Earlier this week, Display Supply Chain Consultants CEO Ross Young said that Apple will release a 1.99-inch (50 mm) model of the Apple Watch this year. This would be the biggest jump in screen size for an Apple Watch, which has previously grown by a millimeter or two. But this new model will offer more than just a bigger screen, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. The often accurate reporter reported that this large version of the Apple Watch will also bring “a larger battery and a durable metal casing as part of the upcoming Apple Watch aimed at extreme sports athletes.” The report suggests that the larger screen will offer a number of advantages, as it will offer 7 percent more screen area than the current larger Apple Watch. He speculates that Apple “could use the larger screen area to display more fitness metrics or watch face information at once,” but the larger display could also affect the interface and apps, as we’ve seen with the Apple Watch Series 7. Apple used the slightly larger screen to increase the size of the buttons in watchOS 8 and add a full-sized keyboard. Gurman also reports that the new extreme watch “will also improve tracking metrics such as elevation during hiking workouts and data during swimming,” while a larger battery will allow athletes to track workouts for longer periods of time. . Apple has rated the Apple Watch for 18 hours of battery life since its debut in 2015. This isn’t the first we’ve heard of this rugged watch aimed at athletes. We’ve previously reported on an upcoming new variant of the Apple Watch with higher water resistance and other features that make it more suitable for extreme sports, such as better durability and a shatter-resistant screen. This rumored rugged, shock-resistant Apple Watch is part of Apple’s plan to expand the Apple Watch lineup to better compete with Garmin’s offerings. The new rugged sports watch will also gain the ability to measure the user’s body temperature to detect fever, a new feature we reported is expected to come to the other Apple Watch Series 8 models.
