If there’s anything that’s defined fitness tech in 2026, it’s the rise of the screen-free fitness tracker. First popularised by Whoop, this year has seen the recovery brand wrestle with not one but two new competitors in the form of the Fitbit Air and Garmin Cirqa.

Now, another tech company is reportedly weighing up the development of a screen-free fitness tracker of its own. According to Bloomberg, Apple’s industrial design team has been mulling the different directions it could take the Apple Watch in the future, including entirely new designs and devices.

The company is reportedly looking at developing new wearable devices without a screen, as well as experimenting with different types of displays and various sizes. This could mean the development of fitness trackers similar to Whoop, as well as smart rings like the Oura ring.

Bloomberg also reports that Apple is even looking at producing premium models beyond the Apple Watch Ultra, as well as cheaper models that could sit below the Apple Watch SE.

The company’s Apple Watch has been the centre of its health and fitness ambitions for more than a decade, with Apple resisting the temptation to branch out into other wearable form factors. Samsung launched a smart ring in 2024, while Garmin continues to offer devices for different sports and user need.

Eddy Cue, who took over supervision of Apple's health and fitness software divisions last year, is apparently a big fan of Whoop and Oura, with Cue reportedly telling colleagues that Apple needs to move faster and be more competitive in health, with Oura and Whoop offering more compelling. Useful features.

Still, the Apple Watch is still as popular as ever. Sales of the Apple Watch reportedly jumped 21 per cent in the first quarter of 2026, and the company is set to launch an Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 in September, which are expected to once again be modest upgrades over their predecessor.

You can currently get a one-month free trial of the Whoop 5.0, meaning you get the entire device free of charge for a month without having to pay a single penny. “The Whoop is the best health coach you’ll find outside of a human being and it’s incredibly smart with the way it uses biometric data,” said fitness and wellbeing editor Emilie Lavinia in her review. “It is also lightweight and stylish and has exceptional battery life.”

Read our full **Whoop 5.0 review **

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