced today. See how you can tune into this event and follow our real-time coverage.
Invitations have gone out to the press:
Another report from Digitimes cites the Chinese-language Economic Daily News. This says that Apple has again given the manufacturing contract for the Watch 3 to Taiwan-based Quanta. The company has assembled all of Apple’s smartwatches so far, and that it will launch the new wearable alongside the iPhone 7s, 7s Plus and the new iPhone 8.
Previously, Digitimes reported on a leak that manufacturing was starting to ramp up, specifically for the screen (see below) .
More recently, another Chinese report claims the wearable is in the “final testing phase” and will be in mass production soon, so long as “the test is successful”.
What’s easy to predict is that the Apple Watch 3 will come in a range of models, colours and a choice of straps. This means prices will vary wildly depending on how basic or flashy you want to go. You can also expect collaborations with big brands, like Nike.
Apple, we think, will also continue to offer two different sizes to cater for both sexes, but we’re not at all confident that Apple will introduce a new form factor. That’s because watchOS 3 is designed for a square screen, as are third-party apps. So while it may look a little different – perhaps thinner – it’s very unlikely we’ll see a circular screen.
There are rumours that Apple will opt for a new form-factor in terms of design but whether this means a switch to a round screen like Android Wear devices remains to be seen.
So what other new features are rumoured?
This is the big one. KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has piped up recently, saying that the Apple Watch 3 will come with cellular connectivity so it won’t require an iPhone to function.
You’d even be able to make calls and other tasks, although calls would be via VoIP (like FaceTime and Skype) rather than a cellular call.
Apparently, Intel is supplying the modem for the watch, partly because it’s smaller and uses less power than Qualcomm’s, but probably also because Apple is currently suing Qualcomm.
According to Kuo, there will be a choice of Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi + LTE on both 38mm and 42mm models. It will have an ‘eSIM’ – essentially a built-in SIM – which bulk to a minimum.
Apple bought Beddit earlier this year and while we weren’t impressed with the Finnish company’s Sleep Tracker, we’re sure Apple can incorporate the tech into the Apple Watch and make it great.
It’s somewhat unlikely we’ll see this in the Watch 3, but you never know.
Until now, most reports have agreed that the Watch 3 won’t look much different from its predecessors – the main improvement will be in battery life rather than a new design or new features.
However, the US Patent and Trademark Office has published a patent application that could be applied to wearable, rollable and foldable displays. The accompanying images show a smartwatch that has a continuous display running from the watch face through the band.
It’s unlikely that we’d see these changes in the upcoming Apple Watch 3, though, and they are more likely to appear in a future version.
For the Apple Watch 3, a significant change (well, significant for Apple and its current OLED screen suppliers) is expected to be a switch from OLED technology to what’s called ‘micro-LED’. The new tech is actually quite similar to OLED in that the display does not require a backlight – each pixel or element is ‘self-emitting’.
What micro-LED brings to the party is higher brightness and lower power consumption, which could be key to making the Watch 3 last for more days between charges
Apple acquired LuxVue in 2014, a company that was developing micro-LED displays. However, a recent report by DigiTimes suggests that only a ‘trial production run’ will happen in the second half of this year.
If that’s true, then any device launched in September won’t have this tech.
Other reports say the device will have a glass-film touchscreen, rather than the ‘touch-on-lens’ screen used by the Series 2.
It would appear that the touch-on-lens screens are very difficult – and therefore costly – to produce and yields haven’t been as good as the manufacturer, TPK Holding, had hoped. Rumour has it that the forthcoming watch will use a thin glass panel covered in a heavy-duty, scratch-resistant film laminate, and that it will be manufactured by a different company.
Do you need a camera on your smartwatch? It didn’t work on the Samsung Gear 2 but Apple’s patent is for a selfie camera instead. So, the Apple Watch 3 could support taking selfie photos and maybe FaceTime video calling, too.
Recently granted patents suggest that Apple might be trialling modular bands which could allow you to buy a ‘base’ watch and add the features you want via removable ‘links’ in the strap. Maybe you want longer battery, a GPS, a camera or even a specific medial function.
One use for this, as reported by BGR, could be to monitor blood sugar levels. Millions of people in the US alone suffer from diabetes and there’s currently no way to measure blood sugar levels without taking a blood sample. According to the report, Apple has hired 200 PhDs recently to innovate in the health space and that “the time is now right” for glucose monitoring.
Rather than drive up the price of the watch for everyone, such monitoring could be added via sensors built into a strap.
Another interesting patent shows that Apple might be designing multi-function straps. A ‘Magnetic Wristband’ shows a strap which would attach to the body of the watch with magnets. However, the interesting bit it when the watch isn’t worn as the strap can be rolled up to create stand.
Could the Apple Watch 3 be round? We certainly hope so or at least an option for circular alongside square, but it’s only images from patents that are giving people hope. In reality, it’s one of the more unlikely features since – as we said earlier – watchOS has been designed for square displays.
Also, as spotted by 9to5mac, another new patent outlines a strap with an embedded battery (above) that provides power to the watch by an thin induction coil that sits on the bottom of the watch.
