Apple Watch X — 5 upgrades Apple needs to make
The Apple Watch X (10) will almost certainly debut this fall, possibly alongside an upgraded Apple Watch Ultra and Apple Watch SE. With no shortage of other major smartwatch models set to launch this year, the Cupertino tech giant will need to do more than offer basic refreshes of these products to maintain its competitive edge.
I’ve already shared a list of the most important Apple Watch Ultra 3 upgrades I’d like to see. Now it’s time to peer into the crystal ball and predict which features a next-gen Apple Watch Series X will need to keep Apple at the top of our best smartwatches list and fend off the Galaxy Watch 7 and Google Pixel Watch 3.
1. Apple Watch X – Add truly competitive workout recovery tools
The Apple Watch Series 9 is a great tool for tracking workouts, setting and reaching fitness goals and generally staying in shape. However, it could benefit from a comprehensive set of workout recovery tools, like those found on more fitness-focused smartwatches from Garmin and Polar.
For Apple to truly stay ahead of the smartwatch pack, namely Samsung and Google, it needs to bridge the gap between standard smartwatch fitness functionality and the advanced training tools found in many of the best fitness trackers.
The first step: take recovery metrics and analysis more seriously. After all, workout data is just one piece of a much larger well-being puzzle.
2. Apple Watch X – Multi-day battery life
Middling battery life is an issue that plagues even the best smartwatches. Why are we settling for multi-hundred-dollar devices that still need to be charged daily? Sure, the Apple Watch Series 9 can make it for roughly 18 hours, on a good day, but how about a full-featured smartwatch that only needs to be topped off once or twice a week?
With so many smartwatches to choose from, the war of the wearables may come down to a battle for battery life supremacy. This is to say that whichever brand can figure out a better battery and implement it into a device sooner, will have a serious advantage over the competition.
3. Apple Watch X – Add some physical buttons
For the last 15 years or so, Apple has seemed hell-bent on nixing physical buttons from as many Apple devices as possible. Blame it on an over-glorification of (former) Apple designer Jony Ives and his strict interpretation of Dieter Rams’ Principles of Good Design, particularly number ten.
Sure, streamlined products are nice. But so too is having an actual button, especially one that can be customized to a user’s taste.
So, when Apple introduced the Apple Ultra Watch in September 2022 with a sizable and programmable Action Button on the side of the case, I was thrilled. Now it’s time for that button to migrate over to Apple’s standard line of smartwatches. And heck, why not give the people two programmable action buttons, one above and one below the crown, sort of like a chronometer?
4. Apple Watch X – Make it more durable
Don’t get me wrong, the Apple Watch Series 9 is pretty durable, but there’s room for improvement. For starters, I’d like to see the water resistance rating increase from 50 meters to 100 meters. While 50 meters of water resistance may sound impressive, Apple recommends you don’t spend more than 30 minutes in the water with Series 9 devices. You’ll also want to stick to surface-level swimming.
At 100 meters of water resistance, Apple Watch X owners would in theory be able to splash around to their heart's content, without worrying about damaging their device. 100 meters is also enough water resistance for snorkeling and other underwater activities, though not deep-sea diving.
The Apple Watch Series 9 can operate in temperatures ranging from 32 degrees to 95 degrees Fahrenheit. With the world getting warmer and climates shifting, there’s clearly room for improvement here as well. And not just on the upper end. As an avid snowboarder, I’d love to be able to use an Apple Watch X to track my day on the mountain but only if it can truly survive sub-freezing temps for multiple hours.
5. Apple Watch X – Full integration with future wearables
While an Apple Ring announcement happening this fall is unlikely, never say never (unless you’re Sean Connery). With the hype surrounding Samsung’s forthcoming Galaxy Ring difficult to ignore, perhaps Tim and Co. will have some hints or surprises in store for us.
Either way, the next-gen Apple Watch X had better come equipped to play nice with a future Apple Ring, because the advantages of these two wearables working in tandem are numerous. For one, they could supplement each other’s health monitoring and fitness tracking data, leading to deeper insights into well-being, as well as speedier and more accurate alerts for serious health conditions.
Full integration might also mean that sleep-tracking duties can be handed off to the Apple Ring, leading to more reliable sleep data. After all, it’s easier to wear a ring to bed than a watch. At least, for me.
Apple Watch X – Other improvements
There are of course other improvements I’d love to see in an Apple Watch X, including a wider range of sizes to choose from, a brighter and crisper display, a greater selection of useful third-party apps, blood pressure monitoring, improved health tracking across the board, a tougher screen, etc.
Which of these will ultimately come to fruition and which will be missed opportunities? We’ll find out in the fall. Until then, stay tuned to Tom's Guide for all the latest leaks and info.
