Apple Drops watchOS 27 for $800 Original Watch Ultra as AI Features Require S9 Chips
Updated
Updated · Gizmodo · Jun 15
Apple Drops watchOS 27 for $800 Original Watch Ultra as AI Features Require S9 Chips
3 articles · Updated · Gizmodo · Jun 15
Summary
The 2022 Apple Watch Ultra will not get watchOS 27 this fall, leaving Apple’s $800 flagship wearable outside the latest software cycle after just four years.
S9-based models and later are the cutoff because watchOS 27’s new Siri contextual-awareness features need neural-processing hardware missing from the original Ultra, Series 6-8 and SE 2.
Those older watches also miss broader watchOS 27 upgrades, including battery-life, Wi-Fi, sleep-tracking and media-playback improvements; Gurman also reported the first Ultra will not get the new Modular watch face.
The move stands out because Apple is still extending support to older devices such as the 2019 iPhone 11 and reportedly the 2018 HomePod, sharpening frustration among original Ultra owners already excluded from some watchOS 26 features.