The Apple Watch Ultra 4 is tipped to get a new way to keep your heart healthy — but there’s a catch
- Report Claims New Feature Coming to Apple Watch Ultra 4
- This could measure your blood pressure using new sensors
- It appears that it is 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, it’s our pick for the best smartwatch on the market, period. And now it could get even better with a new feature rumored to be just around the corner.
According to a report from DigiTimes (via Gadgets & Wearables), the Apple Watch Ultra 4 – which is expected to be revealed in September – will come with a new feature that can track and measure your blood pressure, giving you timely alerts if something is wrong. DigiTimes believes this will lead to “sharpness [of] the appeal of the device in terms of health management.
While this exact feature isn’t here yet, watchOS 26 brought a confusingly similar-sounding hypertension alert tool to Apple’s smartwatch lineup. This uses the Apple Watch’s optical heart sensor to send notifications to your wrist, and DigiTimes says the new blood pressure feature will work comparably.
The fact that the tool reported by DigiTimes isn’t here yet is apparently because it’s currently undergoing FDA approval. This could mean it needs regulatory approval before being added to the Apple Watch; if so, that could suggest it’s a more advanced feature that relies on new hardware to provide more accurate measurements.
Lots of unanswered questions
The idea that this blood pressure system is linked 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 just a 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 hope. Gadgets & Wearables, for example, suggests that the platform could offer simple notifications rather than detailed systolic and diastolic numbers, implying that it’s “more of a pattern detection than an armband-style measurement.”
It is unclear whether or not this feature will be available on older Apple Watch models. Several versions of Watch have optical sensors of the type used by Apple’s high blood pressure alerts, which could allow them to work with the new blood pressure tool. Alternatively, Apple may decide that it requires newer hardware only found in newer devices. We probably won’t know until Apple unveils new watches later this year.
In addition to this feature, DigiTimes says the Apple Watch Ultra 4 will benefit from a “complete redesign” and a ring of eight sensors on the underside of the device, likely including the optical sensor for blood pressure detection. If you’re looking for a high-end wearable that takes care of your heart, this could be one to watch.
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