Apple Watch Series 12 arrives this Friday (pre-order here), but some upgraders might be surprised by a subtle design change that Apple didn’t mention in its announcement: larger bezels around the display.
Apple Watch Series 12 has slightly larger case size for increased bezels around display
If you track the history of Apple product design, one clear trend is that the company likes to reduce bezels around the display as much as possible.
Over time, the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch have all progressively shrunk the bezels for a design that puts all focus on the display.
But with Apple Watch Series 12, the reverse is happening as bezels increase slightly.
Per Apple’s website, here’s the breakdown of case sizes for Series 12 compared to the last two models:
| Series 12 | Series 11 | Series 10 | |
| 42mm | 42mm by 37mm | 42mm by 36mm | 42mm by 36mm |
| 46mm | 46mm by 40mm | 46mm by 39mm | 46mm by 39mm |
As you can see, while Apple Watch Series 12 has the same case height as its predecessors, the width is slightly larger. Per this comparison page though, all three models have the same display sizes.
- 42mm: 374 by 446 pixels with 970 sq mm display area
- 46mm: 416 by 496 pixels with 1196 sq mm display area
What this means is that compared to previous models, Apple Watch Series 12’s display is slightly undersized for its larger case size. As a result, it has more noticeable bezels around the display.
Series 12 packs a ton of internal upgrades, like the new Health Sensing System and S11 chip. So it’s unsurprising that the case size would need to change some.
But if you’re upgrading from a recent Apple Watch model, just know that the design might look like a small step backwards rather than following the standard trend of shrinking bezels.
What do you think of Apple’s decision to increase bezel size on Apple Watch Series 12? Let us know in the comments.
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