Apple’s 2025 Apple Watch lineup will reportedly feature a few incremental changes, but future models in the years to come may introduce a compelling feature that the iPhone recently outgrew. Recently, Macworld managed to get a look at unreleased code for the Apple Watch and noticed a reference to “AppleMesa,” the company’s code for Touch ID. None of the code for Apple’s 2025 Apple Watch lineup contains the reference, which is to say we won’t see an Apple Watch with Touch ID until 2026 at the absolute earliest.
Still, it’s nice to see that Apple has some ideas to improve the overall Apple Watch user experience. While the current process to unlock the Apple Watch with a passcode is manageable, Touch ID would make the process a little bit more seamless. It’s also unclear where Apple might place the sensor. One potential solution would be to integrate it into the side button, similar to what Apple did on its iPad lineup. This design would also make sense given that it’s already used for Apple Pay.
Interestingly, Apple in the past has filed patents which lay out a scheme to integrate Touch ID into the Digital Crown. Apple, it’s worth pointing out, routinely files patents for technologies that never see the light of day. In other words, Touch ID on the Digital Crown is intriguing, but I think it’s more practical to incorporate Touch ID into the side button.
Apple Watch Series 11 may introduce 5G support and more
The upcoming Apple Watch Series 11 lineup will consist of three devices: the base model Apple Watch, the Apple Watch Ultra 3, and the Apple Watch SE 3. All three models will reportedly house an S11 processor which won’t offer significant performance improvements. What’s more, Apple’s 2025 Apple Watch lineup will more or less look exactly like last year’s Apple Watch Series 10 lineup.
One particularly intriguing Apple Watch Series 11 rumor we’ve seen involves support for 5G. Currently, the Apple Watch cellular models only support 4G LTE, but rumor has it that this year’s lineup will house MediaTek 5G modems. It remains to be seen, though, if all Apple Watch Series 11 models will ship with 5G capability or if Apple might reserve it solely for the Apple Watch Ultra 3.
Another Apple Watch Series 11 rumor points to support for blood pressure monitoring. If this feature is truly in the works, it stands to reason it will only be available on the Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3 models.
Bloomberg earlier this year described how the feature may work: “The blood-pressure feature…is designed to work in a similar way to Apple’s sleep apnea detector. It won’t give users specific readings — such as diastolic or systolic levels — but it will inform them that they may be in a state of hypertension.”
Apple Watch Series 12 may be a bigger upgrade
If you’re looking for more processing power, however, it might be worth waiting for the Apple Watch Series 12. To this point, Macworld also unearthed code pointing to a big processor jump in 2026 along with a new chip architecture. Specifically, the code for the 2026 models reference “Watch8,” which Macworld notes “hints at a big hardware leap” given that “Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10, and Series 11 are all part of the ‘Watch7’ family due to their similarities.”
There are also rumblings that Apple’s 2026 Apple Watch lineup will introduce a major redesign with a layout of additional and more accurate sensors for health monitoring. In other words, this year’s Apple Watch lineup will introduce some smaller refinements while the 2026 lineup is shaping up to be more of a major upgrade.
Apple is expected to introduce its new Apple Watch lineup at its iPhone event next month. Invitations to the event haven’t gone out yet, but it’s widely expected to take place on September 9.
