Apple appears to be quietly gearing up for a big Apple Watch Ultra 3, but before you assume that it will come with a major redesign, the reality might be more subtle. Apple recently released the fifth developer beta of iOS 26, which includes a hidden reference to a display resolution of 422 x 514 pixels – a layout that does not match any current Apple Watch model. The Apple Watch Ultra 2 features a display resolution of 410 x 502 pixels, which only goes on to show that the company is planning to make the Apple Watch Ultra 3 screen a bit bigger later this year.
Apple Watch Ultra 3 may launch with a larger, bezel‑reduced display and powerful new upgrades
The news was shared by MacRumors, suggesting that if Apple maintains the same pixel density of around 335 ppi, the Apple Watch Ultra 3 screen would measure about 1.98 inches diagonally, up from the Ultra 2’s 1.93-inch display. This shows a 3 percent increase in size, and we believe that the company will not make the chassis bigger to accommodate this change, but will reduce the bezel size to achieve it. This will give you a slightly bigger display with approximately 5 percent more screen real estate without you having to worry about the hefty form factor.
This could be a pretty useful new change coming to the Apple Watch Ultra 3, and there are no details available on whether the standard Apple Watch Series 11 models would undergo the same change. Given how Apple recently redesigned the standard models, it is unlikely that the company will make further changes this year. The Apple Watch Ultra already flaunts a strong, rugged look, and shaving off the bezels or giving users a bigger screen would allow Apple to deliver more visuals in the same titanium shell. Additionally, more edge-to-edge display real estate matters when you are glancing at messages, maps, or glance-style watch apps.
While the increased resolution may be the clearer leak so far, the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is rumored to bring a number of significant upgrades as well, which include satellite messaging support without cellular or Wi-Fi coverage, a wide-angle LTPO3 display similar to the Apple Watch Series 10, built-in 5G RedCap cellular support, blood pressure detection, and new S10 or S11 chips to improve performance and efficiency. It was recently reported that the company will launch the iPhone 17 lineup on September 9, which is the same date the company will announce the new Apple Watch models as well.