Apple Watch 5: rumors, price, fitness, battery and more

the Apple Watch Series 4 A big step forward for Apple's bracelets: a refined design, a bigger screen and more ECG technology authorized by the FDA to start. But this year, the Apple Watch Series 5 could be even better. Even though the Apple Watch is the best smart watch right now, that does not mean that it's perfect. The Apple Watch lacks some important features of some of its competitors, including fitness monitoring and OLED screen. There is also the rumor of Apple Watch models in titanium and ceramic. This is what we expect to see in the Apple Watch Series 5 based on current rumors – and missing features of the 4 Series.

Missing functionality: sleep tracking …

In February, Bloomberg had announced to Apple that it planned to integrate the advanced monitoring of the watch in Apple Watch, but perhaps not before 2020. The Apple Watch can not sleep, at least not natively. Instead, it's based on third-party sleep monitoring applications that can be installed on the watch, but it is by no means a fully integrated solution that works seamlessly through Apple's Health and Activity app applications. For years, the iPhone has a clock for bedtime, and sleeping well certainly matches Apple's other core missions in heart health and well-being. (Apple acquired the sleep monitoring company Beddit in 2017.) Maybe the 2019 watch will take a step forward in improving equipment to enable sleep tracking.

Read more: Apple Watch: all the features of health and fitness, explained

… that would require a longer battery life

The Apple Watch would need a better battery life for sleep tracking. Currently, it can last up to a day and a half before needing a recharge. Reports for improving battery life are already available. The most obvious solution would be to increase the size of the battery and possibly reduce other components. Or, the Apple Watch Series 5 could add a more efficient processor that can switch to low-power mode at night. Qualcomm & # 39; s new Wear OS chips Last year, we were aiming for similar characteristics of a longer life. The recent rumor, published in the Chinese daily daily Daily Daily, suggests that Apple is considering switching from OLED technology to more energy-efficient technology, to improve MicroLED technology. battery life on the next Apple Watch. The report suggests, however, that it may not be ready until 2020.

What are the chances of another health feature licensed by the FDA?

WatchOS 6 will use the Cycle app to track women's menstrual cycles on the Apple Watch, as well as the Noise app to monitor the different sound levels you are exposed to throughout the day. But these features will also be present in previous models and do not require FDA clearance.

If there are sleep monitoring features on the Watch S5, they probably will not be licensed by the FDA either. The results of the clinical studies are published before the authorization occurs, and we have not heard anything yet. Fitbit, which has been tracking sleep on its trackers for years, has been continue FDA clearance for the detection of sleep apnea and has a new beta version of the sleep score that has been in place since 2018 to collect more data. It could be more along the lines where Apple could go between the S5 and S6 watches.

Blood pressure is unlikely, although competitors are exploring ways to track it on watches. the Omron HeartGuide is an inflatable wristwatch that is more of a medical device than a classic smartwatch. Samsung has a study with UCSF that explores the success of the Galaxy Watch Active & # 39; s heart rate monitor may be at the estimate of blood pressure, but the study is optional and has not yet produced definitive results.

Read more: The best iPhone and Apple Watch health devices

Will there be a dial store?

The Apple Watch is the latest big smart watch with no way to get new faces: Samsung, Fitbit, Google Wear OS and Garmin all have some sort of face shop.

Last year, a store specializing in watch dials seemed a real possibility. But this never completed. Will this happen in 2019?

Could the Watch S5 recharge at the back of the next iPhone?

Now that AirPower is dead, the Apple Watch feels lost on a homeowner's island. The Series 5 watch was supposed to work with AirPower, but does not currently work with Qi wireless chargers. Maybe the next watch … or the next iPhone will allow wireless charging of his back like the Samsung Galaxy S10and allow it to work with the AirPod and Apple Watch models.

Faster processor and more reliable connection

Under the hood, we can expect the gradual changes Apple has made to Apple watches in the past. The Series 3 incorporates Apple's dual-core S3 and W2 wireless chips, while the Series 4 is equipped with an S4 chip with 64-bit dual-core processor, which makes it almost twice as fast as its predecessor and owns a wireless W3 chip. . Chances are the next Apple Watch will have an S5 chip and a W4 wireless chip. But besides guessing the name, it's hard to say how the new chips will affect the overall performance of the Series 5 watch.

When will an Apple Watch run without an iPhone?

Previously, the iPhone required the configuration of a computer. The iPod too. The Apple Watch remains for the moment an iPhone-only device, but that could change very soon. The next WatchOS 6 update, scheduled for September, will further enhance the Apple Watch's independence from the phone by providing a stand-alone application store and OTA updates that can be downloaded directly to the watch. . More recently, we learned that WatchOS 6 will also give you access to training summaries on Apple Watch, even after you fire them. (Before, you had to search them in the Activities app on the iPhone.) The only thing that is missing to release the Apple Watch from the iPhone is the initial setup process, which could be part of the series 5.

Could a new basic Apple Watch model emerge at a lower price?

the Apple Watch Series 1 was an excellent smart watch that managed to be more economical than the $ 400 (or more) 4 series. Currently, this "affordable" model is the Watch series 3, which remains quite expensive at a starting price of $ 279. The growing cost of the Watch S4 and the lower prices for Fitbit trackers, which can cost as little as $ 70, and the Samsung Galaxy Active Watch, which sells for $ 200, means Apple does not have a solid watch option at under $ 200. Perhaps a basic "Apple Watch" model, in the spirit of the 9.7-inch iPad called "iPad," might be suitable.

Or, will the watch have more expensive reasons?

The Ming-Chi Kuo analyst predicts that the next Apple Watch will offer a ceramic design option, perhaps indicating a higher price level … or maybe not. Apple's ultra-expensive watch models have disappeared, but the base price of Apple Watch is steadily climbing. The Apple Watch Series 4 steel has a ceramic bottom, but a sapphire crystal and a steel case.

And the generic character would be a round dial for the Series 5. Apple has filed patents with this circular design, but has not deviated much from the original design since its launch. Maybe it was the last big contribution of design guru Jony Ive to the Apple Watch before leave the company?

Originally released on April 22nd.
Update of July 24: Updated with the latest rumors.