The Apple watch reigns supreme in the smart wearables space, that is, if you use an iPhone. The previously released Watch 7 series was already quite chunky, with the bigger model coming in at 45mm. Although it seems Apple doesn’t plan to stay there, and with the upcoming Watch 8 series, we might see an even bigger 49mm Watch Pro model. Well known Apple leakster, Sonny Dickson, even released a comparison picture with the cases of the Apple 7 and the upcoming Apple 8 series.
As the case comparison picture shows, the upcoming Watch 8 Pro is significantly bigger in size compared to the older 45mm and 41mm standard options. A lot of us would recon that 49mm could be too big to fit comfortably for most, but that shouldn’t be the case given watches like the GARMIN Fenix 5X also come with similar sized options. Obviously, people with smaller wrists would have a problem, but anyone who’s comfortable with the standard 45mm size should be able to use the bigger 49mm version comfortably too.
As for the standard models, not a lot of changes look wise. Both the standard (41mm/45mm) Apple Watch 7 and the upcoming Apple Watch 8 have a similar size, with even identical cutouts on the cases.
Apple Watch 8 Pro – But why?
Given that 49mm might be too big for most people, why would Apple plan an Apple Watch Pro version? Well, because they aren’t the market leaders in the $500+ tier, which is still dominated by Garmin. As good as the Apple Watches are with fitness tracking, GARMIN watches are built for the ground up for tracking and is specifically targeted towards fitness use cases and athletes.
One of the reasons for the extra few Millimeters could be the extra sensors that would go into the new Apple Watch 8 Pro, and possibly an even bigger battery. GARMIN watches for example are quite big, specially all their $1000+ options. For example, the larger GARMIN Fenix 7x is a 51mm watch.
Another photo in case people are interested in Apple Watch Series 8 Pro. https://t.co/kMYnYdWZzN pic.twitter.com/G9Zd0r7S3t
— Sonny Dickson (@SonnyDickson) September 5, 2022
According to Mark Gurman, from Bloomberg, the Apple Watch 8 Pro is going to feature a design revamp, last changed with the Watch Series 4 in 2018. Moreover, the Pro version is also going to feature a low-power mode, larger batteries, and enclosed in a rugged titanium casing. While Mark doesn’t delve into the exact pricing, he does mention that the Watch 8 Pro will likely come in between the $900 to $1000 mark.
