Hello from (rather warm) Cupertino, California. Yet another year has flown by, which means once again we continue our more than a decade-long tradition of taking an extremely brief pause from traditional watchmaking to see what’s up with the newest editions of the most popular and widely adopted watches in the world. They just happen to be fully digital. And yes, another year of us unpacking what it truly means to be a watch in the comments section.
If you’re like me and also a tech nerd, you’ve undoubtedly been following the rumors recently ahead of the launch. It’s the first launch event since John Ternus’ succession to Tim Cook as Apple’s new CEO, and while Ternus stepped into the role a week ago, eyes are undoubtedly peeled to see what the next generation of Apple’s designs might entail. But most of the noise was on the rumored foldable iPhone, with very little attention being paid to Apple Watch. Last year’s updates were largely subtle changes from a design perspective, mostly around new functionality and small visual improvements.
Series 12 — What’s New?
In short, not much. Those of us (me included) may be disappointed that there isn’t a new physical redesign, with the current generation of design language carrying forward and no major changes to speak of. The real changes are under the hood: a new Health Sensing System paired with the S11 chip now takes a heart rate reading every five seconds, all day, and measures HRV up to 24 times more often than before—numbers Apple says make this the most accurate heart rate sensor in a wearable, based on its own testing. That’s a big claim, and I’m curious to dig in more once I get these in hand and on wrist. Most of the other changes are not on the hardware side of the watch; rather, they lie mainly on the software and the phone side of the experience.
That data feeds a new feature called Readiness: a daily 0 to 10 score built from activity, training load, vitals, and sleep, and it lands under one of four labels—Recover, Pace Yourself, Ready, or Go For It. It updates through the day rather than resetting each morning, which is a nice touch if you’re the type who checks your watch obsessively after a hard workout.
Battery life for daily use stays at 24 hours, but outdoor workout tracking climbs 25 percent to 10 hours, and 15 minutes on the charger now adds 12 hours back. The lineup also picks up two new aluminum colors, a ceramic option in pearl white and night blue, and tougher Ceramic Shield 2 glass.
There are a slew of software updates, including new Audio Intelligence, which, among other things, seems to constantly transcribe everything it overhears and can rewind 15 seconds in your current conversation in a feature called “Live Rewind”. The emphasis on conversation security shows Apple knows many will be naturally nervous about such a new feature.
And finally, ceramic is back! Pearl white and night blue are new ceramic colors that reintroduce theatrical after many years away from the lineup.
Series 12 comes in dark bronze, black, light gold, and space gray in the aluminum cases. Titanium comes in radiant gold and natural. It also comes in a new ceramic option in pearl white and night blue. There’s also a Hermès Series 12 in 42mm and 46mm in silver and radiant gold.
Series 12 is available for pre-order today, with the full release slated for September 18th. Pricing starts at $399 for aluminum, $699 for titanium, and $899 for the ceramic options.
After last year’s long-awaited Ultra 3 update, Apple is back with another refresh this year: the Ultra 4. The Ultra keeps last year’s case and dimensions, still in 3D-printed titanium, and gets the same Health Sensing System, S11 chip, and Readiness score as the Series 12. The main difference lies in battery life: everyday use now reaches 50 hours, and the new Max Extended Workout mode can track an outdoor session for up to 45 hours with GPS pinging every second.
Apple Watch Hermès Ultra 4 adds a new Grand H titanium band (a $2199 option) built to fit over a wetsuit, along with a Fathom and Wonder watch face depicting the ocean at four depths.
Ultra 4 comes in natural and black titanium. Ultra 4 is available for pre-order today, with general availability on September 18th, and starts at $799.
Stay tuned in the upcoming weeks for our hands-on with these watches, coming soon. Now back to counting interior angles!
Diameter: 46mm or 42mm
Width: 40mm or 37mm
Thickness:9.7mm (aluminum, titanium) or 9.85mm (ceramic)
Case Material: Titanium (radiant gold, natural) or aluminum (dark bronze, light gold, black, space gray) or ceramic (pearl white, night blue)
Weight: 46mm [39.5 grams (aluminum, GPS), 38.6 grams (aluminum, GPS + Cellular), 44.9 grams (titanium), 51.3 grams (Pearl White ceramic), 52.9 grams (Night Blue ceramic)] – 42mm [32.2 grams (aluminum, GPS), 31.5 grams (aluminum, GPS + Cellular), 36.5 grams (titanium), 41.7 grams (Pearl White ceramic), 42.8 grams (Night Blue ceramic)]
Battery Life:Up to 24 hours of normal use, up to 38 hours in Low Power Mode
Water Resistance:50m
Strap/Bracelet:Multiple, metal (matched), and a variety of other materials, including designs from Nike and Hermès
Diameter: 49mm
Width:44mm
Thickness:12mm
Case Material:Titanium (natural, black)
Weight: 63.0 grams (natural), 63.1 grams (black)
Battery Life: Up to 50 hours of normal use, up to 84 hours in Low Power Mode
Water Resistance: 100m
Strap/Bracelet:Multiple, metal (matched), and a variety of other materials, including designs from Nike and Hermès
Price:Apple <a href="https://comicvibe.com/apple-watch-series-12-familiar-design-different-everywhere-else/" title="Apple Watch Series 12: Familiar Design, Different Everywhere Else “>Watch Series 12 ($399+), Apple Watch Ultra 4 ($799+)
Availability: Both models are available for pre-order today, with general availability beginning September 18th.
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