Apple Watch Series 4 preview: Everything we know so far
Larger screens and better heart rate detection? New details emerge
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The Apple Watch hasn’t changed dramatically since its 2015 debut, but myriad tweaks and improvements have kept it current… and it’s selling more and more units each year. But the upcoming Apple Watch Series 4 could introduce the first obvious changes to the core hardware itself, if rumours prove true. Details have started to build up ahead of a potential launch later in 2018, and the Series 4 might be the revision that gets original Apple Watch buyers to finally splurge on an upgrade. Eager to slap a new smartwatch on your wrist? Here’s what we’ve heard so far.
WHEN WILL THE APPLE WATCH SERIES 4 BE OUT?
Like the iPhone, the Apple Watch has seen annual refreshes from Apple thus far. After the original early 2015 launch, we saw Series 2 arrive in September 2016 and Series 3 (shown) in September 2017. Unsurprisingly, we’re expecting to see the Apple Watch Series 4 debut this September alongside the purported new “iPhone XI” models. Bloomberg reports that Apple is “preparing another big push for the wearable hardware later this year,” and that’s the timeframe we expect for Apple debuts.
HOW MUCH WILL THE APPLE WATCH SERIES 4 COST?
There aren’t any solid rumours about the Apple Watch Series 4’s launch price just yet, but let’s look to history to see where it’s trending. The Series 2 models started at £369, but then Apple cut the entry point a bit by giving the Wi-Fi model of the Series 3 a £329 starting price. Granted, they were also trying to sell pricier Cellular models, but it felt like a nice deal on the bottom end. Even if we see an enhanced screen (keep reading), we have to think Apple won’t try to bump the price too much for the Series 4.
WHAT WILL THE APPLE WATCH SERIES 4 LOOK LIKE?
Despite some users’ hopes for a circular version, Apple hasn’t changed the silhouette of the Apple Watch (Series 3 shown) from the start – and that may stay true with Series 4. Bloomberg reports that Apple is working on “a pair of new Apple Watches that keep the overall size of the current models,” and that they will still work with bands made for the current and previous editions.
WHAT ABOUT THE APPLE WATCH SERIES 4’S SCREEN?
Apple has generally used small OLED displays at 326 pixels per inch on both the 38mm and 42mm sizes – but they’ve had a bit of bezel around the screen itself. Not this time, according to Bloomberg. The site reports that Apple will feature “slightly larger, edge-to-edge screens” in the Apple Watch Series 4. In other words, they’re going for the iPhone X approach this time around – with no notch, we hope. Granted, there isn’t that much bezel on the Apple Watch now, so we’ll have to see whether it’s really a noticeable difference or not.
HOW MUCH POWER WILL THE APPLE WATCH SERIES 4 PACK?
The Apple Watch Series 3’s S3 chip is a pretty powerful little wearable processor, and last year’s Watch revision also packed in more RAM than before. We expect further incremental improvement with an Apple S4 chip in the Series 4, and quite likely the same amount of RAM as the S3 (768MB) or maybe bumped up to 1GB. You don’t need that much processing grunt for a smartwatch, but every little bit helps.
IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE I SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE APPLE WATCH SERIES 4?
If it launches later this year as expected, then the Apple Watch Series 4 will launch with the newly-revealed watchOS 5 installed. Of course, it’s also coming to past Apple Watch models, with the exception of the original 2015 release. As we’ve explored, watchOS 5 brings a number of feature enhancements to the Apple Watch, including a Walkie Talkie app for swapping quick voice messages with trusted contacts, as well as enhanced workout tracking and Activity Competitions, Podcasts support, and improved Siri usage and notifications.
