Apple may be preparing a screen-free wearable to battle Oura and Whoop

Apple's design team is reportedly exploring screenless wearables and other new directions for the Apple Watch

Apple is reportedly weighing a major overhaul of the Apple Watch, including the possibility of screen-free models, as competition from displayless trackers like Oura and Whoop intensifies.

That's according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, who writes in his Power On newsletter that Apple's industrial design team has spent roughly the past year evaluating several different directions for the platform.

Gurman says the options under consideration include watches with no display at all, as well as new screen types and sizes. Round displays have reportedly even come up in discussions, though he considers that unlikely to make it to production.

The report also points to a widening lineup. Apple is said to be considering premium models that sit above the existing Ultra and Hermès editions, as well as more affordable options positioned below the current SE.

When could we see a screenless Apple wearable?

None of this is imminent, though, apparently. This year's expected updates to the Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3 are described as incremental, with the brand focused on faster chips, a possible return of a ceramic case option, and new colors and bands, rather than a design overhaul.

Gurman frames the potential shake-up as a response to the wider wearables market, where lighter, screen-free devices from Oura and Whoop have chipped away at the case for a display-led smartwatch.

He also links the effort to Apple's broader AI push, with the new Siri and a planned Health app revamp under Eddy Cue—said to be an admirer of both Whoop and Oura's Ring—feeding into how a future Watch might work.

Apple's Wearables, Home and Accessories division is also reported to have grown more slowly than the company's other product lines of late, giving it an incentive to shake things up. Gurman suggests any redesign would be a multi-year undertaking—comparable in scale, he says, to the iPhone's own move to foldable hardware.

While it's unlikely we'll see any new form factor from Apple at its annual hardware refresh next month, then, this certainly seems like one to watch as we head into 2027. Stay tuned for more.