Next year's Apple Watch lineup will not include any major design changes, with a redesign not expected before 2028, according to the leaker Instant Digital.
In a Weibo post in Chinese (machine translated), the leaker said Apple's watch 2026 lineup would not look significantly different, and suggested Apple would not reveal a new design until the year after the release of its 20th anniversary iPhone, expected in late 2027.
The claim puts a dampener on expectations that Apple is readying a major Apple Watch redesign next year.
In August, DigiTimes reported that at least one new model launching in 2026 would have "significant" changes to its exterior design that would be related to new sensors. This led to speculation that the changes could be linked to Apple's development of noninvasive blood glucose monitoring technology, but the Apple Watch feature is still believed to be a few years away while Apple works on further miniaturization.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported long ago on the possibility of a redesigned Apple Watch with a thinner case and a magnetic band system. While the Apple Watch Series 10 debuted a thinner case, no magnetic band has materialized, and there were no additional design changes in the Series 11 released earlier this year.
Leaked Apple code has suggested the company is experimenting with biometric authentication in the form of Touch ID for 2026's Apple Watch lineup, but it's possible that could be an under-screen implementation which doesn't change the watch's outward appearance.
Instant Digital has a mixed but occasionally reliable track record. The account previously revealed accurate details such as the Yellow iPhone 14 and 14 Plus finishes and the Titanium Milanese Loop for the Apple Watch Ultra 2, though not all of its past claims have proven correct.
