Ouch! Rugged Apple Watch Pro to cost the same as the iPhone 13 Pro?
Apple could introduce a new rugged watch model this September alongside its new smartphone range, the Apple Watch Series 8, and a new budget SE model. The rugged model will be targeted at athletes and is expected to have the biggest screen of any Apple smartwatch, a beefy battery, and a metal casing.
The watch, codenamed N199, might be called the Apple Watch Extreme, Apple Watch Max, Apple Watch Explorer Edition, or the Apple Watch Pro. Whatever its marketing name may be, one thing is clear, as Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman points out in the new edition of his Power On newsletter, that it will be a Pro model and as is the case with other Apple products with the Pro moniker, it could be quite costly.
The rugged Apple Watch will reportedly have a 2-inch screen and a case size of around 46mm or 47mm, which would make the screen about 7 percent larger than the Apple Watch Series 8’s rumored 1.9 inches display. It will allegedly have a resolution of 410 by 502 pixels and Apple will presumably use the larger area to show more fitness metrics and other information. The display is also likely to be more shatter-resistant.
With watchOS 9, the company has already started laying the groundwork for the new sports model, considering it comes with more workout tracking options and offers improved exercise intensity tracking.
The extreme sports models could feature a strong metal material, maybe titanium. It will apparently be powered by the same S8 chip as the Watch Series 8 and is also likely to include the rumored temperature sensor. There will only be a cellular variant of the watch.
Gurman hints that Apple may retire the Watch Edition after the rugged model is announced, given it hasn’t been much of a success. He had previously said that the new watch would be pricier than the standard stainless steel model. The 45mm Apple Watch Edition starts at $849, so the rugged model may start closer to $900 or $999, which is the starting price of the iPhone 13 Pro.
There will be something for everyone though as the cheaper Watch SE with the new S8 chip will cost around $279 and the Series 8 may start at $399.
Samsung is also said to be working on a high-end Galaxy watch with titanium, sapphire glass, a hefty battery, and a temperature sensor, so these two will be competing for the title of the best watch of 2022. The Bluetooth-only Watch 5 Pro is rumored to cost €490 (~$499), which may make it a more viable option for some.