Apple has unveiled the Watch Series 12 and Watch Ultra 4, replacing the Series 11 and Ultra 3 models. While the exterior design remains largely unchanged, the devices feature a new S11 processor based on ARM architecture. This chip includes two power-efficient cores, a single-core GPU, and a quad-core AI accelerator.
Health monitoring capabilities have been significantly upgraded. The new heart rate sensor tracks pulse every five seconds, which is 60 times more frequent than before. Heart rate variability is now measured every five minutes. Additionally, the Health app now provides AI-generated explanations for user metrics and offers guided workout recommendations.
The new Audio Intelligence system uses microphones and AI to detect sounds like doorbells or alarms for users with hearing impairments. It can transcribe the last 15 seconds of a conversation or summarize longer recordings. This feature will launch in beta later in 2026, initially supporting only English, with Apple stating that audio data is not stored.
The Watch Series 12 is available with new white or blue ceramic cases, while the Watch Ultra 4 is designed for extended battery life, lasting over two days on a single charge. Pricing remains unchanged from previous generations, with the Series 12 starting at $400 and the Ultra 4 starting at $800.
