Could the big Apple Watch X update prove to be a let down?

Apple is planning a big upgrade for the Apple Watch 10 (which may be called Apple Watch X) according to reports over the weekend.

According to the venerable Apple watcher Mark Gurman, the company might launch an Apple Watch 10 with a screen size to match the Apple Watch Ultra devices.

The Apple Watch Ultra range offers a 49mm display, while the standard editions are available in 41mm or 45mm display sizes.

Writing in the latest Power On newsletter, Gurman also reckons the Apple Watch 10 might be thinner than its counterpart and come with an upgraded chip. If we were guessing, it would come under an S10 name.

However, if you were hoping that processor would bring access to some of the Apple Intelligence AI prowess destined for the iPhone 16 as well as the company’s top Macs and iPads, that’s unlikely to be the case Gurman says. Instead, the reporter says the tenth model will “lay the groundwork” for future integration of some, but not all Gen AI features.

“There will be other enhancements under the hood. Both the Series 10 and new Ultra 3 will get a new chip,” Gurman writes, “which could lay the groundwork for some AI enhancements down the road. But if you’re hoping for the device to run Apple Intelligence — the upcoming suite of AI features — you should reset your expectations. For now, that service is only headed to the iPhone, iPad and Mac. Later, it will come to the Vision Pro, but there are no plans to bring the full initiative to the watch.”

The tenth model might also arrive without a pair of long-awaited health and fitness features – the long-tipped blood pressure monitor, and another to detect sleep apnea.

Gurman says the efforts have “run into some serious snags” despite Apple making progress on them in 2023. Gurman says the blood pressure monitor, if it did arrive, wouldn’t offer an actual BP reading and will instead simply let users know when their BP is higher than their baseline.