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Apple is set to reveal the new iPhone 17 on 9 September, in a livestreamed event kicking off at 6pm BST. The phone is undoubtedly the star of the show, but the tech giant is also expected to fully reveal the new Apple Watch Series 11 smartwatch.
Last year’s Apple Watch Series 10 was an iterative update with a practically identical design, so fans are eagerly anticipating a more interesting refresh with the Apple Watch Series 11.
Ahead of the official reveal, rumours suggest the new Apple smartwatch will offer another small upgrade over the previous model – but Apple has form for surprising fans. Here’s what we know so far, from release date to features.
Apple Watch Series 11 release date
Ever since Apple launched the Apple Watch Series 2 in 2016, the company has unveiled each new Apple Watch in September alongside the iPhone.
That makes it highly likely we’ll see the watch at Apple’s 9 September event, with iPhone 17 pre-orders and Apple Watch Series 11 pre-orders expected to go live on Friday 12 September. An official release date should follow on Friday 19 September.
Apple Watch Series 11 price
Right now, there aren’t any leaks about the Apple Watch Series 11’s price, but we expect it to start at £399 for the 42mm model, £429 for the 46mm model, increasing to £499 and £529, respectively, for the models with cellular connectivity.
Apple Watch Series 11 design and features
While there’s been little word on the Apple Watch Series 11’s design, ahead of the launch of the Series 10, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman claimed that Apple was working on a special anniversary edition of the Apple Watch, called the Series X, and said it could be released in 2024 or 2025. There would be a thinner case and a new magnetic band attachment system, making it easier to attach new straps to your watch.
The Series 10 had a thinner case, but there was no new magnetic band system or a Series X. Will this be the year for that new redesign? Here’s hoping. There are, however, a couple of rumours about the Series 11’s features.
In late 2023, Gurman claimed that Apple was working on blood pressure monitoring for an upcoming Apple Watch. This was predicted to launch on the Apple Watch Series 10, but he said in March this year that Apple had been running into issues when testing the technology.
While it wouldn’t give you exact systolic and diastolic measurements, it could give you hypertension alerts and track whether your blood pressure was going up or down. If Apple is still finding blood pressure monitoring difficult to implement, it still might not arrive in time for inclusion on the Series 11.
And it looks like Apple has also solved its blood oxygen monitoring problem. The feature was removed on the Apple Watch Series 9 and Series 10 due to patent disputes, but it was finally resolved earlier this month, so blood oxygen monitoring will be back on the cards for Series 11.
Besides that, it looks like it’s going to be another fairly iterative upgrade. Future Apple Watch models could be far more exciting, however.
In March, Gurman stated that Apple was working on developing an Apple Watch with built-in cameras that would launch in 2027. According to the leaker, it wouldn’t be used for FaceTime, but for Apple’s visual intelligence features, letting a user point their watch at things in their environment to get on-wrist information about them, such as a shop’s opening times or the name of a plant in the wild.
The Apple insider also revealed later that month that Apple’s ongoing mission to bring non-invasive glucose monitoring to the Apple Watch was still in the works, but that it was many years away from reality. According to Gurman, a proof-of-concept was engineered in 2023, but it was still too big to put into an Apple Watch. There are reportedly hundreds of engineers working on the project.
Apple Watch Series 11 specs
Apple updates the chip inside the Apple Watch every year, and we’re pretty certain an S11 chip is going to power the upcoming Apple Watch Series 11. While we don’t know anything about it yet, the smartwatch will probably run faster and help increase its battery life.
In December last year, Gurman claimed that MediaTek had been picked to supply the modems for future Apple Watches in 2025, finally bringing 5G speeds to the wearable. The current Intel modems only use LTE connectivity, but MediaTek’s modem uses 5G RedCap, a service specifically built for wearables.
The best Apple Watches:
If you want a new smartwatch, it’s wise to wait for the new Apple Watch to drop. We’re expecting fairly iterative changes, but we could be wrong, and there could be some impressive new features. However, if you can’t wait for the new watch to drop, these are some of our current favourites.
Apple Watch Series 10
Until the Apple Watch Series 11 arrives in September, the 10th generation model is the best smartwatch for iPhone users. Launched last year, it introduces a suite of new health features, including the long-awaited introduction of blood pressure monitoring and sleep apnoea detection.
While at first glance it looks similar to the series 9, the bigger display, thinner profile, and handsome new colours make the Series 10 a lot more appealing,” tech critic David Phelan said in his Apple Watch Series 10 review.
“The features that have defined the Apple Watch, from subtle notifications, brilliant mapping capabilities on your wrist and above all, great health features, are all at their best here,” he added.
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Apple Watch SE (2nd generation)
The Apple Watch SE is the most affordable smartwatch in the lineup, combining essential features with a more accessible price tag. The second-generation model launched in 2022 with comprehensive activity tracking, crash detection and seamless integration with your iPhone.
In his review of the Apple Watch SE, tech critic David Phelan called it “an ideal choice for that new trend: parents buying a smartwatch for their children instead of a phone. Apple has leaned into this with something called family setup, which means you can connect a family member without a phone, if you choose a GPS + cellular model.”
We could see a new Apple Watch SE launching alongside the iPhone 17 and Apple Watch Series 11 in September, so look out for deals on the outgoing model if a newer version appears.
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