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Apple Watch Series 5 Leak: Is this our first proper look?

Apple is widely expected to debut a new version of its Apple Watch before the year is out. However, judging by new leak, it might not have all that much new to offer, at least in terms of design.

An in-the-wild photo of a purported Apple Watch Series 5 has appeared on social media, looking identical to the Series 4 model released last autumn.

So how do we figure the below –  spotted on Instagram and posted by Slashleaks – could be a new model rather than someone just sporting the current edition? Well, the model number shown on the display is A2157, the same model number associated with an Apple Watch in documentation the company filed with the Eurasian Economic Commission earlier this week.

According to those documents, possibly revealing Apple’s product release plans for the rest of the year, the various model numbers for the Apple Watch will be A2156, A2157, A2092, and A2093. Those will signify the two display sizes (likely to be 40mm and 44mm) and the Wi-Fi and Cellular models, if previous form is to go by. As this model is rocking the French mobile network Orange, we’d guess this is the 40mm LTE variant.

Related: Best smartwatch 2019

A smartphone held in hand with a Fast charge logo and text on top

Image credit: Instagram via Slashleaks

Of course, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Apple keep faith with the Series 4 design for the next-generation models. The Series 4 model was the first major departure from the original design, offering much thinner bezels than its predecessors and steeper, curvier corners to make it feel like a full screen device.

That doesn’t mean there’ll be no improvements overall though. Previous reports have suggested Apple may be looking to change the display to the more efficient Micro LED technology, but that might have to wait until 2020.

There’s likely to be upgraded innards thanks to a new S5 chip, and the possibility of more premium ceramic and titanium edition finishes. Meanwhile the company might be ready to pull the trigger on sleep tracking and offer new health tools that could detect an oncoming stroke.

Of course, the new Apple watchOS 6 will give everyone some new features and a fresh coat of paint. We’re expecting the Apple Watch Series 5 to arrive alongside the iPhone 11 next month. All indications point to a launch event on September 10.

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