Apple Watch Series 5 price, features: Next watch to cost only $200?

There are so many features to be excited about for the upcoming Apple Watch Series 5. Every year, the Cupertino company has come up with a number of functions that make the Apple smartwatch not only fashionable but highly useful, too.

The Apple Watch Series 4, for example, has a slew of strong health features that practically made the gadget a life-saving device. For example, it has ECG capabilities and a way to detect irregular heartbeat. Even with all these medical functions, the Cupertino group is pushing it even further with the new variant.

Some speculations from reliable insiders show that the fifth-edition Apple Watch could have sleep tracking functions that could make the device the perfect gear to manage stress. A "smelling" function is also rumored to be part of the next Apple Watch variant which could detect poisonous gas in the atmosphere.

Now, these are still considered rumors but there are some speculations that seem legit. One of these is the possibility that the next Apple Watch could shy away from LCD screens and we can expect a more powerful and beautiful OLED screen. According to a report, newer OLED technology is basically thinner and has more flexibility which could mean a fresh new design for the next Apple Watch.

Apple insider Ming-Chi Kuo also said that the Cupertino company is bringing back the ceramic casing. This means a much lighter Apple Watch that can also make it a sleek fashion accessory. Aside from this, the future watch could also feature solid-state buttons. These don't work like normal buttons that you have to click but would use haptic feedback when they are touched.

But what could these all mean for the price? The upgrade would seem that the Apple Watch Series 5 is going to be much more expensive than previous models. It can be remembered that the Apple Watch Series 2 was more expensive because of its ceramic casing so the same could happen for Series 5.

However, CNET reported that this might not be the case. Considering that Apple is focusing more on health functions, they would be seriously competing against other health-focused smartwatches in the market which cost around $200 or less. If Apple is serious about reaching these customers, then it would have to adjust price tags and go low as well.

Of course, we can't expect it to be lower than $200. The Apple Watch Series 3 is currently on sale at around $199, so the Apple Watch Series 5 will definitely be sold at a much higher price range.

This article originally appeared in IBTimes US.