Leaked S11 Chip Details Reveal No Major Performance Upgrades for 2025 Apple Watches

[dampfnudel]

Sooooo this means I am 100% skipping this year too.
The Series 6, 7, AND 8 will drop support at the same time, this means that the 9, 10 and 11 will too...

Makes sense to wait for the Series 12 and hopefully a significant upgrade. I’m okay with waiting one more year with my current Series 7.

 

[Octavius8]

Cheaper for Apple, not benefit for users.
Will be this release can be considered an upgrade if just the name changes?

 

[Octavius8]

Any new feature?
Or features that only s11 can do despite having the same CPU as 2 years ago?

 

[DrWojtek]

that's what everyone is asking for: more performance on a watch. right? /s

Not gonna happen. Not on my watch.

 

[azhava]

Try using your watch to set a timer with Siri. You'll instantly understand that these watches absolutely need a performance increase

I do it all the time, I'm not sure what performance increase I'd need for something so simple.

 

[4k78]

What watch face is that?

 

[MrMacintoshIII]

S10 with useable speaker for music and podcasts was a gamechanger. If they can somehow boost volume output by even 25% this is a day 1 purchase for me.

 

[germanbeer007]

S10 with useable speaker for music and podcasts was a gamechanger. If they can somehow boost volume output by even 25% this is a day 1 purchase for me.

I hope you don't use this at shared gyms.

 

[bLackjackj]

and the one before that “no more blood oxygen sensor for you”.

Only in the US fella. It’s there for the rest of the world 💁‍♂️

 

[Ghost31]

I’ve felt this for a long time: Apple Watch should only have an update every couple years. Garmin does that and it makes sense. By the time there’s something worth updating, a new watch comes out and it feels different.

I don’t even know processor wise why we need more power. Apps on a watch are limited by nature. Is there anything people want to develop for a watch but they’re constrained by the speed of the chip? Apple Watch is a light weight device meant for quick interactions. We’re not gonna run crysis here

 

[xDKP]

What performance upgrades was anything expecting? The watch has the most basic options since it was launched! Garmin destroys them in functionality. it's borderline embarrassing that a trillion dollar company doesn't offer a more sophisticated Apple Watch.

"Destroys them in functionality" ?!

While I am all for everyone choosing their watch of their liking, to say Garmin "Destroys Apple in functionality" is quite a big joke.

They might display some metrics you would like, some "Training readiness" etc., but none have a functional app store, none have LTE or any form of cellular.

I'm envy the Garmin battery life - but the laggy UI (their chips are even older gen - not even the Fenix 8 got a new gen chip) and lack of LTE etc. is not really great

I hope you don't use this at shared gyms.

Still don't understand when passing people on my runs, that listens to music on speaker! Really?! Sounds terrible and none other than the people doing it wants to hear it

 

[ELman]

You would be fine with a processor upgrade even if there are no new hardware or OS changes?

No hardware changes is fine, OS changes happen even if we don’t like them. I’ll stick with my Series 9 with O2 sensor if the processor stays the same.

 

[svish]

Don't think a faster chip is going to provide any noticeable improvement on the watch. Also it is not surprising to see Apple working on Series 12. Not sure whether Ultra 4 will be a 2026 or 2027 product.

 

[apjuk]

Watch faces...Apple desperately needs better watch faces for the S11 - why cant we have more Ultra esque watch faces on a S10/S11 watch?

 

[t0rqx]

Another rebranded S6.

 

[kiranmk2]

MR failing to mention ultra 2 is the same as S9. Ultra 3 would be an upgrade over Ultra 2 in terms of performance.

the Ultra 3, if it launches this year will share the same S11 chip, which this article clearly says, will use the same processor as the S9,S10 and Ultra 2 (even if Apple does update the branding of it)

So no need to upgrade from my Series 8, then? Cool.
Oh and to those mocking the need for a new SoC, new cores tend to be more energy efficient, not just faster. Higher efficiency is most noticeable in improved battery life, which is of chief concern to AW users.

Series 8 used the same processor as the Series 6 and 7. Starting with Series 9 there was an actually upgraded chip that gave access to on-device Siri for basic commands and the gesture functionality, so anything from series 9-11 would be a performance upgrade on your Series 8

Another rebranded S6.

No - this is a rebranded series 9.

 

[DrJR]

Still rocking the Ultra 1 and its works like a champ!

Same! I have an oxygen sensor. Everyone should upgrade to Ultra 1!

 

[WarmWinterHat]

Same! I have an oxygen sensor. Everyone should upgrade to Ultra 1!

All of them have oxygen sensors. Any version you buy, unless used, will have it disabled.

If you get a refurb or a battery service on your Ultra 1, the replacement will have the sensor disabled.

 

[froot1988]

These comments are embarrassing lmao

 

[I_Sheep]

MR failing to mention ultra 2 is the same as S9. Ultra 3 would be an upgrade over Ultra 2 in terms of performance.

It doesn’t need upgraded performance

 

[Howard2k]

that's what everyone is asking for: more performance on a watch. right? /s

A more efficient processor may not pay dividends in performance, but it may pay dividends in battery life.

Likely not, but you know.

 

[amaze1499]

Too bad, I was hoping the ultra could run a local LLMs soon enough. How long until that becomes reality though?

 

[DrJR]

All of them have oxygen sensors. Any version you buy, unless used, will have it disabled.

If you get a refurb or a battery service on your Ultra 1, the replacement will have the sensor disabled.

It was humor. Looks like it aged like milk.

 

[WarmWinterHat]

It was humor. Looks like it aged like milk.

I think it's a me issue.

 

[dcingie]

🥴 Apple will claim it’s been “completely redesigned from the ground up”