- A report claims that a new feature is coming to the Apple Watch Ultra 4
- This could measure your blood pressure using new sensors
- It is apparently currently awaiting FDA approval
It’s safe to say that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is a great fitness tracker. Not only is it the best Apple Watch money can buy, but it’s our pick for the best smartwatch on the market, period. And now it might be getting even better thanks to a new feature that’s said to be just around the corner.
According to a report from DigiTimes (via Gadgets & Wearables ), the Apple Watch Ultra 4 — set to be unveiled in September — will come with a new feature that can track and measure your blood pressure, giving you timely alerts if something seems amiss. DigiTimes believes will lead to a “tightening [of] the unit’s health management appeal.”
While this exact feature isn’t here yet, watchOS 26 brought a confusingly similar-sounding hypertension warning tool to Apple’s smartwatch lineup. It uses the Apple Watch’s optical heart sensor to send notifications to your wrist, and DigiTimes reports that the new blood pressure feature will work in a comparable way.
The fact that the tool reported by DigiTimes is not here yet is apparently because it is currently undergoing FDA approval. This may mean it needs regulatory approval before being added to the Apple Watch; If so, it might suggest that it’s a more advanced feature that relies on new hardware to provide more accurate measurements.
Many unanswered questions
The idea that this blood pressure system is connected to new hardware makes sense. Apple is rumored to launch a major design overhaul of the Apple Watch in September, and it could go beyond a mere visual facelift and include new sensors that the blood pressure feature could take advantage of.
Still, this feature may not be as advanced as some people hope. Gadgets & Wearables, for example, suggests that the platform may offer simple notifications instead of detailed systolic and diastolic numbers, suggesting it’s “more like pattern detection than cuff-style measurement.”
Whether this feature will come to older Apple Watch models is unknown. Several Watch versions boast optical sensors of the kind used by Apple’s hypertension alarms, which may enable them to work with the new blood pressure tool. Alternatively, Apple may decide it requires newer hardware found only in newer devices. We probably won’t know until Apple unveils new watches later this year.
Aside from this feature, DigiTimes says the Apple Watch Ultra 4 will get a “full redesign” and a ring of eight sensors on the bottom of the device, presumably including the optical sensor for blood pressure detection. If you’re looking for a high-end wearable that fits your heart, this might be one to check out.
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