Apple Watch Series 7 records ECG. Will the Series 8 offer new health tracking?
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July 7th update below. This post was first published on July 4, 2022.
Apple Watch Series 8 is expected this September. But according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman in his latest Power On newsletter, not one, but two new Apple Watch models may include a body temperature sensor.
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Gurman says the feature had been rumored for some time, but its inclusion was far from certain. Gurman says that depends on whether “the feature passes muster during internal testing.” However, he now thinks it’s likely: “I now believe the feature is ready.” It will be on the Apple Watch Series 8, but not on the cheaper second-generation Apple Watch SE, which is also believed to be in development process. The second watch likely to be capable of this is a “new rugged edition that is aimed at extreme sports athletes.”
July 7th update. Details are coming in thick and fast about this year’s Apple Watch models. The latest revelations come from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who laid out more details about the Series 8, the SE and the new ruggedized watch.
For the Series 8, he claims that the display size will be exactly as it is now, which was expected, and that the new Apple Watch SE will have the same display size – in the case of the SE, it’s a step up from the current SE , which has a slightly smaller display. This leads me to believe that the design of the Series 8 and SE will be identical to the current Series 7.
But the majority of Gurman’s comments relate to the model designed for extreme sports fans, the rugged Apple Watch.
The display, as mentioned below, has been confirmed by Gurman as almost 2 inches diagonally, although he reckons that means about a 7% larger screen than before. It will have a resolution of around 410 x 502 pixels, which means it will have the same level of detail as the Series 7, in other words, the same pixel density is predicted.
The larger screen, German says, can show “more fitness metrics or watch face information at once. The company added several new fitness features in watchOS 9, including multisport workouts and improved intensity tracking during exercise routines.
Previous changes in screen sizes have led to more Apple Watch faces being exclusive to the larger displays, so this is the next step in that direction. This new size means that “the rugged model’s nearly 2-inch display will make the screen one of the largest offerings from a mainstream smartwatch maker.”
Next is the case material. So far, Apple has made watches in five different metals: aluminum, stainless steel, titanium and ceramic, plus the original Watch Edition, which comes in gold. Gurman says, “The extreme sports watch will use a strong metal material, not aluminum.” Could this be a metal not used before, or perhaps the return of ceramic?
It will also have a “more shatter-resistant screen,” though it’s unclear if that claim is in comparison to the aluminum watch or the more expensive models, which have a stronger sapphire crystal face.
Oh, and there’s one additional feature revealed: a larger battery, “allowing athletes to track workouts over longer periods of time,” Gurman was told. This is interesting. Apple has always strived to ensure that no matter which watch you choose, the battery life is the same for everyone. Will this change now or will the battery be able to do more active stuff but have the same battery life?
Gurman also says that the new watch will have the same S8 as the other 2022 versions, although he comments that it will have “similar performance to the S7 chip in the Apple Watch Series 7, which was on par with the S6 in the Apple Watch Series 6 since two years ago. This will mark the first time the company has maintained the same overall performance on the Apple Watch for three generations in a row.”
My point is that Apple makes sure its processors do the job smoothly and responsively. Perhaps it’s more a sign of how powerful the current chip is that it needs a bit of a refresh. In any case, I believe Apple wouldn’t release a watch at this stage in the product’s life without it being strong in terms of performance.
July 6 update. Hot on the heels of the body temperature sensor news comes a report of a strikingly different look for this year’s Apple Watch. For the first time, according to Ross Young, an analyst and display expert, there will be three sizes of the Apple Watch.
This does not mean that each model will come in three different sizes. Rather, a model may arrive with an entirely new bezel size, that is, a display measuring 1.99 inches diagonally. So while the current models are available in 41mm and 45mm case sizes and will continue to be, it looks like there will be a 47mm model as well. That’s about a 5% increase in screen size.
This report was backed up by another analyst, Jeff Pu, who, as reported in MacRumors, said that in addition to the regular watch sizes, there will be a “high-end” model with a larger display.
It looks like the much-rumored rugged Apple Watch will be the model with the new, larger screen. The larger display suggests a redesigned design, as does the sturdiness. When Apple released the flat-edge iPhone 12, they said the new shape helped make the phone stronger (not to mention the ceramic shield on the front). So, could the Apple Watch’s flat-edge design that seemed to leak last year be the one for this sturdier watch?
If so, we could see for the first time Apple release new watches with a different design language: the Apple Watch Series 8, which matches the style of the current Series 7, along with a new rugged watch.
It is also predicted that there will be a new Apple Watch SE, which will likely resemble the Series 8, and potentially the first-generation SE will remain in the range to become the lowest-priced entry-level choice.
As such, this could mean that 2022 will be the biggest step for the Apple Watch in years. For now, let’s get back to the new health feature expected in the Series 8 and the health watch.
This means that the Apple Watch will be able to tell you if you have a fever. Well, after the last few years, any information on early warning of a possible disease would be great, wouldn’t it?
But it’s not a thermometer. “The body temperature feature won’t give you a specific reading — like a forehead or wrist thermometer — but it should be able to tell if it thinks you have a fever. He may then recommend talking to your doctor or using a special thermometer.
The current Apple Watch can support heart rate variability (HRV) – the small variations between one heart beat and the next – and Covid is believed to bring with it a sharp drop in HRV. So it’s now possible that the Apple Watch could spot Covid early and accurately, although that’s not something Apple has ever claimed for its wearables.
So something like a fever alert could be interesting, and see how Apple takes the watch even further into health monitoring.
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