iPhone 8 could launch with Apple Watch 3 on the side

Watch this: 6 rumors about Apple Watch 3

01:31

Apple may unveil the Apple Watch 3 alongside the iPhone 8, iPhone 7S and iPhone 7S Plus at its upcoming September iPhone event, CNBC reports. The report also claims that the Watch 3 will come with cellular connectivity. This means you'd be able to call, text or stream music without having your iPhone nearby.

Since the launch of the company's original Watch and its Watch Series 2 successor last year, Apple has fallen behind other companies in the wearables market. With this new upgrade and cellular connectivity, this could boost the Apple Watch's popularity and get people excited about it again.

Citing a "source with knowledge of the matter," the CNBC report corroborates an earlier claim by notable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. According to Kuo, Apple may release the Apple Watch 3 with cellular and noncellular options, and come in the same 38mm and 42mm sizes as current watches. The Apple Watch 3 was also said to keep the same general design as its predecessors.

The idea of it being released as soon as next month isn't far-fetched. Apple unveiled the original Apple Watch at its iPhone event in September 2014 and released it in April 2015. Two years later, it announced the Apple Watch Series 2 at the 2016 iPhone event. 

If Apple decides to announce the Watch 3 at its next iPhone event (the exact date of which is still unknown), it'll come only one year after the previous generation, instead of two. The company has already revealed that it'll release WatchOS 4 in the fall as well, making the September Apple Watch 3 announcement even more timely.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.