Apple Watch Series 10 may offer sleep apnea detection in a much thinner design
We’re just a few days away from Apple unveiling its latest devices at its September 9, 2024 Special Event “It’s Glowtime”While we have a pretty good idea of what to expect – the iPhone 16 line, new AirPods, and a trio of Apple Watches – a new report sheds some light on a key feature coming to Apple’s wearables.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman shared his latest predictions and it looks like the Apple Watch Series 10 and Apple Watch Ultra 3 will get a major new health feature.
The report states that sleep apnea detection will arrive on the Series 10 and Ultra 3, which will improve sleep tracking on the wearable and likely add a new metric to the “Vitals” experience that will land with watchOS 11. It’s a confirmation of earlier rumors that Apple is preparing for the launch and will likely show the device at the event.
A new health function
Like Samsung’s sleep apnea detection feature on the Galaxy WatchApple’s approach would alert you if it detects you have it and then suggest you talk to a doctor. Interestingly, though, the feature might not be ready for day one, meaning it’ll likely be announced at the event and ship sometime afterward.
It’s similar to how Apple introduced and subsequently rolled out Double Tap for the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 in 2023. You could also say it reflects the rollout of the full suite of Apple Intelligence features.
Once it’s out, sleep apnea detection will reportedly sit alongside other health features like exercise tracking, Activity Rings, heart rate, fall detection, and electrocardiograms. Gurman’s report notes that there’s “no evidence” that blood oxygen monitoring will return for the new models. In early 2024, Apple had to remove features from new watches due to patent dispute with Masimo Corporation.
Larger screens and a thinner build
Aside from the health functionality, the report also claims that while the Apple Watch Series 10 will look identical to the Series 9 with a larger display that gets closer to the edges on both sizes, what’s new is that the chassis will be “noticeably thinner”. We’ll have to wait for Apple to confirm how much thinner, but right now the 41mm and 45mm Series 9 measure 10.7 millimeters thick.
As for the Apple Watch Ultra 3, Gurman notes that the changes are mostly on the inside, with the report confirming that a new entry-level Apple Watch SE is coming. It could take shape using a rumored plastic construction, which would also make it ultra-affordable, potentially undercutting the current third-generation Apple Watch SE which starts at $249 / £259 / AU$399 for the 40mm or $279 / £299 / AU$449.
Of course, like all Apple rumors, this isn’t official until the tech giant officially shows it, but thankfully it won’t be for long. “It’s Glowtime.” Apple’s event gets underway at 10am PT/1pm ET/6pm BST on September 9, 2024 (3am September 10 AEST) and TechRadar will be reporting live from it all with myself and Lance Ulanoff, our Editor in Chief, reporting live from Apple Park in Cupertino.
