Apple Watch sees its second year of shipment declines – here's the possible culprit

Welcome back to another busy week of health tech news. I’m rounding up some of the most notable news to come out of the health wearables space every week. There’s a lot to talk about, so let’s dive in.  

Two years of Apple Watch shipment decline

Amid growing global smartwatch shipments from competitors, Apple is seeing two years of smartwatch shipment declines, according to a report by Counterpoint Research. In 2024, shipments declined by 19%. Counterpoint says that a lack of a new SE model option, that is, Apple’s most budget-friendly smartwatch, drives part of this decline. 

Also: I switched to the Apple Watch after a four-year hiatus – here’s why it’s near perfect now

Could the release of an updated SE model alongside feature improvements across the Apple Watch lineup turn things around? We’ll have to wait for Apple’s September event, where it debuts the latest wearable hardware to see. 

That said, I’m interested in what our ZDNET readers would like to see in an Apple Watch update, so leave a comment below if you have some ideas on your Apple Watch wishlist. 

Speaking of Apple Watch, Apple released watchOS 11.5 this week, and while there aren’t many groundbreaking features hitting this update, you should still get around to updating your Apple Watch when you can. Software updates like watchOS 11.5 keep everything running smoothly and ensure that features and bugs are optimized or fixed for long-term use. 

Acer’s FreeSense Ring takes on Oura

Another smart ring has entered the rat race. This one comes from Acer and is called the FreeSense Ring. It’s got all the usual stuff a smart ring would have to compete, like sleep and vitals tracking. The companion app provides personalized AI-powered insights based on your sleep and wellness. 

Also: I wore four smart rings and found the best one worth buying in 2025

The initial announcement left much to be desired about the smart ring, but the one thing we do know is that it will be subscription-free. Once we get our hands on the FreeSense Ring, we’ll see if Acer’s smart ring is ready to compete with big dogs like Oura and Samsung. 

New button on the Huawei Watch 5 

Huawei adds a fun new health-sensing button to its latest smartwatch in the form of a “multi-sensing X-TAP,” as the Chinese tech giant likes to call it. 

The Huawei Watch 5, which is unavailable to purchase in the US, includes your usual below-wrist health sensors for monitoring activity, sleep, and more, but it adds a new side button that can be pressed with a finger to gather EKG, blood oxygen, and arterial stiffness. The button is supposed to produce a 10 to 50 times improvement in signal quality and take faster blood oxygen readings. 

Garmin announces new Forerunners 

Garmin’s popular fitness watch, the Forerunner, is seeing a bright upgrade. The new Garmin smartwatches, the Forerunner 570 and Forerunner 970, are getting a flashlight feature, a valuable one for nighttime runners that our smartwatch reviewer Matt Miller is excited about, alongside other runner-friendly upgrades.

Also: My favorite Garmin feature comes to its new Forerunner watch 

The two smartwatches also come with a speaker and a microphone for taking calls and voice commands, so you can leave your phone (or your Apple Watch) behind on your next run. 

Sleep coaching, advanced running dynamics, and a respective 11- and 15-day battery life are just some of the exciting features on these two watches. Prices are $550 and $750 for the 570 and 970, and they’re available to order now. 

Samsung is dropping a new Galaxy Ring color – but only in this country 

Samsung is selling a new color of its Galaxy Ring, according to TechRadar, but you’ll have to buy the smart ring at Samsung’s Gangnam store in South Korea to get your hands on it. The ring color is Two-Tone Titanium Black, and its release comes alongside the Galaxy S25 Edge phone. The new color is available at the Gangnam store while supplies last. 

VisionOS’s next update could let you control apps with your eyes 

Bloomberg’s serial Apple leaker, Mark Gurman, just gave us an eye-catching VisionOS sneak peek. Users could control what they see on their Apple Vision Pro headset using only their eyes. 

“The eye-scrolling capability is being tested as part of VisionOS 3, an upcoming version of the Vision Pro’s operating system, according to people with knowledge of the matter,” Gurman writes.