In his latest note, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo wrote that he believes the upcoming Apple Watch Series 10 will feature a thinner chassis and a larger display, compared to Apple Watch Series 9. What is perhaps most surprising is just how much bigger Kuo believes the screens are getting.
Kuo says the Watch will increase from the current 41mm and 45mm sizes to about 45mm and 49mm respectively. Remember, unlike other Apple devices, these sizes measure case height of the watch, not diagonal screen size. Naturally, a taller case also means a bigger display. For comparison, the current Apple Watch Ultra is also measured at 49mm case height.
This is a pretty dramatic jump. The new form factors would make the smallest watch as big as the current larger Series 9, and the new bigger model would approach — and perhaps surpass — the Ultra screen size. The Ultra will still be a bit bulkier overall, as its chassis features thicker titanium design with a protruding crown guard, for instance.
But still, if these numbers are accurate, the screen size jump would be notable for the main Apple Watch line. It seems unlikely that hypothetically slimmer screen bezels could offset much of this size increase, as the Watch screen already has super-slim borders.
The thinner chassis claim gels with what Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported yesterday, indicating that Apple is planning thinner designs for upcoming iPhone, Watch, and MacBook Pro models, sticking to a trend started by the launch of the M4 iPad Pro.
Interestingly, Kuo does not expect the new Apple Watch Ultra to also get bigger. He says it will have roughly the same dimensions as the Ultra 2. However, Apple may make a dark titanium color option available for the first time.
Rumors of a significant Apple Watch hardware redesign that uses new band attachments have been circulating for a while, but it’s unclear if that is what Kuo is referring to or if the Series 10 will be a revision of the same general form factor. The ‘Apple Watch X’ redesign was previously suggested as arriving in either 2024 or 2025.
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