Apple Watch Ultra could get first major redesign for version 4

Sources within the supply chain back up previous reports that the forthcoming Apple Watch Ultra 4 will be a significant update that includes doubling its number of sensors.

Following reports that the regular Apple Watch Series 12 will not be a major update, there are now reports that the Apple Watch Ultra 4 will be. According to Digitimes, the new model will have a visible redesign that includes the addition of further unspecified sensors.

This fits with what the same publication said in August 2025, where it specifically said that the Apple Watch would double its number of sensors.

Neither report describes what those sensors are, but they will presumably be health-related. What this new report does say is that the update is a big deal for the Taiwan-Asia Semiconductor Corporation (TASC) firm, which makes the sensors.

It’s estimated that the new sensors and a redesign will lead the Apple Watch Ultra 4 to getting up to 30% more orders than its predecessor.

Apple has long worked with TASC, including on attempts to add glucose monitoring to the Apple Watch. Apple has been working to add this to all models of the Apple Watch, but the new report appears to be specifically and only about the Apple Watch Ultra.

If the claims are correct, this will mark the first major redesign of the Apple Watch Ultra since its original launch in 2022. A second generation did follow in 2023, which added a brighter screen.

For 2024, Apple made no changes to the Apple Watch Ultra, except for releasing it in black as well as silver. The 2025 Apple Watch Ultra 3 was also a minor update, except that it added 5G support.

Apple is most likely to announce the Apple Watch Ultra 4 at its iPhone event in September 2026. The new report says that TASC is expecting major orders from July, which approximately fits the schedule for final Watches to be ready in September.