Apple is rumored to be working on an Apple Watch geared towards extreme sports athletes, complete with a larger display than prior models, along with a bigger battery and a rugged metal case. The new Apple Watch model should arrive the latter half of 2022, according to sources familiar with the plans.
The company has previously crafted Apple Watch units mainly from aluminum, and has had stainless steel and titanium models available as well. Speaking with sources close to the story, Mark Gurman has noted that the purported extremes sports watch will use a case stronger than metal material, which will also feature a more shatter-resistant screen.
The display will also offer more screen real estate. Currently, the largest Apple Watch Series 7 has a display measuring 1.9 inches diagonally. The rugged version should be closer to 2 inches, providing about 7 percent more screen area than other models. Gurman suggests Apple might use the additional screen real estate to show more fitness metrics or information on watch faces at a time.
It’s thought that the updated Apple Watch Series 8 models will include an S8 processor. Performance may not get much of a bump from the current S7 chip in Apple Watch Series 7.
It’s also thought that the extreme sports Apple Watch will include improvements in tracking metrics. This could offer more precise tracking of elevations during hiking workouts as well as more data from swim sessions.
In spite of the leaks and rumors, it’s unknown as to how much an extreme sports Apple Watch will retail for. Currently, the stainless steel variety of the Apple Watch Series 7 starts at $699. A titanium option starts at $799 for a 41mm Apple Watch.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.
Via The Mac Observer and Bloomberg
One reply on “Rumor: Apple could debut Apple Watch extreme sports model later this year”
I would be interested if they fix their algorithm for recording swimming. Currently my watch loses the first 5-10 laps of any swim activity I record.