The Apple Watch 12 isn’t expected to get any substantial design changes, but Apple Watch Ultra 4 could have a complete redesign and blood pressure monitoring, according to DigiTimes (a subscription is required to read the entire article).
Market watchers expect a major redesign of high-end Apple Watch models in the second half of 2026, which could boost end-market sales, the article adds.
DigiTimes says the Apple Watch Ultra 4 will get a new notification feature for detecting high blood pressure that’s current under FDA review. It will purportedly do this via the heart-rate sensor on the back of the smartphone. It will analyze how blood vessels respond to each heartbeat and send alerts when an abnormal pattern is detected.
What’s a bit confusing (at least to me) is how the feature will differ from the current hypertension notification feature in the Apple Watch and iPhone. The feature was announced in September 2025. It can alert users if signs of chronic high blood pressure — or hypertension — are detected.
The current hypertension notifications on Apple Watch use data from the optical heart sensor to analyze how a user’s blood vessels respond to the beats of the heart. The algorithm works passively in the background reviewing data over 30-day periods, and will notify users if it detects consistent signs of hypertension.
If the DigiTimes report is correct, this will be the first big redesign of the Apple Watch Ultra since it debuted in 2022. The Apple Watch Ultra 2 in 2023 added a brighter screen, and the Apple Watch Ultra 3 in 2024 was offered in black, as well as silver.
Other repots have claimed the Apple Watch Ultra 4 could get a slimmer design, add Touch ID support, and even better battery life: up to 48 hours compared to 42 hours in the current version.
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