Apple Watch 2 Release Date: New Apple Watch Is Thinner and Less Bulky, To Launch Alongside iPhone 7?

By Trisha Cerdena
Apple Watch
The current Apple Watch incorporates fitness tracking and health-related capabilities together with iOS and Apple products and services. Its successor, the Apple Watch 2, is expected to launch in September 2016. Photo: Apple

With Apple launching several products by the third quarter, the Apple Watch 2 is the main wearable expected to be included in their newest line of gadgets.

Designed to be “slightly less heavy” than its predecessor, the new Apple Watch does not come with the Glass on Glass solution that was incorporated into the first Apple Watch’s display, as reported by Yahoo! Tech.

Instead, Apple has come up with a One Glass Solution (OGS) for Apple Watch 2, giving it a thinner display and less weight compared to its predecessor.

“The large loss for the second quarter was mainly because touch panel orders for iPhones continued to decrease, and Apple will change touch panel technology from G/G to OGS (one glass solution) in the new Apple Watch to be launched in the second half of 2016, TPK Holdings, Apple’s supplier of display panels, explained. “The change in touch panel technology involved unexpected technological difficulties and therefore yield rates for OGS touch panels were much lower than expected.”

As pointed out by SlashGear, this new integration "would not only offer a little more internal space" but would also allow the Apple Watch 2 to become slightly less heavy compared with the current Apple Watch.

It remains unclear, though, whether the second-generation smartwatch will indeed weigh less due to reports saying that a thinner display has allowed the company to use a larger battery pack for the Apple Watch 2.

It was previously speculated as well that Apple had plans of incorporating the Micro LED Technology to the upcoming wearable to replace the OLED display of the first-generation smartwatch.

Such Micro LED technology will bring on significant changes to the Apple Watch 2 as it is expected to enhance battery life and bring on excellent resolutions with more vivid and brilliant colors. It could also reduce the bulkiness that is noticeable in the first smartwatch.

On the other hand, the Micro LED was found to be unusable in Apple until 2017, hence the greater possibility of the OLED display being incorporated into the Apple Watch 2.

TPK Holding, together with other partners of the Cupertino company, have stated that the new Apple Watch 2 is set to be announced this fall, as reported by SlashGear.

Other specs and features rumored to be incorporated into the second-gen smartwatch include a LTE chip for cellular connectivity, a GPS chip for fitness tracking, a camera for FaceTime and a custom S2 processor. Aside from faster refresh rates and richer display colors, the new wearable comes with the watchOS 3.

Consumers are then looking forward to Apple unveiling the Apple Watch 2 to the world during its launching event in September through which the iPhone 7 and larger versions of the smartphone will be revealed.

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