Apple rolled out the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 at the “Surprise and shine” event. The new watches feature sizable improvements to the health sensors and tracking, plus the ability to recite audio transcriptions and summaries, plus a ceramic case option for the Series 12. Despite the new features, the watches start at the same base price as their previous iterations. The Apple Watch Series 12 costs $399 for the aluminum version without cellular, and the Apple Watch Ultra 4 costs $799.
How the new Apple Watches compare to the last-gen models
Apple’s newest watches sport new features like audio intelligence, but how do they stack up against the older models?
Apple’s newest watches sport new features like audio intelligence, but how do they stack up against the older models?
is a tech journalist and commerce writer based out of Portland, Oregon. He’s contributed to sites like Digital Trends, Business Insider, and WIRED.
The biggest differences between the models are new features powered by the S11 processor. It supports the new Apple Intelligence features as well as more detailed health and fitness programs. The Apple Watch Ultra 4 also has longer battery life, up to 50 hours on a single charge, up from 42 on the Ultra 3. All the watches are slightly heavier, with the ceramic Apple Watch Series 12 sitting at 42.8 grams for the 42mm version and 52.9 grams for the 46mm version. The heaviest Apple Watch Ultra is 63.1 grams, up from 61.8 grams on the older model.
Make sure to check out our hands-on if you’re curious about the full scope of the changes. You can also scroll around in the YouTube video above to find where Victoria Song jumped into our post-event Vergecast livestream. On the other hand, if you’re more curious about how the new watches stack up to the previous versions, we’ve gathered up all the relevant information below in one handy, albeit sprawling, chart.
Categories | Apple Watch Series 12 | Apple Watch Series 11 | Apple Watch Ultra 4 | Apple Watch Ultra 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starting MSRP | $399 (Aluminum) / $699 (Titanium) / $899 (Ceramic) | $399 (GPS) / $499 (5G) | $799 | $799 |
| Sizes | 42mm / 46mm | 42mm / 46mm | 49mm | 49mm |
| Case material | Aluminum or titanium or ceramic | Aluminum or titanium | Titanium | Titanium |
| Weight (Grams) | 42mm: 32.2 (aluminum GPS) / 31.5 (aluminum 5G) / 36.5 (titanium) / 41.7-42.8 (ceramic) | 42mm: 30.3 (aluminum GPS) / 29.7 (aluminum 5G) / 34.6 (titanium) | 63.0 (natural) / 63.1 (black) | 61.6 (natural / light gray) /61.8 (black) |
| Display | Always-On Retina LTPO3 OLED / wide-angle OLED | Always-On Retina LTPO3 OLED / wide-angle OLED | Always-On Retina LTPO3 OLED / wide-angle OLED | Always-On Retina LTPO3 OLED / wide-angle OLED |
| Screen brightness | Up to 2,000 nits brightness | Up to 2,000 nits brightness | Up to 3,000 nits brightness | Up to 3,000 nits brightness |
| Screen resolution | 42mm: 374 x 449 | 42mm: 374 x 446 | 422 x 514 | 422 x 514 |
| 46mm: 416 x 496 | 46mm: 416 x 496 | |||
| Minimum brightness | 1 nit | 1 nit | 1 nit | 1 nit |
| Processor | S11 with 64-bit dual-core processor | S10 with 64-bit dual-core processor | S11 with 64-bit dual-core processor | S10 with 64-bit dual-core processor |
| Ultra wideband chip (second-gen) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Operating system | watchOS 27 | watchOS 26 | WatchOS 27 | watchOS 26 |
| Water resistance | Water resistant up to 50 meters | Water resistant up to 50 meters | Water resistant up to 100 meters | Water resistant up to 100 meters |
| Dust resistance | IP6X-rated | IP6X-rated | IP6X-rated / Tested to MIL-STD 810H | IP6X-rated / Tested to MIL-STD 810H |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 4 (2.4 and 5GHz) + L1 GPS + Bluetooth 5.3 | Wi-Fi 4 (2.4 and 5GHz) + L1 GPS + Bluetooth 5.3 | Wi-Fi 4 (2.4 and 5GHz) + Precision dual-frequency GPS + Bluetooth 5.3 + 5G | Wi-Fi 4 (2.4 and 5GHz) + Precision dual-frequency (L1 and L5) GPS + Bluetooth 5.3 + 5G |
| Storage | 64GB | 64GB | 64GB | 64GB |
| Estimated battery life | Up to 24 hours; 38 hours in low-power mode | Up to 24 hours; 38 hours in low-power mode | Up to 50 hours; 84 hours in low-power mode | Up to 42 hours; 72 hours in low-power mode |
| Fast Charging | Yes (80 percent in about 30 minutes) | Yes (80 percent in about 30 minutes) | Yes (80 percent in about 45 minutes) | Yes (80 percent in about 45 minutes) |
| Features | Siri, Apple Pay, single tap, double tap, wrist flick | Siri, Apple Pay, single tap, double tap, wrist flick | Siri, Apple Pay, single tap, double tap, wrist flick | Siri, Apple Pay, single tap, double tap, wrist flick |
| Health tracking | Sleep, cycle tracking with retrospective ovulation estimates, third-generation optical heart sensor, ECG, hypertension, blood oxygen | Sleep, cycle tracking with retrospective ovulation estimates, third-generation optical heart sensor, ECG, hypertension, blood oxygen | Sleep, cycle tracking with retrospective ovulation estimates, third-generation optical heart sensor, ECG, hypertension, blood oxygen | Sleep, cycle tracking with retrospective ovulation estimates, third-generation optical heart sensor, ECG, hypertension, blood oxygen |
| Health notifications | Sleep apnea, hypertension, high/low/irregular heart, fall detection, crash detection | Sleep apnea, hypertension, high/low/irregular heart, fall detection, crash detection | Sleep apnea, hypertension, high/low/irregular heart, fall detection, crash detection | Sleep apnea, hypertension, high/low/irregular heart, fall detection, crash detection |
| Environmental tracking | Temperature sensor, compass, offline maps, always-on altimeter | Temperature sensor, compass, offline maps, always-on altimeter | Temperature sensor, compass, offline maps, always-on altimeter | Temperature sensor, compass, offline maps, always-on altimeter |
| Emergency SOS | Yes (cellular only) | Yes (cellular only) | Yes (cellular, satellite) | Yes (cellular, satellite) |
| Built-in mic and speaker | Yes | Yes | Yes, triple-mic array, dual speakers | Yes, triple-mic array, dual speakers |
| Media playback | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Siren | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Night mode | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Water temperature and depth sensors | Depth gauge up to 6m and water temperature sensor; Oceanic Plus app for snorkeling | Depth gauge to 6m and water temperature sensor; Oceanic Plus app for snorkeling | Depth gauge to 40m and water temperature sensor; Oceanic Plus app for use as a dive computer | Depth gauge to 40m and water temperature sensor; Oceanic Plus app for use as a dive computer |
| Colors | Aluminum: dark bronze, light gold, black, space gray; Titanium: radiant gold, natural; ceramic: pearl white, night blue | Aluminum: jet black, rose gold, and silver; Titanium: slate, gold, and natural | Natural titanium and black | Natural titanium and black |
Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.
Jay Peters
Andrew Liszewski
