The next redesign of the Apple Watch may not be until 2028, with Apple believed to continue using its current wearable design for 2026 and possibly 2027.
Apple's last major hardware redesign for the Apple Watch took place in 2024, but we could be waiting a while until the next big change. If a leaker is to be believed, that may not happen until 2028.
In a Sunday Weibo post, leaker Instant Digital briefly wrote about the Apple Watch. The leaker said that the series is likely to continue "with its usual schedule next year," referring to 2026.
However, they added that for the year after that, 2027, they are "uncertain" about the wearable. Based on the post's contents, this could mean there may not be a 2027 Apple Watch launch, or that the details about the model are unclear at this stage.
When it comes to Apple coming up with a new design, Instant Digital says it may not be announced until "the year after" the iPhone's 20th anniversary. With that anniversary taking place in 2027, that would put a redesigned Apple Watch announcement into 2028.
Instant Digital has a fairly decent track record when it comes to Apple leaks and rumors, while other Weibo leakers tend to be more inaccurate due to simply regurgitating rumors from elsewhere.
However, Instant Digital's post in this instance doesn't seem to be based on anything in particular. There are no other leaks or claims about the next major Apple Watch redesign or its timing that help back it up.
That said, a 2028 update to the Apple Watch does sound plausible based on Apple's tendency to reuse a design for multiple iterations. It's also far enough in the future that the rumor could be wrong, but it doesn't really matter.
There's enough for it to be an educational guess and be correct, but enough leeway for it to be wrong and not hurt the leaker's reputation that much.
