Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4: better health tracking, but AI features arrive late
Apple's new Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 go on sale September 18, keeping prices flat at $399 and $799 respectively. The headline upgrade is a sharply faster health sensor — heart rate now sampled every five seconds, 60 times more often than before — but the marquee AI feature won't be ready at launch.
Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 — the new generation powered by the S11 chip.
The hardware
Both models run on the new S11 chip, built on the same architecture as the A20 Pro. It pairs two efficiency cores with a 4-core AI accelerator. The upgraded ECG sensor and reworked heart-rate monitor feed data into a redesigned Health app that uses on-device AI to surface personalised workout recommendations. Heart-rate variability (HRV) is now logged every five minutes instead of every two hours. A new Readiness score tracks sleep and vitals to suggest the best time to train — or to tell you to skip the gym when you haven't slept enough.
The redesigned Health app with AI-driven analytics and Readiness scoring.
Audio Intelligence — the asterisk
The most talked-about new feature is Audio Intelligence. It uses the microphone array and the S11's AI accelerator to alert users with hearing difficulties to sounds like doorbells or alarms, transcribe the last 15 seconds of speech, and summarise meetings. Apple says audio is processed entirely on-device and never stored — not even by Apple. That privacy angle is a genuine selling point. The catch: Audio Intelligence launches in beta later in 2026 and supports English only at first, per Vodafone DE. UK customers should get access alongside the US, but a timeline for additional languages hasn't been confirmed.
Audio Intelligence processes sound on-device — no audio is stored or sent to Apple.
Display and battery
The Ceramic Shield 2 glass covering both watches is rated 60% harder than the Ion-X glass used in earlier models. Battery life is unchanged: 24 hours for Series 12 and 48 hours for Ultra 4. Series 12 also adds new ceramic case options in white and blue at a premium over the aluminium starting price.
New ceramic case options in white and blue join the Series 12 lineup at a premium price.
Pricing and availability
Pre-orders are open now, with first deliveries on September 18. US pricing holds at $399 (Series 12) and $799 (Ultra 4); euro pricing is €449 and €899, per Mac Observer. Apple has not yet published UK GBP pricing. Retail competition from John Lewis, Currys, and Argos is expected, particularly on the standard aluminium models. The flat price makes Series 12 a harder sell as a direct upgrade from Series 11, unless the faster health sensors or the eventual Audio Intelligence rollout are priorities.