Apple Watch Series 9 rumors: Will it get a blood glucose meter?

THE iPhone 15 is not the only one new device we expect to see this year. The successor of Apple Watch Series 8 It’s also expected to hit shelves in 2023. Apple is the king of smartwatches, and it’s reigned supreme for years despite a slow start. With 2023 underway, we’re looking forward to the next generation of the company’s signature watch, the Apple Watch Series 9.

Over the years, Apple has brought a steady stream of upgrades to the Apple Watch, adding an always-on display in 2019, blood oxygen monitoring in 2020, a larger display in 2021, and temperature sensing. in 2022.

This year, however, a gradual upgrade is more likely to materialize, given that Apple shook up its smartwatch lineup last year with the introduction of the luxurious Apple Watch Ultra And the second generation Apple Watch SE. Currently, there are few rumors to run for the Watch Series 9 (unlike the iPhone 15 Series), but we’ll be sure to update this article as we get a sense of any credible buzz.

New sensors

The main new health feature expected to come to the Apple Watch is noninvasive, continuous blood glucose monitoring, according to a Bloomberg report in February. Currently, blood glucose testing requires pricking the skin for blood. To test glucose levels without blood, Apple is reportedly investigating an approach that uses a silicon photonic chip for a measurement process called optical absorption spectroscopy. This technique shines light from a laser under the skin to determine the amount of glucose in the body, the report says. While major progress would have been made to bring this feature to life, the technology needs to be miniaturized to fit into a portable device. If Apple pulls this off, it has the potential to make the Apple Watch essential in millions of diabetic homes.

Micro-LED display?

The Apple Watch received an OLED display years before the iPhone, and now rumor suggests that the Apple Watch may adopt another display upgrade before Apple’s smartphones. According to a Bloomberg report, in-house produced MicroLED displays are set to appear on the next Apple Watch Ultra model, which could arrive in 2024 at the earliest. Previous rumors had indicated that 2023 would be the year of an Apple Watch MicroLED. This represents another effort by Apple to reduce its reliance on external technology partners – in this case Samsung and LG – as it strives to build more components itself.

Not to be confused with Mini-LED, MicroLED is touted as the next big step forward in OLED display technology. It gets its name from the millions of tiny pixels that directly create the image. The main obstacle to mass adoption is making those pixels (and screens) small enough. MicroLED is brighter than OLED with equally perfect black levels and no risk of burn-in.

Release date and price

Apple has released a new generation of Apple Watch every year since its debut. This year, unless the company breaks with tradition, the Apple Watch Series 9 will likely arrive in fall 2023 alongside the iPhone 15 series.

There are also no leaks on the starting price of the Apple Watch Series 9. However, the price has remained the same for several years now, at least in the United States, and we expect that prices remain the same in 2023. Apple Watch Series 8 starts at $399.

What we expect

We expect the Apple Watch Series 9 to have everything the Watch Series 8 has. These features include an always-on display and various size and finish options. We’re also expecting the Watch Series 9 to get an upgraded processor (likely the S9) and support for the next software version, WatchOS 10. Hopefully, we’ll also see an improvement in battery life. the battery, which the Watch 8 did not receive.