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Apple Watch Series 5 has an always-on display and comes in titanium or ceramic finishes

Apple has just officially announced the next generation of the Apple Watch, the Apple Watch Series 5. The latest model is very similar to last year’s Series 4, with a similar design and size. The big new feature this year is an always-on display option so you can see the time without having to move your wrist, something that has been asked for since the Apple Watch first debuted in 2015.

Apple says the Series 5 watch maintains the prior model’s 18-hour battery life, even with the new always-on screen, thanks to a new low-temperature polysilicone and oxide display and low-power display driver. Watchfaces and workouts have been redesigned to take advantage of the new display option. The screen will be in a low-brightness mode until you move your wrist, where it will switch to full brightness in a similar fashion to how the current model turns on when your wrist is moved.

In addition to the new always-on display feature, the Apple Watch Series 5 is now available in a recycled aluminum or titanium finishes. The stainless steel and ceramic options from prior models are also available. Apple says this is the widest number of finishes ever for the Apple Watch.

Other new features include a built-in compass and emergency calling for international countries. Interestingly, Apple did not announce first-party sleep tracking with the new model, which was something that was expected based on leaks and rumors.

Pricing for the Series 5 starts at $399 for GPS model and $499 for the cellular connected version. It’s available for order starting today and will be in stores starting on September 20th. Apple is also permanently dropping the price of the Series 3 to $199, matching the lowest sale price on that model we’ve seen. Last year’s Series 4 model has been dropped from the lineup.

The titanium Apple Watch Series 5

Source: The Verge

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watchOS 6 assets reveal new Apple Watch models coming in titanium and ceramic cases

Apple is continuing its asset leak spree. We already saw an iPhone asset in iOS 13 beta 7 that seemingly confirmed the date of the iPhone event, and now iHelpBR has found assets that show new Apple Watch models is on the way.

The images indicate Apple is about to launch a new ceramic Apple Watch, and a new titanium Watch. Apple has sold ceramic watches in the past, but did not offer a ceramic Series 4, and titanium is a wholly new direction for Apple Watch case materials.

If you don’t recognize the imagery, the Apple Watch firmware plays an animation when the watch is first set up, which mimics the back design of the watch featuring the model name and the iconic ‘Designed by Apple in California’ signature.

The pictured assets are clearly destined for the 44mm watch screen, but iHelpBR has also found equivalent assets for the 40mm watch. This confirms what we expected; the new watches have the same chassis size as the Series 4 lineup.

At the start of the year, reliable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that Apple would launch a new ceramic Apple Watch this year, and these assets back that up sincerely.

Apple debuted the ceramic Apple Watch Edition line with the Series 2, offering it in a white color. For the Series 3 generation, Apple sold a gray ceramic colorway too. For the Series 4, ceramic was removed from the lineup completely.

And now it very much appears to be making a comeback, alongside a brand new titanium casing. Apple hasn’t really used titanium in any of its recent products, except for the just-released Apple Card: the physical swipe card is made of titanium. Maybe Apple thinks titanium is back in fashion, after years of glass and aluminium alloys.

It’s not clear if the stainless steel casing would be replaced by titanium, or offered alongside it. Presumably, the low-end aluminium Watch will continue to be offered for cost reasons.

The question is, though, are these new watches a general leap — Apple Watch Series 5 — or just new color and case options for the existing Apple Watch Series 4 models. It is possible that the internal components of the watch haven’t changed, and Apple is just mixing up the colors for the holiday season. Unfortunately, these assets do not tell us either way.

Source: 9to5mac