Major Apple Watch redesign could arrive this year, but with one tough caveat

Apple might introduce a new look for its smartwatch... by sacrificing all your old bands

(Credit: Max Buondonno / The Shortcut)

• 🍎 Apple could announce a new Apple Watch this year with a new design

• 📐 A famous leaker claims Apple’s long-awaited redesign is finally coming this year

• ⌚️ However, it’ll sacrifice one thing that’s been consistent from the beginning: band support

• 📅 Apple is expected to announce new Apple Watches this September

It’s a tale as old as time: Apple will eventually release an Apple Watch with a completely new design. We’ve been hearing his rumor for years at this point, with no actual redesign in sight. However, a famous leaker is now claiming that the redesign will arrive this year, while also making the biggest physical change in the Apple Watch’s history.

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Leaker Instant Digital shared on Weibo that the Apple Watch Series 12 will carry a major “overhaul,” comparing it to the expectations we had for the Apple Watch Series 10 when it was referred to as the “Apple Watch X” ahead of its release. Rumors pointed to a much slimmer, more futuristic-looking watch, but we wound up getting a slightly thinner Apple Watch painted in Jet Black instead.

The Series 12, meanwhile will adopt a redesign, says the leaker. However, it will come with the same caveat we’ve been expecting since those Series 10 rumors: a new band mechanism. Apple is expected to reduce the size of the lugs to make room for more advanced components and a bigger battery, moving to a new magnetic attachment system instead of the latch system it’s used since the first Apple Watch in 2014.

That means all of the bands you’ve been collecting over the years won’t work with the new Apple Watch. We’ve heard rumors that new Apple Watches would drop legacy band support, only for those rumors to fizzle out the moment we see an Apple Watch debut. That could be the case with this year’s Apple Watches too, but if Apple’s eventual redesign is to be as significant as leaks have indicated, a new band system will have to be introduced.

The Series 12 will get a major overhaul alongside the Apple Watch Ultra 4, which is also said to get a redesign of some kind. Both watches are expected to debut this September alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Fold. We’ll be tracking these rumors closely leading up to Apple’s announcement, so be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss any of our coverage.

• Up next: PS5 games will no longer include a disc from January 2028, as Sony opts for a digital-only future

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Max Buondonno is an editor at The Shortcut and co-host of The Shortcut Live. 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 @LegendaryScoop and Instagram @LegendaryScoop.