Forget the Apple Watch 9, we’re already hearing about the Apple Watch X

We’re still many months away from the likely September launch of the Apple Watch 9, but already there’s news about its successor the Apple Watch X, and the headline is that it’s apparently going to get bigger.

This comes from David Hsieh, an analyst at technology research firm Omdia (opens in new tab) (via MacRumors (opens in new tab)), who claims that the Apple Watch X will be available in both 1.89-inch and 2.04-inch sizes. That’s up from 1.69-inch and 1.9-inch on the Apple Watch 8.

The name is interesting too, though not surprising, as it would put the branding in line with 2017’s iPhone X. So, as with that, the X here would be the Roman numeral for 10.

Hsieh also brings information on the Apple Watch SE 3, which will apparently land in 2024 alongside the Apple Watch X and will see a size increase of its own. This will apparently match the Apple Watch 8 for screen size, up from 1.57 inches and 1.78 inches.

There apparently won’t be any size increases for the Apple Watch 9 though, with that reportedly having the same screen size options as the Apple Watch 8.

Finally, Hsieh claims that the Apple Watch Ultra 2 will land in 2024 with a 2.13-inch screen, which would also be a size increase and is in line with what we’ve heard elsewhere. But Hsieh adds a couple of new details in that the resolution will apparently be either 540 x 440 or 556 x 452; leading to a pixel density of around 325 pixels per inch.

For reference, the current Apple Watch Ultra has a 1.92-inch 502 x 410 screen, with 338 pixels per inch.

Analysis: 2023 could be a boring year for Apple Watches

With the Apple Watch Ultra 2 reportedly not landing until at least 2024, the Apple Watch SE 3 doing likewise, and the Apple Watch 9 apparently having the same screen size as the Apple Watch 8, there might not be much to get excited about this year, Apple Watch-wise.

If the leak above is accurate then we’ll presumably only see one new Apple Watch model this year, and it might not be much different to the Apple Watch 8.

Of course, just because it’s no bigger doesn’t mean other upgrades won’t be present, but it would make a certain amount of sense for Apple to save major upgrades for the tenth-generation model next year, much like the iPhone X was a big change for Apple’s smartphone line.

So while we can’t be at all certain, this year’s Apple Watch releases might not have much impact on our list of the best smartwatches.