Apple Watch Series 10 health features could see delays, as rumors zero in on sizing

Kaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority

We’re just one short weekend away from Apple’s next big hardware event, set to reveal the iPhone 16 family. Of course, we’re expecting a lot more than just some new smartphones, and one the major Apple mobile accessories expected to make an appearance is likely to be the Apple Watch Series 10. Some of the rumors surrounding this hardware have been all over the place, and now as we get into the final stretch here, we’re trying to get to the bottom of what you can expect when it comes to features and design.

Last winter, we checked out a report from Mark Gurman, who talked about the possibility of the new Apple Watch picking up a couple advanced health tools: detecting sleep apnea, and delivering warnings about hypertension. He’s back today with an exhaustive breakdown of Apple’s plans over at Bloomberg, and shares a couple updates on availability.

Sleep apnea detection is supposedly still something Apple plans to highlight, but even if the company does announce it at next week’s event, Gurman suspects the feature may be slightly delayed — which sounds to us like government regulatory concerns. As for hypertension warnings, it seems like delays are even more severe, and it’s unclear if Apple even plans to draw attention to the feature without anything approaching a firm ETA.

Anyone who was holding out hope that Apple might restore blood oxygen measurement with the Apple Watch Series 10 should probably just put that optimism to rest. We’re also not expecting a big push for AI with the company’s smartwatches. But lest this get you feeling too negative about the launch, there’s some promising news about design refreshes.

We’ve already heard about Apple intending to slim down its next Watch, but it seems like everyone has their own theory for what sizes it will be available in. While we just looked the other day at a report talking about 42mm and 46mm options (a revision of the earlier 41mm/45mm theory) 9to5Mac has done a little math based on what it’s learned about the display resolution of these devices, and gets the impression that we can expect 44mm and 48mm models. The site also raises the possibility of some big upgrades to water resistance, with even the base Watch supporting “high-speed water sports up to 20 meters deep.”

Be sure to check in with us on Monday for full coverage of Apple’s announcements.

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