The wait is almost over: the Apple Watch Series 11 is set to be unveiled in September alongside the iPhone 17, the Apple Watch Ultra 3, and a new Apple Watch SE 3. Apple has now set a date for the event, which is Tuesday, September 9.
While the new Ultra watch may take most of the limelight as far as wearables go, there’s still a lot to look forward to with the standard wearable as well. A new blood pressure monitoring feature is just one of the rumors floating around.
There are software upgrades to talk about too, because Apple has already revealed everything we can expect from watchOS 26, and has been beta testing the update for several weeks at this point.
You may like
With just days to go before it’s official, here’s everything we know about the Apple Watch Series 11.
- What is it? The 2025 Apple Watch
- When is it out? September 9, 2025
- How much will it cost? Probably around $399 / £399 / AU$649
Apple Watch Series 11: Release date predictions and pricing
The Apple Watch Series 10 launched in September 2024 (Image credit: Apple)
- A September 9. 2025 launch is approaching
- Prices likely to start at $399 / £399 / AU$649
Every single Apple Watch except for the very first one has been unveiled in September, so it didn’t need too much detective work to figure out that the Apple Watch Series 11 would break cover in September 2025.
Apple has since kindly confirmed that it’s holding a launch event on Tuesday, September 9, 2025, and we’ll no doubt see new devices including the Apple Watch 11 there. Look out for the iPhone 17 appearing at the same time as well, by the way.
It looks like it’s going to be a big year for Apple Watches, with the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and the Apple Watch SE 3 also expected to be unveiled at this event, so there’s going to be lots for Apple to talk about. You can watch along live if you’d like.
Pricing for the Apple Watch Series 11 is less easy to predict. The Apple Watch Series 10 launched in 2024 matched the starting prices of the Apple Watch Series 9 launched in 2023, which in turn was very similar to what we had to pay for the Apple Watch Series 8 launched in 2022 (depending on where in the world it was sold).
Apple is clearly keen to keep the pricing steady, so something around $399 / £399 / AU$649 for the 42 mm size and $429 / £429 / AU$699 for the 46 mm size seems likely. As usual, LTE connectivity will cost you extra, and different casings and different straps will change the price you pay too.
Apple Watch Series 11: Leaks and rumors
Improved sensors are always a possibility (Image credit: Future)
- A faster processor is likely
- watchOS 26 will be on board
According to the latest leaks and rumors, the Apple Watch Series 11 will feature a few select upgrades over the existing model, including possibly using a beefier modem, blood pressure monitoring/hypertension detection, and more. Here’s the latest.
In late 2024 Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported that the Apple Watch would henceforth feature modems made by MediaTek, rather than Intel. This of course only impacts the cellular models which use your phone’s network to stream data for music, calls, and messages. According to Gurman, MediaTek’s inclusion will pave the way for 5G Reduced Capacity support and possibly satellite functionality. These upgrades are tipped for the Apple Watch Ultra 3, but could also feature in the cheaper Series 11.
The long-rumored blood pressure monitoring feature could well make an appearance on the Apple Watch Series 11, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. This is likely to work like the existing sleep apnea detection, where you get alerts about elevated readings rather than round-the-clock measurements.
More advanced health sensors – for glucose monitoring, for example – are also in the works but are still years away, according to the latest reports. Meanwhile, Apple has restored blood oxygen readings to its watches in the US, albeit with a few tweaks, so that should be carried over.
Bear in mind that the Apple Watch 10 got a bigger screen and slightly larger and thinner cases in 2024, making it even less likely that the design is going to be changed for 2025. What’s more likely are a handful of new color, casing, and strap options, just to distinguish the new model from the old one.
We’ve actually heard that the Apple Watch SE 3 will be getting a redesign this year, while the Apple Watch Series 11 and the Apple Watch Ultra 3 won’t.
An upgrade on the inside of the Apple Watch Series 11 seems probable: Apple usually bumps up the processor with each new smartwatch model, so we could well get a new Apple S11 chipset to go alongside the new Apple Watch Series 11. Let’s hope that means improved performance and more efficient power use at the same time.
watchOS 26 brings with it a fresh new look (Image credit: Apple)
The new Apple Watch Series 11 is going to come running watchOS 26, following on from the watchOS 11 software that launched with the Apple Watch Series 10 (the 26 is to fit with 2026, and Apple’s other software platforms).
We’ve already heard a lot about watchOS 26, and you can read about some of the changes here. There’s an AI Workout Buddy, improved Smart Stack handling, and the same Liquid Glass redesign being applied to all Apple’s operating systems.
Live translation is coming to the wrist too, together with the Apple Notes app for the first time. Plus, watchOS 26 is going to add a wrist flick gesture that you can use to dismiss notifications, silence alarms, and more.
It’s a significant software revamp, and we’re looking forward to testing it out in full when it launches alongside the Apple Watch Series 11.
Apple Watch Series 11: What we want to see
The Apple Watch 10 can be improved upon (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
While we were big fans of the Apple Watch 10, that doesn’t mean there’s no room for improvement with a new model for 2025. While it’s probably too late in the development stage for us to have any sway over Apple’s engineers at this stage, nevertheless we’d like to put forward the improvements we want to see with the new wearable.
AI is everywhere these days, in case you hadn’t noticed, and when it comes to Apple devices that means Apple Intelligence. So far, Apple Intelligence hasn’t expanded its reach to the Apple Watch, but it’s coming – and we hope that features such as the AI Workout Buddy will be worthwhile.
Each new Apple Watch always comes with a selection of new watch faces of course, but we think Apple can do more in terms of the customization options on watchOS – it’s an area where other watches have the edge. With iOS 18 there are now more customization tweaks available on the iPhone than ever before, so let’s hope the Apple Watch follows that trend.
Rumors have been swirling for years about health sensors and functions that Apple could potentially add to its smartwatch range, from sensors in the straps to glucose monitoring. While major upgrades still seem to be several years off, based on reports, we’re still hopeful that we might see one or two new health tracking features on the Apple Watch Series 11.
Now stop us if you’ve heard this one before, but we’d like to see better battery life on the Apple Watch Series 11 – because of course we would. During our testing of the Apple Watch Series 10, we were getting about a day between charges, which isn’t great compared to a lot of Apple Watch competitors (especially if you want to use the smartwatch to track your sleep).
It’s not the most noticeable of features, but we’ve often found the Apple Watch band attachment mechanism to be a bit too fiddly. Samsung has worked out how to make a smooth and stress-free attachment system, so it can be done – and it would definitely make life easier for those who like to swap out their bands on a regular basis.