Gurman: Major ‘Apple Watch X’ redesign coming as soon as next year, testing magnetic band attachments

In the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, Mark Gurman writes that Apple is preparing a major redesign for the Apple Watch, referred to as Apple Watch X. The Apple Watch X is scheduled to launch in 2024 or 2025, in line with the device’s 10th anniversary. The update will represent the biggest redesign of the Watch ever, following several years of minor changes (the Apple Watch Series 9 this fall will also be a minor spec bump generation).

Gurman says Apple is trying to make the Watch X thinner than ever, possibly including a new magnetic attachment system for attaching and swapping bands.

While Apple has released a new Apple Watch every year since its inception, and plans to do so for the foreseeable future, Gurman says that internally Apple has held discussions about slowing down that year-over-year pace. That is underscored by the fact each year Apple has been adding fewer and fewer new features.

The switch from the band-compatible sliding system to a new magnetic attachment system is an effort to reduce space, potentially unlocking more internal space for battery.

People involved in the development of new Apple Watches say the system takes up a considerable amount of space that could be better filled with a bigger battery or other components. 

However, Gurman is not sure if the magnetic attachment system will definitely be used for the Watch X. But it is clear Apple is considering all sorts of radical solutions to re-engineer the Watch.

Hopefully, the Apple Watch X will be as significant as the jump from iPhone 7 to iPhone X.