Apple Watch 8 Pro just tipped for biggest redesign in 4 years

Apple could give its Apple Watch the biggest design shake-up in years with its rumored Apple Watch “Pro” model that could launch this year. 

According to reliable tipser Mark Gurman of Bloomberg — the new Pro variant will not feature the long rumored squared-off look. In his Power On newsletter, Gurman mentions the design could be an “evolution of the current rectangular shape and not circular.” It will not have flat sides either.

Rumors have been suggesting that Apple is set to launch not one, but as many as three Apple Watch’s this year — the Apple Watch 8, a high-end Apple Watch 8 Pro (or it could just be called the Apple Watch Pro). The Apple Watch 8 could launch alongside a new Apple Watch SE as well. But it is the Pro that is supposed to be the rugged, sporty and premium offering of the series. 

The Apple Watch Pro display screen will be a “good bit bigger” Gurman mentions. So much so, that it could only “appeal to a subset of customers.” It will have a reportedly 7% bigger display than the standard Apple Watch. This is something we have heard before and Gurman had once mentioned the display might span a full 2 inches diagonally. But a 7% bigger screen could mean it might be larger than the previously thought 2-inch number.

The Pro is set to be a cut apart, not just with its revamped design but also with its materials. It will reportedly be made of a more premium material like a “durable form of titanium” to make it extra rugged. 

The Apple Watch Pro could get longer battery life and a new body temperature sensor (even the Apple Watch 8 could have a body temperature sensor) something which Gurman had also mentioned recently. This time he says the Pro could stay on for multiple days with a single charge thanks to the rumored low-power mode.

In terms of other sensors, Gurman estimates that nothing has really changed and that we could see the blood pressure technology probably in 2025 and “glucose feature may not be ready until nearer to the end of the decade.”

The only new sensor that could make a debut will be the body temperature one. Like the Apple Watch 8, the Pro is also rumored to run on the older S8 chip that powers Apple Watch 7 and Apple Watch 6 models.

If Apple launches the Pro tier of the Apple Watch this year, it is possibly going to be more targeted at athletes or for intense workouts. It is also rumored to have enhanced hiking and swim tracking capabilities. In that sense, it could take on high-end Garmin sports watches and with everything “Pro” that Apple does — it could also demand a much higher price. Gurman had earlier estimated the Apple Watch Pro could cost up up $1,000. 

Beyond its rumored new design and premium build, it remains to be seen if the Apple Watch Pro manages to include “Pro” level features. Gurman mentions that “the upcoming Apple Watch release is shaping up to be one of the company's more exciting product launches this year." 

Stay tuned to our hubs to find out more about Apple’s upcoming launches, including the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro, which we’re predicting will arrive September 13 along with the new set of Apple Watches.

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