The upcoming Apple Watch Series 8 could feature a body temperature sensor that will allow the wearable to detect when you are running a fever.
Both the regular Apple Watch Series 8 and the rumored rugged variant aimed at hardcore athletes should feature the new sensor.
Apple Watch Series 8 could tell you when to visit a doctor
In the latest edition of the Power On newsletter, Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman says the body-temperature sensor on the upcoming Apple Watch should be able to detect when you are running a fever. It will then recommend you take your temperature or talk to your doctor.
Unlike traditional thermometers, the sensor won’t give a specific reading. By going this route, Apple could bypass getting Food and Drug Administration approval for the sensor. The Cupertino giant took a similar approach for the Apple Watch’s blood oxygen monitoring feature in Series 6 and 7. The missing approval would mean Apple cannot advertise the temperature-monitoring feature.
Gurman thinks the new sensor will be available on the rumored rugged model (sometimes referred to as the Explorer Edition) the regular Apple Watch Series 8. It won’t make its way inside the Apple Watch SE 2 for cost reasons. Gurman previously sounded unsure about the sensor passing internal testing. Seemingly, this is no longer a concern.
New Apple Watch may not offer any performance boost
The new temperature sensor will seemingly be the only major upgrade coming to the Apple Watch this year. As previously reported, Apple will use the S8 chip on this year’s wearable. It will deliver the same performance as last year’s S7 chip. That SiP itself is based on the S6 chip from 2020.
If the report proves true, 2022 would mark the third consecutive year that the Apple Watch failed to receive a significant bump in processing speed. This also would mean the upcoming wearable is unlikely to deliver better battery life than the current model.
There’s “internal chatter” of updated displays on the Apple Watch Series 8, Gurman said. The company could use an updated panel that’s brighter and more efficient.
