Leak claims Apple Watch Series 8 will get the huge design change that Series 7 missed out on

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Apple Watch Series 8 Render
Apple Watch Series 8 Render (Image credit: Front Page Tech)

What you need to know

  • Apple is now rumored to be giving the Apple Watch Series 8 the redesign we expected last year.
  • Apple Watch Series 7 was rumored to gain slab sides but it never happened.
  • Could Apple Watch Series 8 get the design that we expected last year?

Remember that rumored Apple Watch Series 7 with the flat sides that we all thought looked stunning? The one that didn't happen? Apparently, that design was for the Apple Watch Series 8 all along! Who knew?

Not year-ago-us, that's who!

Let's back up slightly for those with short memories. Last year we saw rumors from YouTuber Jon Prosser and others that the Apple Watch Series 7 launch would see a new design complete with square edges. It was a massive departure from the Apple Watch we knew and mostly loved. And it looked stunning. Of course, that wasn't what Apple announced — we didn't see the rumored rugged Apple Watch, either — and we were all sad. Now, Twitter leaker ShrimpApplePro believes that we're in for a treat with Apple Watch Series 8 getting that redesign — and Prosser has had some stunning new images made up to show what it could look like.

Where things differ from last year's leak is the arrival of a new, flat display glass. That's the part that ShrimpApplePro tweeted about, tagging Prosser in the process. Now, let me be clear — the legitimacy of ShrimpApplePro 'leaks' isn't guaranteed at this point, although Prosser seems to believe the account is on the up and up. Regardless, this leak needs more salt than a bag of McDonald's fries. Keep that in mind.

But that said, who can look at this design and not hope Apple will give it to us this year?!

Even without the new design, this year's wearable will still be the best Apple Watch ever made. It might be able to take our temperature and we can expect new features courtesy of watchOS 9, too. But it's that look, those flat edges, and that almost concave glass that we're all here for.

Don't let us down this time, Apple. Prosser's eyebrows don't deserve it.

Oliver Haslam
Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.