It’s a general principle of mobile design that you want screens to get bigger and devices to get smaller and lighter. By removing extraneous front-facing hardware and slimming down bezels, Apple has mostly stuck to this strategy on the iPhone and the iPad. But the Apple Watch departed from it in 2022 with the launch of the Ultra model, which has a bigger screen than the larger-model Series 7 (1.93 inches vs 1.7 inches) but comes in a far chunkier and heavier chassis.
There are reasons for the Ultra’s heavyweight design, namely its intended audience of divers, hikers, and extreme sports enthusiasts. But the size of the Ultra, just as much as its premium price tag, meant it was never likely to achieve mainstream acceptance as effectively as the lighter and cheaper Series models. If nothing else, it’s uncomfortable to wear at night.
Later this year, Apple will hope to appeal to that mainstream audience with the Apple Watch Series 10 (or possibly X, in a celebratory rebranding). And a new leak suggests that this device will return to the original strategy by offering a display that’s larger than that of the Ultra models, in a smaller body. The tech news site 91mobiles claims to have obtained CAD renders of this fall’s new Apple Watch from “industry insiders,” and shares some interesting details about the size of the next watch.
The Series 10 will have a 2-inch screen. That would be the largest ever seen on an Apple Watch, surpassing even the Ultra models. (91mobiles doesn’t mention a smaller size option for the Series 10, which sounds surprising but fits a rumor from earlier this month. If there was a smaller version it would likely measure 1.79 inches or thereabouts.) For reference, here are the sizes for the Apple Watch through the years:
- Apple Watch (1st gen): 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 gen): 1.57/1.78 inches
- Apple Watch SE (2nd gen): 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 gen): 1.92 inches
- Apple Watch Ultra (2nd gen): 1.92 inches
- Apple Watch 10: 2 inches (rumored)
The Series 10 will have a chassis that’s smaller than the Ultra models, but larger than the Series 9: roughly 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 the hardware controls, is broadly the same as on the Series 9. Rumored changes to the band attachment system appear to have either been scrapped or postponed to 2025.
It’s important to stress that CAD renders are evidence of little other than a particular design having been considered at some stage in proceedings. Nor does the source have an exemplary track record; a colleague on Macworld’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 view this as settled.
But the theory of another bump in screen size is corroborated by the reputable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and it does make sense from a business perspective. We’ll find out the truth in around 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.
