Satellite Messaging Could Be Coming to Your Wrist in 2025
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While outdoor adventurers may have been disappointed in this year’s lack of an update to the Apple Watch Ultra, it sounds like Apple has more in store for next year’s wearable than merely a dark titanium color finish.
Sources have told Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman that the Apple Watch Ultra 3, expected to arrive next September, could pack in full satellite connectivity — a feature that’s been rumored for the Apple Watch since 2022.
That’s the year the iPhone 14 got Emergency SOS via Satellite. It’s also the same time the first Apple Watch Ultra landed, and it surprised some folks that Apple’s more rugged extreme watch didn’t include the feature. However, adding satellite radios to a smaller wrist-worn device was likely a tall order — even for one as bulky as the Ultra. Even Garmin, which specializes in both rugged fitness watches and satellite communicators, hasn’t combined the two.
However, you can bet Apple has been working on it, especially since the Apple Watch Ultra is the Apple device you’ll most likely have on your wrist if you ever find yourself stranded in the wilderness away from traditional cellular and Wi-Fi connectivity. Now, it looks like the third generation of the Ultra could usher it in.
What’s even better is that Apple isn’t pulling any punches. While its satellite connectivity features began with a simple Emergency SOS, it’s since expanded into roadside assistance in iOS 17 and, most recently, satellite messaging in iOS 18. All of these are expected to come to the Apple Watch, which makes sense since there’s no reason for Apple to hold any of them back.
Apple’s trick to pulling this off may involve a significant internal change. Unlike the iPhone, Apple still relies on Intel chips for the Apple Watch. Although Intel exited the 5G modem business years ago (and Apple picked up the pieces for a cool billion dollars), it still makes LTE chips, which are all the Apple Watch lineup currently supports.
Still, the Apple Watch is the only LTE device the company still sells, and it’s overdue for 5G connectivity. Apple will need a new modem chip since Intel no longer plays in that space. Rather than cozying up even closer to its frenemy Qualcomm, Gurman says that Apple is looking to go with a MediaTek chip — possibly the M60 or its successor, as those provide the 5G RedCap support necessary to bring 5G to lower-power devices that don’t need the blazing fast speeds of smartphones and tablets.
After all, it’s not like the Apple Watch needs to download massive amounts of data. While it will get some benefit from the lower latency of 5G, the real issue is that it’s time to move on to the latest standards. More importantly, a well-designed 5G RedCap chip can help the Apple Watch achieve greater battery life than Intel’s LTE chips, which have never been that efficient to begin with.
Although this would be the first time Apple has used a MediaTek chip, Gurman says the company has been evaluating its silicon for the better part of the last decade. MediaTek’s Dimensity SoCs power a significant number of Android smartphones and tablets; Samsung has long used them for its budget smartphones like the Galaxy A15 and this year made the bold move of switching from Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 to MediaTek’s Dimensity 9300+ for this year’s Galaxy Tab S10 tablet lineup.
It’s unclear if the MediaTek modem will power the satellite features, but sources say they’ll be exclusive to the Apple Watch Ultra 3. Nevertheless, the Apple Watch Series 11 could still gain 5G support without satellite connectivity. Gurman notes the satellite features would help to differentiate the Ultra and encourage more users to opt for the pricier wearable. Still, Apple may simply be constrained by the laws of physics when it comes to finding enough space for the necessary antennas and other related hardware.
[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]
