Is the next Apple Watch getting a new name and a big redesign?

Since it first launched in 2015, the Apple Watch has become a staple for tech lovers, fitness freaks and fashion aficionados alike. Its success is hard to ignore – in 2019, it outsold the entire Swiss watch industry combined.

The latest iteration, the Apple Watch Series 8, brought a handful of upgrades over the Apple Watch Series 7. Users gained a new Crash Detection feature and temperature sensing capabilities, as well as an updated S8 chip.

Despite these upgrades, the release was somewhat overshadowed by the release of the premium Apple Watch Ultra. Signalling Apple's first foray into a more rugged watch, the Ultra was a smash-hit.

Now, rumours have emerged suggesting that the next generation of the Apple Watch could be renamed the Apple Watch X. The report comes from a website called Stack Umbrella – not a source we've heard of before, so take everything said with a pinch of salt.

It's not the most extreme claim though. Apple famously skipped over the 9th generation of the iPhone, going directly from the iPhone 8 to the iPhone X. It's plausible that they may do the same again, though there isn't an anniversary to peg that decision on this time out.

The report goes on to claim that the next generation could get a redesign. Again, it's hardly a ludicrous claim. It says, "The new Apple Watch is predicted to have a flatter shape, different casing styles, and fresh straps, and could also include a blood glucose monitor and a blood alcohol sensor."

Those sensors seem unlikely to me. The redesign is more plausible, though I can't imagine the Apple Watch would finally revert to a flatter design when reports suggest the iPhone is getting a more curved design. It seems counter-intuitive at best.

As things stand, the next generation of the Apple Watch is expected to launch under Apple's normal schedule, which means we should see it around September time.