The Apple Watch "Pro" may not be fully compatible with existing watch bands, according to recent reports.
Apple is expected to announce a new, high-end Apple Watch "Pro" model during its "Far out" event on Wednesday, September 7.
According to a recent post on Weibo from a fairly reliable source, the Apple Watch "Pro" will not be compatible with older Apple Watch bands due to its new design. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman recently said that this year's high-end Apple Watch model will be "a good bit bigger" than the current Apple Watch models owing to a five to seven percent larger display, so much so that "it might only appeal to a subset of customers."
The high-end Apple Watch will reportedly feature the first new design since the launch of the Apple Watch Series 4 in 2018. It will apparently not be circular, and contrary to reports of a squared-off design, "it also won't have those rumored flat sides." Instead, Gurman described the new design as being "an evolution of the current rectangular shape."
Earlier this year, the leaker known as "ShrimpApplePro," who correctly said that the Apple Watch Series 7 would feature a rounded design like the Apple Watch Series 6, claimed that Apple was working on a "flat front glass display" for an Apple Watch Series 8 model. It seemed plausible that this information could relate to the rumored new design for the high-end model, but it has since been confirmed by MacOtakara that the flat display belongs to the 47mm Apple Watch "Pro."
While the Apple Watch's casings have grown in height since its launch, Apple Watch bands have continued to be backward compatible, allowing users to upgrade their device and continue using the same collection of bands. Gurman the believes the Apple Watch "Pro" will remain compatible with older Apple Watch bands, so it may simply be the case that older bands do not fit smoothly and are incongruent with the casing's design, rather than being explicitly incompatible. Regardless, it seems likely that Apple will debut new bands designed specially for the new Apple Watch.
The other Apple Watch Series 8 models, expected to come in the same 41mm and 44mm sizes as the Series 7, are not expected to feature a redesign when they launch later this year, so should continue to be compatible with bands from previous generations. Gurman recently reported that Apple is planning to host an event on Wednesday, September 7 to unveil new iPhone and Apple Watch models, a date later confirmed by Apple for an event with the tagline "Far out."
Beyond a redesign, the high-end Apple Watch is expected to feature the "S8" chip, a body temperature sensor for enhanced sleep tracking and fertility planning, a Low Power Mode to prolong battery life, and a larger battery to enable longer workout times.
