Mark Gurman is back with more information about the upcoming Apple Watch Series 8 and second-generation Apple Watch SE. In his Power On newsletter, Bloomberg‘s journalist talks about what to expect from these Watches coming later this year.
After previous reports saying Apple would bring a faster S8 chip for the Apple Watch Series 8, Gurman says he’s told that the “S8 chip will have the same specifications as the S7.” But here’s the catch: the S7 chip is the same as the S6, which was introduced with the Apple Watch Series 6 in 2020.
That said, Apple Watch Series 8 will be as fast as the Apple Watch Series 7 and the Apple Watch Series 6. For the next year’s model, Gurman says the Watch is slated to get “an all-new processor.”
Talking about the Apple Watch SE 2, it won’t have the bigger screen introduced with the Apple Watch Series 7. He writes:
Last but not least, Mark Gurman speculates on what will happen with the Apple Watch Series 3:
The SE will stick to the screen size of the current model, rather than moving up to the larger Series 7 size. But it may get the same S8 chip as the Series 8, an upgrade from the S5 in the current SE from 2020.
Although Gurman doesn’t mention it in the newsletter, he has previously reported that Apple Watch Series 8 is expected to feature at least a new body temperature sensor.
The software update drops support for the Apple Watch Series 3, so I’d finally expect that model to be discontinued in the fall. The current SE could slide into that Series 3 price point, with the new SE becoming the mid-tier option.
In April, analyst Ming-CHi Kuo doubled down on the body temperature sensor. He said:
I believe Apple Watch Series 8 in 2H22 could take body temperature if the algorithm can meet Apple’s high requirements before mass production.
Are you excited about the Apple Watch Series 8, Apple Watch SE 2, and a possible extreme sports Watch variation? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
