Kuo predicts we’ll get the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and SE 3 as part of the 2025 lineup
While the Apple Watch 3 and SE 3 weren’t announced at the iPhone 16 event earlier this week, they should be part of the company’s 2025 smartwatch lineup.
At least that’s what Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has predicted in a post on X, saying that the Ultra 3’s absence from Apple’s “Glowtime” event held on September 9 is in line with his prediction from about a year ago.
The analyst refers to his October 2023 post on Medium, in which he wrote that the likelihood of Apple updating the Ultra in 2024 was decreasing. And now, he’s reiterated that the 2025 lineup will include the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and the next Apple Watch SE, which was last refreshed in 2022.
Kuo: Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch SE 3 in 2025
The iPhone 16 event was a launchpad for the new Apple Watch Series 10. The Apple Watch Ultra wasn’t refreshed, but we got a new Satin Black color option for the chassis, along with a matching Milanese Loop band.
The Ultra and the SE are relatively new smartwatches, which could be why Apple doesn’t refresh them yearly like its main Series models. For example, the SE debuted in 2020, but it took two years to release the second-generation model.
We don’t know anything about the Apple Watch SE 3 aside from one uncorroborated rumor saying it’d have a lighter and cheaper case made from plastic instead of aluminum, which would allow for a better array of colors, making it more kid-friendly.
Does the Ultra need a refresh every year?
The Apple Watch Ultra debuted in 2022 as Apple’s rugged option for adventurers and extreme sports fans. Its hardware was refreshed in 2023 with a brighter screen and a faster Apple S9 chip, barely enough to warrant a sequel.
The Ultra 3 was supposed to have a micro-LED display, but Apple allegedly ran into issues with micro-LED development. If Apple finds a reliable supplier to churn out these screens, we may still get a micro-LED screen for the next Ultra.
Perhaps Apple doesn’t need to update the Ultra each year. The Apple Watch Ultra is a specialized product that fills a specific niche, so maybe it should only receive updates when there are enough changes, like every other year?
Maybe Apple is saving the Utlra 3 for the Apple Watch’s tenth anniversary in 2025, which could also bring the so-called Apple Watch X with a new design similar to how the major iPhone X revamp dropped on the tenth anniversary of the iPhone in 2017.
Source link: https://www.idownloadblog.com/2024/09/12/apple-watch-ultra-3-2025-launch-rumor/
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