Apple Watch Ultra 4 may bring a full redesign and upgraded blood pressure alerts

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Apple’s next high-end Apple Watch could be more than a routine chip and battery refresh. A new DigiTimes report says Apple is preparing a major redesign for high-end Apple Watch models in the second half of 2026, alongside a new high blood pressure notification feature.

The report does not name the Apple Watch Ultra 4 directly in its visible summary, but the timing points to Apple’s next Ultra model if the company follows its usual fall launch cycle.

The redesign may focus on sensors

DigiTimes says market watchers expect the redesigned high-end Apple Watch to lift shipments by 20% to 30% compared with 2025. That is only an estimate, not an Apple forecast, but it shows suppliers expect a meaningful hardware change.

The report also points to possible rear sensor changes with upgraded sensing functions. That lines up with an earlier DigiTimes claim that a future Apple Watch could use eight sensors arranged in a ring pattern on the back.

For the current Apple Watch Ultra 3, Apple focused on 5G, satellite Emergency SOS, display improvements, and health features like hypertension alerts. A full redesign would be a bigger visual and hardware shift for the Ultra line, which has kept the same rugged shape since the first model.

Blood pressure alerts may get more advanced

The health feature is the more interesting part of the report. DigiTimes says the new alert system would use the optical heart-rate sensor to analyze how blood vessels respond to each heartbeat, then notify users when it detects an abnormal pattern. The feature is reportedly under FDA review.

That sounds close to Apple’s existing hypertension notifications, which arrived with watchOS 26 and already use optical sensor data over a 30-day period to flag signs of chronic high blood pressure.

The key detail still missing is how the rumored version would differ. It may be a more refined or clinically validated implementation, but there is no sign yet that Apple Watch Ultra 4 will show full cuff-style systolic and diastolic blood pressure readings.

Suppliers may start moving soon

The report also points to Taiwan-Asia Semiconductor, or TASC, as Apple’s exclusive supplier of sensor components. Large-volume orders are expected as early as July, according to DigiTimes.

That timing would fit a fall Apple Watch launch. Apple has not announced the Apple Watch Ultra 4, and health features can slip if regulatory clearance takes longer than expected. For now, the safest read is that Apple is preparing a sensor-heavy Ultra upgrade, but the exact design and blood pressure feature are still not confirmed.

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