- Report claims new feature coming to 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 fantastic fitness tracker. Not only is it the best Apple Watch money can buy, but it's also our pick for the best smartwatch on the market, period. And now, it could be about to get even better thanks to a new feature that's reportedly just around the corner.
According to a report from DigiTimes (via Gadgets & Wearables), the Apple Watch Ultra 4, which will 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 wrong. DigiTimes believes it will lead to a “deepening [of] the attractiveness of the device for health management.”
Although this exact feature isn't here yet, watchOS 26 brought a hypertension alert tool that sounds confusingly similar to Apple's range of smartwatches. It uses the Apple Watch's optical heart sensor to send notifications to your wrist, and DigiTimes claims the new blood pressure feature will work comparably.
The fact that the tool reported by DigiTimes is not here yet is apparently because it is currently undergoing FDA approval. That could mean it needs regulatory clearance before being added to the Apple Watch; If so, getting it could suggest that this is a more advanced feature that relies on new hardware to provide more accurate metrics.
Many unanswered questions
The idea of this blood pressure system being tied to new hardware makes sense. Apple is rumored to be launching a major design overhaul of the Apple Watch in September, and it could go beyond a simple visual facelift and include new sensors that the blood pressure feature can take advantage of.
Still, this feature may not be as advanced as some people expect. Gadgets & Wearables, for example, suggests that the platform could offer simple notifications instead of detailed systolic and diastolic numbers, implying that it “is more like pattern detection than bracelet-style measurement.”
It is unknown whether or not this feature will come to older Apple Watch models. Several versions of the Watch feature optical sensors of the type used by Apple's hypertension alerts, which could allow them to work with the new blood pressure tool. Alternatively, Apple may decide that it requires newer hardware found only in newer devices. We probably won't know until Apple introduces new watches later this year.
Aside from this feature, DigiTimes says that the Apple Watch Ultra 4 will receive a “complete redesign” and a ring of eight sensors at the bottom of the device, presumably including the optical sensor for blood pressure detection. If you are looking for a high-end wearable device that will take care of your heart, it could be one to consider.
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