Apple Watch Series 8’s Body Temperature Sensor May Not Accurately Display Info but Could Prompt a Wearer to Seek Medical Attention
On his Power On newsletter, Mark Gurman talks about past information related to the Apple Watch Series 8, including one where he painfully reminds readers that the smartwatch will arrive with the same SoC present on the Apple Watch Series 7 and Apple Watch Series 6. Fortunately, one change, according to him, is the addition of a body temperature sensor, but if you were hoping for accurate readings, you will be disappointed. Instead, Gurman writes the following that the Apple Watch Series 8 may only inform the owner if it thinks that body temperature is moving away from normal readings. The wearable would then recommend the wearer to visit a doctor. The Apple Watch Series 8 will reportedly arrive in three sizes, but there is no confirmation if this model will get a design change that includes flat edges like the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 series. Aside from this, we may not get blood glucose monitoring, but enhanced activity tracking may still be on the cards. In total, we might see three variations of the Apple Watch Series 8, including the regular model, an affordable SE version, and a rugged edition, with all three expected to be announced alongside the iPhone 14 series. The body-temperature feature won’t give you a specific reading—like with a forehead or wrist thermometer—but it should be able to tell if it believes you have a fever. It could then recommend talking to your doctor or using a dedicated thermometer. Other than the body-temperature reader, other hardware changes will probably be minor. As I mentioned earlier, the new models are likely to offer the same processing power as the Series 6. There’s also been internal chatter of updated displays in the new high-end models. I’m hoping they’re brighter.” Though the Apple Watch Series 8 is not reported to arrive with a design or chipset upgrade, seeing a potential health feature is welcoming, assuming those internal tests get passed.
