The new wearables feature the S11 chip and a redesigned Health Sensing System. This system uses ring-organized photodiodes and a larger electrode surface area to improve light capture and skin contact. The optical heart sensor's green LEDs are larger and more power-efficient, measuring heart rate every 5 seconds.
Apple claims the devices offer the most accurate heart rate sensing among wearables, citing a study of over 1,000 participants. Heart rate variability (HRV) measurements are now up to 24 times more frequent than in previous models. A new watch face complication allows users to monitor their heart rate in real time.
The watches introduce 'readiness' scores from 0 to 10, which update throughout the day based on activity, sleep, and training load. The iOS Health app will be updated later this year to include a 'Health Age' score and movement evaluations using vision-based AI models on iPhone and heart rate data.
Users can now schedule and purchase labs for over 50 biomarkers for $119 through the Health app at approximately 2,000 Quest Diagnostics locations in the US. New Apple Intelligence features include Shazam song detection, Live Rewind for 15-second conversation snippets, and Siri Recap for conversation summaries.
The Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 are available for preorder today and will ship on September 18. Pricing starts at $399 for the Series 12 and $799 for the Ultra 4.