Apple Watch 8 might be bigger than Apple Watch 7

Apple watch 7
(Image credit: Apple)

If you're looking to buy a new Apple Watch, you'd traditionally have a choice between two sizes: a 40mm or 41mm version, and a bigger 44mm or 45mm one. However, rumor has it that the Apple Watch 8 will break this trend.

Analyst Ross Young has advised "don't be surprised if there are 3 sizes next year" on Twitter - this was a response to their own question asking "would you like to see a bigger display on Series 8 of the Apple Watch in 2022?".

So Young is suggesting the next Apple Watch could get a larger size option. Take this with a pinch of salt, as they're not quite a proven leaker yet - according to AppleTrack, which ranks Apple leakers, they've only got three proven Apple rumors. However, those rumors have all been correct so far.

Young is an analyst who specializes in screen tech, so it makes sense that they'd have information on the Apple Watch 8 display.


Analysis: room for a downsizing

While Young's tweet implies the third size will be a bigger option, the larger-size Apple Watch 7 is already one of the biggest smartwatches on the market. A 49mm or 50mm watch would be absolutely gigantic.

Perhaps the Apple Watch 8 needs a smaller option, perhaps 36mm. This would sit more comfortably on smaller wrists, without feeling like a dinner plate on the arm.

Admittedly a small smartwatch like this would be a little fiddly for people with bigger fingers, but that's not the target audience - it'd be aimed at those who find current smartwatches too big.

There are reasons for and against a bigger or smaller Apple Watch right now, and beyond Ross Young's predictions, there's no real indication of which way Apple will shift it, if it'll put out a third model at all. 

We'll have to wait and see, and with the Apple Watch 8 expected in eleven months, there's a lot of time for the seas to change.

Tom Bedford
Contributor

Tom Bedford was deputy phones editor on TechRadar until late 2022, having worked his way up from staff writer. Though he specialized in phones and tablets, he also took on other tech like electric scooters, smartwatches, fitness, mobile gaming and more. He is based in London, UK and now works for the entertainment site What To Watch.


He graduated in American Literature and Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia. Prior to working on TechRadar, he freelanced in tech, gaming and entertainment, and also spent many years working as a mixologist. He also currently works in film as a screenwriter, director and producer.