Apple Watch Redesign 2026: Round Displays, Screenless Wearables, and What Comes Next

Screenless fitness wearables. Apple is exploring wrist-worn fitness accessories with no display at all, aimed squarely at the growing Whoop-style screenless tracker market . A separate "Apple Loop" or screenless band concept has also been mentioned in supply-chain reports .

New sizes and tiers. The company is discussing models above the Ultra and below the SE, plus different screen types and new case sizes .

Smart ring ("iRing"). A separate leak from June 2026 — a single X post from leaker and prototype collector Kosutami — claimed Apple is developing a smart ring to compete with Oura Ring and Samsung Galaxy Ring . However, specifications, pricing, and release timing are entirely unknown. In October 2024, Bloomberg's Gurman had reported that Apple had no plans for a smart ring due to cannibalization concerns .

Status: Very Early, No Decision Made

Apple has not settled on a direction for any of these concepts . According to reports, "anything radically new is still years away from coming to market" . The team is described as "determined to reinvent the lineup in response to growing competition" but remains in the exploratory-prototyping phase .

Near-Term 2026 Models: Incremental Only

This September, Apple will launch the Apple Watch Series 12 (codenamed N237/N238) and Ultra 4 (N240) . These are expected to be iterative upgrades:

• S12 processor and modest performance gains
• Doubled sensor components on the underside, with eight sensors arranged in a ring pattern visible through the glass cover
• Exterior design tweaks (not a wholesale redesign)
• Improved power efficiency
• Pricing on the Series 12 may rise to approximately $429 (up from $399)
• watchOS 27 will ship alongside, dropping support for older S6–S8 chip models (Series 6, 7, 8, original Ultra, and SE 2)

A more substantial design overhaul — potentially including a new magnetic band attachment system, a thinner case, and a microLED display — has been separately tipped for 2027 by Weibo leaker Instant Digital . Some reports suggest the redesign may not arrive until 2028 .

Competitive and Business Drivers

Several market pressures are pushing Apple to reconsider its wearable approach:

• Rise of screenless health trackers. IDC data shows wristbands grew 14.7% in 2025, driven by recovery-focused, screenless devices "inspired by the success of screen-less health wearables such as Whoop" . Apple is "taking the resurgence of fitness bands without screens... seriously" .

• Smart ring competition. The Oura Ring 4 (Oct 2024) and Samsung Galaxy Ring have carved out a finger-worn niche with multi-day battery life (Oura: up to eight days) and continuous health tracking, prompting Apple to evaluate an "iRing" response .

• Slowing smartwatch upgrade cycles. With year-over-year innovation narrowing, Counterpoint Research data shows users are holding onto watches longer, pushing Apple to explore more dramatic form-factor breakthroughs to reignite demand .

• Health-tech ambition. Apple's health team, reportedly energized by new leadership under executive Sumbul Desai, is pushing toward more specialized, AI-powered health wearables that go beyond the general-purpose smartwatch .

The Bottom Line

If you're waiting for a radically different Apple Watch — one with a round face, no screen, or a total redesign — you'll be waiting until at least 2027, and possibly longer. This September's Series 12 and Ultra 4 will be familiar but refined: faster, more sensor-packed, and slightly tweaked on the outside. The bigger ideas remain in the prototyping lab, where Apple is weighing whether its next decade of wearables looks more like a traditional watch, a Whoop band, or something entirely new.