If you’ve been waiting for the Apple Watch Series 4, you’ll only have to wait six months for new features, says one analyst.
The Apple Watch 4 release date is expected to be around September and the design may undergo significant changes, according to a notable Apple analyst today.
It appears as if the company will finally redesign the Apple Watch in the third quarter with a 15% larger display, says KGI Securities‘ Ming-Chi Kuo, as reported by 9to5Mac .
That means the Apple Watch 4 could launch anytime between July and September of this year, which lines up perfectly with the anticipated iPhone XI launch window.
This would be the first time Apple’s smartwatch deviated from the original Watch design. Kuo doesn’t go into detail about what it’ll look like, however.
Up to this point, Apple has been merely refreshing its watches with new Apple Watch bands, all of which are compatible with each iteration, from Series 0 to Apple Watch 3 . Apple Watch bands from new Spring Collection are all about color Better screen-to-body ratio?
A 15% increase in screen size doesn’t necessarily mean it’ll be a 15% larger watch. There’s plenty of bezel around the 38mm and 44mm screen sizes to wipe away.
The Watch screen isn’t all that it could be
In fact, you’ll find just under 50% of the Apple Watch 42mm watch face is used by the Super AMOLED display. The Moto 360, on the other hand, boasts a nice 71.7% screen-to-body ratio.
All-screen smartphone displays are the rage right now, including Apple’s iPhone X, and the company is rumored to be giving the iPad Pro 2018 a similar upgrade. The next Apple Watch display could follow suit. More sensors and longer battery life
Other new Apple Watch 4 features outlined by Kuo suggest more health sensors in addition to the existing heart rate monitor, and longer battery life. Again, specifics are vague in today’s report.
Higher battery capacity is going to be important if Apple wants its wearable to make use of Beddit, the sleep monitoring startup it purchased last year.
And it’s hard to ignore that Fitbit is claiming its new Fitbit Versa smartwatch lasts for over four days. Apple may be eager to close the gap between its chief rival and its current Watch lineup, which requires daily charging.
Yesterday, we reported on a patent that details a camera for a future Apple Watch. It could be used for Face ID unlocking and, in theory, FaceTime video calls. If that’s the case, we could be one step closer to Dick Tracy-style video calls from the wrist.
Kuo foresees a 30% year-over-year increase in Apple Watch sales in 2018, outlining a combination of enticing new Apple Watch 4 features and discounted prices for existing Watch models. We’ll know in the next six months if this is all true. Hands on: the New iPad 2018 review
