Apple Watch Ultra and Apple Watch SE will not receive an update

Although rumors before the launch of the new Apple Watches suggested that Apple would update its entire smartwatch lineup this year, Apple ultimately focused primarily on the Apple Watch Series 10. We didn’t see a new Apple Watch SE, nor did we see a new Apple Watch Ultra 3. There was just a new color option for the Apple Watch Ultra 2.

As recently as last Friday, rumors pointed to updates for the standard Apple Watch, the “Apple Watch SE,” and the Apple Watch Ultra. For example, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman said in his Friday article “Everything to Expect” that all three models would receive an update.

“For the first time in two years, the company is preparing to update all of its Apple Watch models at once. There will be a new low-end Apple Watch SE, a mid-range Series 10 model, and an Ultra 3.”

Last night, Gurman changed his prediction, saying that Apple isn’t introducing a Watch Ultra 3 after all. This could also delay a new ‌Apple Watch SE‌. The new black version of the Watch Ultra 2 probably led to the confusion with a possible Ultra 3. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo had previously also brought a new Ultra model into play.

The ‌Apple Watch Ultra 2‌ is still Apple’s most expensive smartwatch, but the Series 10 now has a superior LTPO3 OLED display with a wider viewing angle and a faster S10 chip. It also has the previously exclusive temperature sensor, depth gauge and depth app of the Ultra. Apple has also released a titanium version of the Series 10, which was previously a unique selling point of the Ultra.

Apple Watch SE together with iPhone SE 4?

The new health function for sleep apnea detection is not exclusive to the Series 10 and will also be available on the ‌Apple Watch Ultra 2‌. The Apple Watch Series 9, on the other hand, gets the new Tides app that the ‌Watch Ultra 2‌ brings. The changes mean that the Ultra 2 and Series 10 are much closer in terms of feature set. Although there are still some areas where the Ultra has the edge, such as diving and battery life. The latter is still twice as long as the Series 10.

With the new color of the Apple Watch Ultra 2, we probably won’t see a new version until September 2025. As for the ‌Apple Watch SE‌, it’s possible that Apple will release it sooner and launch it in time with the iPhone SE 4. Apple discontinued the Series 9 with the launch of the Series 10, so the Apple Watch lineup currently only includes the Series 10, the ‌Apple Watch Ultra 2‌ and the ‌Apple Watch SE‌.