Forget Apple Watch Ultra 3 – a model with a camera could be much closer than we thought

• A future Apple Watch is expected to feature a camera
• Previous rumors indicate both the Series and Ultra models could use AI to provide context to the world around the user
• A new report says Apple's chips for the products could be ready in just two years

Following reports that Apple could add a camera to its Apple Watch lineup in future, a new report claims chips for the device could be ready for launch by 2027, suggesting the major upgrade could be much closer than we thought.

Previously, it was revealed that Apple is planning a major upgrade to its best Apple Watches turn it into a device with onboard cameras. The report indicated that Apple Watch would use onboard cameras and microphones that would "help the device see the outside world and use AI to deliver relevant information."

Now, the same source, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, says the chip that powers that device could be just 18 months away. "The company is developing a chip called Nevis for the camera-equipped Apple Watch and a component named Glennie for the similarly outfitted AirPods," Gurman wrote in his latest Power On newsletter. "Apple is aiming to have those chips ready by around 2027," he continued.

Apple Watch cameras close at hand?

While we knew the expected 2025 best Apple Watch lineup – the Apple Watch SE 3, Apple Watch Series 11, and Apple Watch Ultra 3 – wouldn't feature cameras, as Gurman had previously suggested a camera-equipped Apple wearable was "generations away." Turns out, he might have only meant two generations away, which means that for most users, the next Apple Watch you buy might have a camera.

As we've previously noted, a wearable AI smartwatch could provide users with contextual information about landmarks they see on holiday, directions, and more. It's a concept that underpinned some failed wearables like the Humane AI Pin, and would lean heavily on Apple's excellent existing Apple Intelligence Feature, Visual Intelligence.

Longer-term, it could be part of a future recently alluded to by Apple's Eddy Cue, who remarked off the cuff that we might not need the best iPhones 10 years from now. Cue made his comments in the context of the rapidly evolving AI industry, so it's important not to extrapolate too much from them. However, an AI-powered smartwatch, or perhaps lightweight smart glasses (which Apple is also working on), could well be one such device that unlocks that iPhone-less future.

A more cynical approach would reveal that Apple and Cue's comments are probably just a ruse to stop the US Department of Justice from blowing up its $20 billion deal with Google for the default spot as the iPhone's search engine, presumably in the hope the court is less likely to intervene if it thinks the iPhone is a dying breed.

It seems unlikely Apple would jettison its obscenely successful iPhone ecosystem in favor of a niche wearable that remains an iPhone accessory at this stage. More likely, a camera-equipped Apple Watch would just be one more feature on the iPhone's already comprehensible companion – in other words, another reason for users to consider forking out for one of the best iPhones.

Still, mark your calendars for 2027, as it sounds like big changes are on the way.

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