Few leakers have made as much noise in recent weeks as Jon Prosser, host of Front Page Tech on YouTube. Since the beginning of May, Prosser has shared exclusive information and renders of the upcoming M2 MacBook Air, Pixel 6, and Android 12, the last of which was validated during the Google I/O 2021 keynote. He isn’t slowing down, either, and on the latest episode of the Genius Bar podcast, he had some interesting hints about the next Apple Watch.
According to Prosser, the Apple Watch Series 7 will have what he refers to as a “slight redesign” from last year’s model. Prosser wasn’t willing to share any more, but his co-host, Sam Kohl, noted that the images he saw of the Apple Watch Series 7 “followed similar Apple design language to a number of their other products.” Later on, Kohl added that the sides of the new watch look “similar to the edge of an iPad,” which obviously implies that the edges of the Apple Watch Series 7 will be more squared off than what we’ve seen in recent years from rounder models.
Aside from the new design, Prosser and Kohl also hinted that the Apple Watch Series 7 will come in a green colorway, as Kohl kept pointing to his green AirPods Max while saying the Series 7 “could come in new colors.” In case you don’t know what the green AirPods Max look like, here’s the product page on Apple’s website. You can also see Kohl wearing them in the video below:
As Kohl points out earlier in the video, this isn’t the first we’ve heard of an Apple Watch redesign. Last September, TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said in a note to investors that Apple was readying a new design for its wearable in the second half of 2021. Kuo then claimed in another report in November that the body of the new Apple Watch Series 7 would feature an “improved form factor design,” in addition to a collection of health tracking upgrades.
The design of the Apple Watch has been unchanged since the launch of the Series 4 in 2018, but with big changes to the iMac having already been revealed and even bigger changes expected for the next AirPods and iPhone, it would make sense for the Apple Watch to follow suit.
Speaking of the iPhone 13, leaks have been springing at a furious pace in recent weeks. According to a recent Digitimes report, the secret behind the smaller notch of the 2021 iPhone lineup is smaller chips. Apple has apparently found a way to make the VCSEL chips used in Face ID sensors by 40-50% in new iPhone and iPad models slated to arrive this fall. Combine the smaller chips with the decision to move the earpiece speaker up into the top bezel, and you can see how the notch got smaller.
