Hands-on with the new Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4
3 min read
Summary
After Apple wrapped up its “Surprise and shine” event today, we were able to get a look at the new Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4.
Hands-on with the new Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4
Apple’s latest watches come with some new Siri AI features and the return of ceramic cases.
Apple’s latest watches come with some new Siri AI features and the return of ceramic cases.
Both of the new watches launch September 18th, with preorders available starting today.
The Apple Watch Series 12 once again starts at 399forthealuminumcaseoptioninspacegray,black,lightgold,anddarkbronzealuminum.Thenaturalorradiantgoldtitaniumversioncosts699, and the night blue or pearl white ceramic costs 899.Applesaysthisyear’swatchoffersupto24hoursof“everyday”batterylife,andnowoffersupto10hoursofbatteryduringoutdoorworkoutsandsupportsfasterchargingwithupto12hours’worthrechargedinjust15minutes.TheceramicSeries12suredoeslookandfeelniceinperson.Thenightblueversionisveryfetching,butthestarkpearlwhiteisalsotreˋschiconthewrist.Thenewdarkbronzedidlookalotdarkerinperson,however.LikehowthedarkgreenSeries7lookedabitlessgreenandmoreblackishgreen,there’sasimilarvibewiththebronze.TheSeries12runsonanewS11chipthatpowersafewnewAudioIntelligenceSiriAIfeatures,includingSoundRecognition,LiveRewind,andSiriRecap.Italsogotsomehealthupgrades,includingnewopticalandelectricalheartsensorswithsupportforcontinuousbackgroundheartratesensingthattakesreadingseveryfiveseconds.There’salsoanewHealthAgefeaturethatcomparesyourhealthmetricstoyourchronologicalage,andaReadinessfeaturethatgivesyouascoreforhowtohandlethedayaheadbasedonyourrecentactivity,trainingload,vitals,andsleepscore.TheReadinessfeaturewillbelimitedtotheSeries12andUltra4,however,becauseitrequiresthenewheartratesensorarray.Speakingofthearray,thisisthefirstmajorupdateonthisfrontinawhile.Youcandefinitelyseethedifferencesidebyside.Notably,theApplerepsonhandpointedoutthatthenewSeries12andUltra4havea“32−petaldesign,”whereastheolderwatcheshadatwo−petaldesign.Thisreferstothespoke−likelinescomingoutoftheelectrode.Itshouldtheoreticallyenablemuchmoreaccuratereadings.Youcanalsoseethattheopticalsensorsthemselvesaresituatedmuchclosertogether.Thisistohelpminimizelightleakage.The[AppleWatchUltra4](/tech/990290/apple−watch−ultra−4−smartwatch−wearable−availability−pricing)alsoincludesthenewS11chipandAudioIntelligencefeatures.Itstartsat799 and comes in natural and black titanium, along with a premium Apple Watch Hermès version. Apple says the Ultra 4 offers up to 50 hours of battery life.
