Apple Watch Series 12 - It's What You Can't See That Makes It Great

Right. So you know all the cool stuff I said about the Apple Watch Ultra 4 the other week?

(If you don't, go back and read the review. It's pretty great)

Well, what if you could get most of that stuff for about half the price?

Good deal?

Then read on.

The Apple Watch Series 12 looks like... well... an Apple Watch.

Apple, perhaps more than any other tech brand, certainly loves to take an, "If it ain't broke..." approach to its design aesthetic. AirPods still look like AirPods. iPads still look like iPads. And iPhones still look like iPhones... well, until the Duo hits the shelves, anyway.

But that doesn't mean you should never update. Or indeed, jump on board the Apple ecosystem train for the first time.

There's always going to be a new chip, for example. The Watch Series 12 uses the same S11 chip as the Ultra 4 - and just like the Ultra, the Series 12 is poised to make the most of forthcoming Audio Intelligence features like Live Rewind and Siri Recap (using the built-in mic array to transcribe life's most important moments for you) or Shazam - identifying the song you're hearing faster than ever, right on your wrist.

And yes, just like the Ultra 4, Series 12 capitalises on the extra processing power of the S11 chip to power Apple's most radically redesigned health sensing system. More and larger sensors enable the Series 12 to monitor your heart rate more constantly, measure HRV more regularly and estimate your calorie burn more accurately.

This all results in a fine-tuned Vitals app that does a deeper dive into your health metrics than ever before - so deep Apple now brings you an entirely new app; Readiness.

Fitness, Vitals and Sleep data combine to give you a glanceable Readiness score. If it's good, that's encouraging. If it comes up less than you were expecting, at least you can quickly discern what needs work; perhaps an early night will get you back up to a 7 or 8?

Although the Series 12 was never going to match the Ultra 4 when it comes to durability and sheer toughness, 2026 still sees an important upgrade in that area too. The display is now protected by Ceramic Shield 2, which is 60% tougher than the previous Ion-X watch faces. This is welcome news for me as I have managed to scratch just about every watch I've ever worn. I'm not doing it deliberately, I swear. I just have abnormally long arms and sometimes it's hard to keep them under control - or away from door frames, walls and other hazards. So far so good with the Series 12 though. Loving Ceramic Shield 2.

If there's one area people love to hassle Apple about, it's battery life. Although devices like MacBooks and iPads consistently manage to set industry standards when it comes to how long a full charge will last, that certainly hasn't always been true on the iPhone and Apple Watch side of the equation. The last few years have seen significant gains, but a bad battery reputation is hard to shake. 

Unfortunately, despite the more efficient chip, I haven't been blown away by the battery life of the Series 12. It's not bad - in fact, Apple's website suggests you'll get up to 24 hours use on a 100% top-up. But if you're making use of the extra connectivity required to do regular Apple Fitness workouts, beaming your metrics to your Apple TV or iPad, that's going to drain things a little quicker. As is switching the display to Always On mode.

Remember; you're going to want to wear this thing to bed to make sure that Readiness app counts up all your Zs - so even 24 hours is only just going to be enough.

There is some good news here though. The new wireless charging puck, included in the box, is crazy fast. Charging for just 15 minutes gets you another 12 hours use. You'll see me demonstrate this IRL in the vid below.

In my books, a quick charge is almost as good as a bigger battery - especially when that charge is as quick as it is with the Series 12.

Finally, when I said there wasn't really anything new to see - that wasn't strictly accurate. While the "base-model" aluminium options are the usual Light Gold, Black and Space Grey - you can also opt for a new Dark Bronze casing, which I'm thinking would match pretty well if you've scored yourself one of those fetching new Burgundy iPhone 18 Pros.

The two 2026 titanium variants have been highly polished so the Natural option looks like gleaming silver and the Radiant Gold version truly lives up to its name, sparkling brightly, just like "real" gold, while still retaining the extreme durability of titanium.

Or, if you want to take stylish scratch-resistance to the next level, ceramic is back, in either Pearl White or Night Blue.

I feel as though, a bit like the AirPods 5, Watch Series 12 didn't quite get the love it deserved at this year's big launch. Although shining brighter than ever, there was no way it was ever going to out-shine the introduction of Apple's first folding phone.

But be assured, this is definitely more than just an iterative upgrade. Externally, there's a tougher screen, some pleasing cosmetic innovations and a raft of new, improved sensors on the underside of the Watch. Internally, thanks to the S11 chip, there really isn't much separating the performance of this device from it's more rugged, Ultra sibling. Siri AI is about to ramp up considerably and the Watch Series 12 is certainly poised to be a "vital" part of that process.

Click here for more information and pricing on the Apple Watch Series 12.