Everything we know about the next Apple Watch, which could launch as soon as this week

Apple Watch
Hollis Johnson
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The Apple Watch has certainly come a long way in recent years when it comes to its health-tracking capabilities. The latest model, the Apple Watch Series 4, comes with a heart sensor for conducting an electrocardiogram test, which can help spot irregular heartbeats.

The new software launching for the Apple Watch this fall — which will be available for older models too — should bring several wellness-oriented enhancements, such as the ability to natively track women's-health metrics.

And if the recent rumors and reports are any indication, the next iteration of the Apple Watch should take the company's health ambitions even further.

Read more: Apple is launching a special new iPhone designed for professional hackers — but you won't be able to buy it

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Here's a look at what we're expecting to see from the next Apple Watch, which could debut on September 10 during the company's big event, if it keeps with the pattern it's followed in years past.

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Sleep tracking

sleeping
A regular sleep routine can make all the difference. LaylaBird/Getty Images

Sleep is the one key health metric the Apple Watch can't track natively, but it sounds like that may change soon. Apple is said to be testing sleep-tracking capabilities for future versions of its smartwatch, according to Bloomberg.

It's a feature that many of the Apple Watch's rivals have offered for years. Fitbit devices, for example, can track metrics such as how long you've slept and how much time you spent in light, deep, and REM sleep.

However, if Apple is indeed working on sleep-tracking technology, it may not debut in this year's model. Bloomberg said it's likely to arrive in the 2020 version of Apple's smartwatch.

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A new ceramic casing option

apple watch edition
The Apple Watch Edition. Apple

Apple nixed the option to buy an Apple Watch with a ceramic casing when it cut the luxe Apple Watch Edition from its lineup in 2018.

But there's a chance that Apple Watch shoppers will once again be able to buy an Apple smartwatch with a ceramic finish.

The TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who is known for making accurate predictions about upcoming Apple products, said in February that he expects to see a new ceramic casing design, according to MacRumors.

Apple uses ceramic on the back of the Apple Watch Series 4, but if Kuo's predictions are accurate, it may play a bigger role in the next watch's design.

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A possible September launch date

Apple iPhone Event 2018
Apple

Apple has unveiled new Apple Watch models every year since 2015, so there's a chance it could do the same this year. The company typically announces its new Apple Watches and iPhones during the same September event.

Last year, for example, it revealed the iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR, along with the Apple Watch Series 4, on September 12.

In 2017, it debuted the iPhone X, 8, and 8 Plus, and the Apple Watch Series 3 on the same day.

An upgraded processor

Apple Watch
Hollis Johnson

Apple typically upgrades the Apple Watch's internals, so it seems plausible that it could do the same this year. Last year's Apple Watch Series 4 ran on Apple's S4 processor, which the company says is up to twice as fast as the S3 processor in the Series 3. 

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Apple's latest watch software

watchos 6
Apple

Apple revealed its new software for the Apple Watch, called watchOS 6, during its Worldwide Developers Conference in June.

It said the software update would bring new features such as a standalone app store and new wellness metrics like hearing health.

It'll be available for Apple Watch models ranging from the Series 1 through the Series 4 — and if Apple launches the Series 5, it would likely run watchOS 6 by default.

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