Apple Watch 8 release date rumors, price, leaks and what we want to see
With the Apple Watch 7 now available we’re already turning our attention to the Apple Watch 8, and we’re not alone – there are several rumors about Apple’s next wearable already, even though it probably won’t land before September 2022.
Below then you’ll find everything that we’ve heard so far about the Apple Watch 8, including information on the likely release date and price.
Then, further down you’ll find our wish list for what we want from this upgrade, because as good as the latest model is, our four-star Apple Watch 7 review shows that there’s room for improvement.
We’ll also be updating this article whenever we hear anything new about the Apple Watch 8, so head back here often if you want to stay in the loop.
Don't expect huge design changes for the Apple Watch 8. A leak of the CAD files suggests there will be an extra speaker grille, but that's it for design changes on 2022's smartwatch.
Cut to the chase
- What is it? The next numbered Apple Watch
- When is it out? Probably not until September 2022
- How much will it cost? Likely around $399 / £369 / AU$599
Apple Watch 8 release date and price
There’s no news yet on when the Apple Watch 8 might be announced, but this is one thing that we can take a good guess at, as other than the original model they’ve all been announced in September of their release years, and in most cases have gone on sale in the same month.
More specifically, based on past form we’d expect Apple will unveil the Apple Watch 8 on either the first or second Tuesday in September, so September 6 or September 13. There’s a good chance that you’ll then be able to pre-order it on the Friday of that week (September 9 or 16) and that it will ship the following Friday (September 16 or 23).
There’s no guarantee of this, especially as the Apple Watch 7 didn’t ship until October 15 of 2021, but that tends to be Apple’s pattern if nothing holds the company up.
We don’t know what the Apple Watch 8 will cost either, but there’s a good chance it will have a similar price tag to the Apple Watch 7, meaning a starting price of around $399 / £369 / AU$599.
News and rumors
There are already a few Apple Watch 8 rumors, including a suggestion that it might be bigger than the Apple Watch 7.
This comes from a leaker who’s been right about Apple things in the past, saying that there could be three - rather than two – sizes for the Apple Watch 8, with the new one being a larger option. They don’t say how big it would be, but we’d take this with a pinch of salt given that the screen on the 45mm Apple Watch 7 is already pretty big by smartwatch standards.
However, another leak in November 2021 of the CAD files of the upcoming watch suggest there won't be many chnages on the Apple Watch 8. According to LeaksApplePro, the only major design change will be the introduction of an extra speaker grille.
We're not sure which source to believe here, but this should become clearer when we get closer to the launch of the next-gen smartwatch.
Told you it was disappointing.Upon receiving CAD files and images, this will be the only noticeable change in design from the Series 7 to the Series 8.More info soon at @iDropNews pic.twitter.com/GQC40eIwk3November 18, 2021
Next up, there’s a claim that the Apple Watch 8 could include a body temperature sensor. This claim comes from Ming-Chi Kuo, who has a great track record for Apple leaks.
We know from patent applications that this is something Apple has been working on, and it could be a useful feature to help you judge whether you’re in a fit state to work out, as an elevated temperature could mean you’re not at your best – or are even in the early stages of developing the flu or another illness.
On a similar front, the Apple Watch 8 might be able to track some combination of blood pressure, blood sugar, and alcohol levels. That theory is based on Apple having become the biggest customer of a company that focuses on sensors to track those things.
However, while this suggests that Apple is seriously working on at least some of that, it doesn’t guarantee that this will be ready for the Apple Watch 8. We also wouldn’t expect to see all of those sensors, with blood sugar tracking probably being the most likely, as that was previously rumored for inclusion in the Apple Watch 7.
What we want to see
The Apple Watch 7 is in most ways a small upgrade on the Apple Watch 6, so we want more substantial changes for the Apple Watch 8, including the following things.
1. Better battery life
In our review we found that the Apple Watch 7 would tend to last over 24 hours, which is more than Apple claims and yet still not really enough, especially if you want to track your sleep, as that leaves you with no convenient time to juice it up.
When compared to some of the competition it looks even worse, with many wearables lasting days or even weeks – though the longest-lasting ones don’t tend to have as many features as Apple’s.
So for the Apple Watch 8 we want to see battery life substantially improved. Ideally it should be at least double what we’re getting with the Apple Watch 7, but that’s probably not going to happen.
2. Improved workouts and sleep tracking
The Apple Watch 7 can track a sizable number of workouts, but it lacks some fairly core features when doing so. For example, when tracking a run, you don’t get heart rate alerts or interval sessions.
Similarly, while sleep tracking is present, it fails to provide much in the way of deep insights into either how you slept or how you could improve your sleep.
So we’d like to see both of these things developed further for the Apple Watch 8. If Apple can do this as a software update for all the previous models too then all the better.
3. More health features
The Apple Watch 7 was quite light on new features, so we really feel like the Apple Watch 8 needs some bigger additions, and the obvious ones are health focused.
We’ve heard rumors that it could have a body temperature sensor, a blood pressure monitor, a blood sugar monitor, or even the ability to track your alcohol levels, any or all of which would be nice to see.
4. A new look
Ahead of the Apple Watch 7’s launch there were rumors that it could undergo a significant redesign, with flat edges in place of the rounded ones we’ve become used to. And while the wearable did have some changes, all they really amounted to was a bigger screen and smaller bezels.
So for the Apple Watch 8 we’d love to see the look substantially refreshed, be it with those flatter edges or some other changes. Because like the iPhone, the Apple Watch design is starting to feel a bit stale.
5. A better chipset
The Apple Watch 7 technically has a new chipset, but it’s basically the same as the chipset in the Apple Watch 6, just redesigned to fit into the new chassis.
While this doesn’t feel especially lacking for power, it’s a bit disappointing that Apple didn’t continue to push things forward on this front, especially when other products like the iPhone 13 and iPad Pro 11 (2021) have had big chipset upgrades.
So we’re hopeful that the Apple Watch 8 will have a meaningfully new and better chipset than the current model.
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