Apple Watch Series 6 Features U1 Chip for Ultra Wideband

Apple Watch Series 6 models are equipped with a U1 chip for Ultra Wideband support, according to tech specs on Apple's website.

f1600190370
Introduced in iPhone 11 models last year, the U1 chip enables improved spatial awareness. The distance between two devices that support Ultra Wideband can be measured precisely by calculating the time that it takes for a radio wave to pass between the two devices, with much more accuracy than Bluetooth LE and Wi-Fi.

Apple has so far only used the technology to power a directional AirDrop feature in iOS 13, but it has promised more exciting use cases in the future. One of those will likely be its rumored AirTags items trackers, which analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has previously said will support Ultra Wideband, allowing users to locate lost items with greater accuracy.

Earlier this year, MacRumors teamed up with repair site iFixit to confirm that the 2020 iPad Pro lacks the U1 chip, so the fact that it is included in the Apple Watch Series 6 provides reassurance that Apple is still committed to Ultra Wideband.

The lower-cost Apple Watch SE is not equipped with a U1 chip, according to Apple's tech specs.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 10
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)

Popular Stories

iphone 17 air iphone 16 pro

iPhone 17 Air USB-C Port May Have This Unusual Design Quirk

Wednesday April 30, 2025 3:59 am PDT by
Apple is preparing to launch a dramatically thinner iPhone this September, and if recent leaks are anything to go by, the so-called iPhone 17 Air could boast one of the most radical design shifts in recent years. iPhone 17 Air dummy model alongside iPhone 16 Pro (credit: AppleTrack) At just 5.5mm thick (excluding a slightly raised camera bump), the 6.6-inch iPhone 17 Air is expected to become ...
AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Tuesday April 29, 2025 1:30 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
iOS App Store General Feature JoeBlue

Epic Games Wins Major Victory as Apple is Ordered to Comply With App Store Anti-Steering Injunction [Updated]

Wednesday April 30, 2025 4:01 pm PDT by
In a victory for Epic Games, Apple was today found to be in violation of a 2021 injunction that required it to allow developers to direct customers to third-party purchase options on the web using in-app links. Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who has been handling the Apple vs. Epic Games dispute for the last five years, said that Apple is in "willful violation" of the injunction she issued to ...
General Spotify Feature

Spotify Submits iOS App Update With Out-of-App Purchase Options

Thursday May 1, 2025 3:37 pm PDT by
Spotify today submitted an app update to Apple that will include information on Spotify plan costs and options to subscribe through weblinks without using the in-app purchase system. Spotify will not need to pay a fee to Apple when customers subscribe to the service using alternate payment methods in the Spotify app. In a blog post announcing the changes, Spotify said that yesterday's ruling ...
iphone 16 display

iPhone 17's Scratch Resistant Anti-Reflective Display Coating Canceled

Monday April 28, 2025 12:48 pm PDT by
Apple may have canceled the super scratch resistant anti-reflective display coating that it planned to use for the iPhone 17 Pro models, according to a source with reliable information that spoke to MacRumors. Last spring, Weibo leaker Instant Digital suggested Apple was working on a new anti-reflective display layer that was more scratch resistant than the Ceramic Shield. We haven't heard...
iOS 19

Apple Already Testing iOS 19.4 After Delaying Personalized Siri Features

Thursday May 1, 2025 9:03 am PDT by
A subset of Apple's software engineers started internal development of iOS 19.4 last month, according to the MacRumors visitor logs. iOS 19.4 is expected to be released in March or April next year, so the software update is still nearly a year away. However, Apple develops both "Fall" and "Spring" versions of iOS each year, with our website's analytics logs indicating that both iOS 19.0 and...
fortnite apple featured

Epic Games Offers Apple 'Peace Proposal' to Return Fortnite to the App Store Worldwide

Wednesday April 30, 2025 5:12 pm PDT by
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney today said that Fortnite will return to the U.S. App Store next week, and he offered a "peace proposal" with a pledge to bring Fortnite back to iOS worldwide if Apple follows certain steps. "Epic puts forth a peace proposal: If Apple extends the court's friction-free, Apple-tax-free framework worldwide, we'll return Fortnite to the App Store worldwide and drop...
iphone 16 pro ghost hand

iPhone 18 Rumors: What to Expect From Apple Next Year

Friday May 2, 2025 3:01 am PDT by
Apple's is continually working with suppliers on successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features so far ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a picture forming of what to expect from Apple's 2026 smartphone lineup. If you're skipping this year's upcoming iPhone 17 series, or just plain curious about Apple's plans...

Top Rated Comments

LFC2020 Avatar
60 months ago

So I know bringing this guy up anywhere near these forms gives some people spontaneous brain aneurysms but...
[MEDIA=twitter]1305953947157499906[/MEDIA]
So full of himself, it's not funny.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Toratek Avatar
60 months ago

is it true they got rid of the sapphire glass on the front of the Apple Watch on the stainless steel models?
No, it is not true.




Attachment Image
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Crzyrio Avatar
60 months ago

Who really loses there watch
It's not about finding your watch. Its about telling other devices where exactly your watches is.

So when you go to open your front door, the opener knows your watch is EXACTLY 2 cms from the door handle and can unlock it as you reach for it.

Untill now smart locks had to make guesses when your going to open the door based on where you have been.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
farewelwilliams Avatar
60 months ago
hope Tesla implements CarKey. would be nice to just wave at the door to unlock instead of relying on sketchy bluetooth via iPhone for distance monitoring.

I believe CarKey will eventually use U1 for passive entry.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DudeDad Avatar
60 months ago
Here's a screen shot from Apple's site comparing the Series 6 (left), SE (middle), Series 3 (right) - Looks like the front and back of all Series 6 watches are sapphire

Attachment Image
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Corsig Avatar
60 months ago
Dammit. They keep giving me reasons to buy it
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)