Apple Watch Series 11 and Ultra 3 will lack performance boost with S11 chip, says leak
It doesn't look like the next Apple Watch will be much faster than the current generation
⌚️ The Apple Watch won’t get a big performance boost this year
⚙️ A new leak says the upcoming S11 chip isn’t much faster than the current S10
👀 The chip is expected to power the Apple Watch Ultra 3, Series 11, and SE 3
📅 Apple will reportedly announce its new Apple Watches at an event on September 9
The Apple Watch is one of the best-performing smartwatches on the market, so it’s no surprise that Apple takes it easy when it comes to new processors for the device. Case in point, this year’s S11 chip won’t be much faster than the S10, according to leaked internal information reported by MacRumors. That means we shouldn’t expect any noticeable performance improvements on the Apple Watch Ultra 3, Series 11, or SE 3, which are all expected to get the new chip.
❌ No performance boost for you
The information indicates that the S11 SiP (system-in-package) will use the same architecture as the S10 and S9 chips, the same ones that can be found in the Apple Watch Series 10 and Ultra 2, respectively. We’ve seen Apple use the same architecture for its smartwatch chips for years, only shaking things up once in a while when it seemingly feels like it.
The S10 has what’s essentially the performance of an A16 Bionic chip (the chip found in the iPhone 14 Pro), which is more than enough for a smartwatch. With the S11, we don’t expect a huge increase in performance given the similarities, but at least it won’t be slow by any means.
MacRumors notes that the S11 chip could still see some tweaks made to differentiate itself from the S10, like when Apple made the S10 thinner to fit in the slimmer profile of the Series 10. Larger changes are expected to come to the S12 chip in 2026.
In addition, MacRumors shared leaked codenames for Apple’s upcoming smartwatch lineup, revealing the codenames for next year’s Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4.
N227: Apple Watch Series 11
N228: Apple Watch Series 11 (Cellular)
N230: Apple Watch Ultra 3
N237: Apple Watch Series 12
N238: Apple Watch Series 12 (Cellular)
N240: Apple Watch Ultra 4
Apple is expected to announce its next round of Apple Watches at an event on September 9, where the iPhone 17 is also expected to debut.
Max Buondonno is an editor at The Shortcut. He’s been reporting on the latest consumer technology since 2015, with his work featured on CNN Underscored, ZDNET, How-To Geek, XDA, TheStreet, and more. Follow him on X @LegendaryScoopand Instagram @LegendaryScoop.