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The Apple Watch 12 was introduced at today's September Apple Event, along with the AirPods 5, iPhone Duo, and iPhone 18 Pro. Apple's newest smartwatch is packed with new features and is officially available to preorder.
The Apple Watch Series 12 features new Apple silicon and advanced health sensors, which Apple claims are the most accurate heart rate sensing in a wearable. Apple's newest Health Sensing System, along with its S11 chip, offers a suite of health and fitness features including a new readiness score. The Series 12 also includes advanced workout and sleep tracking and offers up to 24 hours of battery life and up to 10 hours during an outdoor workout, a 25% improvement over the previous model.
The Apple Watch 12 starts at $399 / £369 for the GPS-only 42mm model and $449 / £419 for the 46mm size. The Cellular version starts at $499 / £469 for the 42mm model and $549 / £519 for the larger 46mm size.
As of writing, Apple is the only retailer where you can preorder the Apple Watch 12, but I'll update this page when more become available. Apple is currently offering a preorder trade-in deal that allows you to save on the new smartwatch when you trade in an older device.
Below, you'll find the best Apple Watch 12 preorder deals available online in the US and UK.
Apple Watch 12 deals in the US- Apple: save up to $430 with trade-in
- Amazon: check retailer
- Best Buy: check retailer
- Walmart: check retailer
- Apple: save up to £390 with trade-in
- Amazon: check retailer
- Argos: check retailer
- Currys: check retailer
The Apple Watch 12 starts at $399 / £369 for the GPS-only 42mm model and $449 / £419 for the 46mm size.
The Cellular version starts at $499 / £469 for the 42mm model and $549 / £519 for the larger 46mm size.
The only Apple Watch 12 preorder deals you can typically find are on Cellular versions, offered by phone carriers.
The Apple Watch Series 12 is officially available on Friday, September 18, and that's when we might see small discounts from third-party retailers like Amazon. If you want the best Apple Watch 12 deals, you'll have to wait for the next big holiday sales: Amazon's October Prime Day and November's Black Friday shopping event.
You can also see today's best AirPods 5 preorder deals.
More of today's best Apple Watch dealsApple has unveiled the iPhone 18 Pro and its September 9 'Surprise and Shine' event, but how does it stack up against last year’s mighty iPhone 17 Pro?
Among other things here’s the powerful new A20 Pro chip, and the main camera’s new variable aperture, but these mean the iPhone 18 Pro costs a little more than its older sibling.
If you’re weighing up the two iPhone Pros, these are the five key differences you’ll need to consider before you make your choice…
1. Variable aperture @techradar ♬ original sound - TechRadarIf you care about photography this is easily the biggest iPhone 18 Pro feature: variable aperture.
Normally phone camera apertures are locked, meaning the aperture has to strike a compromise between maximizing depth of field and maximizing night and low-light performance by letting more light in. With its variable aperture the iPhone 18 Pro’s 48MP fusion main camera solves this problem by adapting to meet your needs for each shot.
The iPhone 17 Pro lacks this capability, though its camera array is still very solid, even if it lacks the latest model’s versatility.
2. Battery life and specs(Image credit: Apple)As you’d expect, the iPhone 18 pro boasts better specs thanks to its A20 Pro chip. According to Apple its CPU’s two supercores are 20% faster than what you’ll find in the iPhone 17 Pro, and its GPU is 40% faster. It also boasts improved neural accelerators for better AI performance — meaning on-device Siri AI assistance should feel snappier than before.
The change you’ll notice the most, though, is the bigger battery.
While the iPhone 17 Pro achieved a 33-hour battery life in Apple’s internal video playback tests, the 18 Pro managed to last for 36 hours — the same length of time as the iPhone 17 Pro Max. If you were wondering, the iPhone 18 Pro Max can hold out for a whopping 45 hours.
3. iPhone Pro colors(Image credit: Apple)The iPhone 18 Pro comes in classic Silver and Black, as well as Glacier (a sort of lilac) and Burgundy if you want a more bold and unique look for your new smartphone.
Meanwhile the iPhone 17 Pro comes in Silver, a dark Deep Blue, and that Cosmic Orange hue that people either love or hate.
I was a big fan of Cosmic Orange, but Burgundy takes the cake for me. It looks iconic without looking silly or sickly — traps the orange could sometimes fall into. Though this design choice will be entirely personal, and let’s be real — you’ll probably just put it in a case anyway, whichever model you get.
4. Dynamic Island(Image credit: Apple)As was teased by leaks ahead of the reveal, the iPhone 18 pro boasts a smaller Dynamic Island — which should make it a less annoying permanent distraction on your screen compared with the iPhone 17 Pro’s Island.
At the same time it has become a little more versatile too. The iPhone 18 pro’s Dynamic Island can now support three live activities at once, up from the previous maximum of two.
5. Price and availability @techradar ♬ On The Dance Floor (Instrumental) - BLVKSHPThe iPhone 18 Pro was only just revealed, but it’ll be up for sale globally at $1,199 / £1.199 / AU$2,099 for 256GB of storage from September 18, 2026. You can preorder starting Saturday September 12 to lock in a unit early if you decide it’s the smartphone for you.
Meanwhile the iPhone 17 Pro can be picked up right now with a lower list price of $1,099 / £1,099 / AU$1,999.
On paper that $100 difference isn't major, but given that the iPhone 17 Pro is a year old we can expect to see its price drop further, especially as we head into the Black Friday sales period. And with Apple hiking prices of its other iPhone 17 models on the Apple Store by $100 / £100, the 17 Pro — which has been discontinued, so won't be affected — suddenly looks like a relative bargain.
Apple has announced the iPhone Duo, its first-ever folding phone, calling it “the most transformational iPhone experience since the original.” Like every other tech fan in the world right now, I want one.
As detailed in our Apple Event 2026 recap, Apple has decked out its first foldable with a range of high-spec specs befitting the phone’s Duo branding and new ‘Intelligent Personal Hub’ concept.
It gets a 5.4-inch cover display, a 7.6-inch inner display, and an A20 Pro chipset. It also comes with a 48MP wide-angle camera, a 48MP ultra-wide camera, a 12MP selfie camera on the cover screen, and an under-display camera under the inner screen. Apple also claims the iPhone Duo lasts up to 24 hours on a single charge when both screens are used equally. Put simply, this thing is a beast.
I’ll say it right now — I want the iPhone Duo more than I’ve ever wanted a folding phone. I’ve used plenty of the best folding phones in my time as a tech journalist, penning TechRadar’s Honor Magic V5 review and Oppo Find N5 review, but the iPhone Duo’s combination of Apple finesse and futuristic form factor has put it squarely at the top of my shopping list — now all I need is a spare $1,999 / £1,999 / AU$3,499.
(Image credit: Apple)However, the iPhone Duo comes with some caveats that could upset long-time Apple fans. It lacks Face ID, a staple since 2017. It also loses the Action Button, which you'll find on all but a few iPhones released since the iPhone 15 Pro launched in 2023. And it misses out on the telephoto camera boasted by its sibling, the iPhone 18 Pro, and similar zoom lenses sported by competitors like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra and Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold.
Even if you don’t use these features much, some Apple fans are bound to feel let down by the fact that the iPhone Duo misses out on key hardware found on cheaper models. But I’m not one of these people — here are five reasons why I still want the iPhone Duo more than any other folding phone.
Ecosystem and software(Image credit: Apple)It’s been said a million times, but I’ll say it once more — Apple’s ecosystem prowess is not to be underestimated. Despite a few wobbles with the launch of iOS 26 last year, the Apple ecosystem is still the cleanest, least ad-infested, and most seamless software environment on the consumer tech market.
Having a folding phone join the fray gives Apple the opportunity to merge the function of the iPhone and iPad in new ways, bringing together the company’s experience across mobile and tablet development. We saw this during the Duo's announcement — Apple has created a fluid transition between folded and open states with a seamless Liquid Glass animation; it's moved core controls to the right side of the screen for easier access; and it's optimized all of its own apps for the Duo's new form factor. And, of course, the Duo is still keyed in to AirDrop, AirPlay, and other Apple conveniences.
If Apple is sensible enough to equip the Duo with the iPad versions of productivity and creative apps like Pages and Final Cut Pro, the new device could be a genuine portable workstation like nothing Samsung or Google have ever released. Apple simply has access to better software than Android folding phones; it just has to leverage it.
@techradar ♬ Candy - Lane 8 & Quentin Quivera The iPad legacy(Image credit: Apple)On the subject of iPads, Apple has the best track record of any small tablet maker, bar none, thanks to the quality of the iPad mini, so the iPhone Duo already has a model of success to follow. Our list of the best tablets highlights the iPad mini as the best compact tablet, and has done so for years.
We saw the iPhone Duo used in split-screen mode during the keynote, with Apple showing off optimized apps from Netflix, Slack, and Detail, and telling us all about the performance of the A20 Pro mobile chipset. Considering the MacBook Neo, a full-on laptop, runs on an A18 chipset from two generations back, I’m pretty confident that the iPhone Duo will be as powerful as any true tablet bar the M-series iPads.
I’ve used and reviewed tablets from other manufacturers, and while I’ve been impressed on occasion, these devices typically come nowhere close to the iPad’s smooth performance and software optimization. And other folding phones have to contend with some jank as phone makers try to make the Android and off-the-shelf chipsets play ball with their specific screen size, resolution, and processing requirements.
Apple's display pedigree(Image credit: Apple)What good is software without decent hardware to experience it on?
The iPhone Duo comes with two screens that share the same 10:14 aspect ratio, offering more consistency than taller foldables, with a nano-textured upper layer laser-lithographed to create a lens for each pixel. Apple also claims that the screen “doesn’t degrade over time” due to a system of layered polymers that slide over one another as the screen moves.
As folding phone screens are known to peel and wear down, I won't pass judgment on the folding inner screen until I see it in person, but the excellence of Apple's previous iPhone and iPad displays gives me faith (at least when it comes to quality).
Build qualityAppleAppleAppleAppleApple spent plenty of time in the keynote talking about iPhone Duo’s durability. The phone is made of glass, ceramic inserts, and grade 5 titanium, and achieves the IP68 dust and water resistance that Samsung and Google only recently achieved with their foldable devices. Also, its larger vapor chamber means it offers 35% better sustained performance than iPhone 18 Pro, by Apple’s own metrics.
In fairness, Samsung and Google build folding phones exceptionally well too — but even at the sky-high prices foldables command, this isn’t a given. I’ve used some folding phones that wobble around when partially opened, don’t stay fully shut, or show signs of screen peeling after just a few weeks of use. Apple will still have to earn my trust with the iPhone Duo, but the keynote suggests its engineering teams are on top form.
The missing features aren't *that* importantThe iPhone Duo uses Touch ID, not Face ID (Image credit: Apple)Comment section debaters, get ready. Part of the reason I still want the iPhone Duo is that its missing features just don’t matter that much — at least to me.
While the iPhone Duo does lose Face ID, I’ve always preferred in-button fingerprint scanners to any other kind of biometric security — they’re faster, easier to use, and won’t get blocked by a scarf or sunglasses. I love the scanner on my Oppo Find N6, for example.
I think I’d miss the Action Button and telephoto camera, but these don’t preclude the iPhone Duo’s software potential. With the iPhone Duo’s wide unfolded form factor, I can see why Apple ditched the button, as it may not be useful when the phone is unfolded.
And TechRadar Phones Editor Axel Metz made peace with the iPhone Air’s single camera, so I’m sure the iPhone Duo’s dual camera system would be perfectly usable, even without the reach of the zoom lenses found on competing foldables like the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra and Pixel 11 Pro Fold.
So, for me, Apple's first foldable iPhone was worth the wait — at least on paper. I can't wait to get my hands on one and put it through its paces.
- MagNav uses Earth’s magnetic field to guide aircraft without GPS signals
- Q-CTRL uses quantum gravimetry to navigate ships without satellite signals
- Saab uses quantum timing to keep radar networks synchronized without GPS
Global positioning systems (GPS) have long served as the invisible backbone guiding ships, aircraft, and military operations across the planet.
That reliance now faces a genuine challenge, as adversaries increasingly jam or spoof satellite signals to disrupt navigation entirely.
Three organizations on three continents have each tested working alternatives within the span of a few short weeks.
A wave of independent breakthroughsThe combined progress of these teams suggests the technology is edging out of laboratories and into active field conditions.
The US Defense Innovation Unit, a Pentagon organization tasked with fielding emerging commercial technology for military use, confirmed a successful flight test of its magnetic navigation program, known as MagNav.
The route carried an Embraer 170 aircraft over the Pacific Ocean, running from Seattle's Puget Sound toward southern Alaska and back again.
After four hours and 23 minutes without satellite guidance, the system improved location accuracy by 89% compared to older backup navigation methods.
"This is a significant win for the department's quantum sensing priorities, showcasing that MagNav capabilities are no longer a distant research goal," said Kyle Norman, deputy director of DIU's Kill Web portfolio.
Separately, Q-CTRL, an Australian quantum computing firm, announced a maritime field trial in the Coral Sea; its quantum gravimeter kept location errors within one nautical mile across the entire mission.
That figure reportedly beat conventional satellite backup systems by more than ten times during the same test window.
"Q-CTRL's demonstration shows a credible path to accurate navigation without reliance on external satellite signals," said Steve Sklenka, a retired Lieutenant General with the U.S. Marine Corps.
The company’s founder Michael Biercuk added that the technology is ready now, calling it proof that quantum tools can already support active defense missions.
Radar networks join the shiftSaab UK also reported a milestone, working alongside Aquark Technologies and Britain's Royal Navy to test radar timing without satellite input.
Multiple Giraffe 1X radar units operating from separate locations kept a single, coherent air picture using independent quantum timing sources.
Engineers introduced deliberate timing errors to mimic jamming conditions, then confirmed the network recovered once synchronization returned.
"This trial is a great example of how collaboration can accelerate innovation," said Andy Fraser, Group Managing Director at Saab UK.
Jason Ralph, a professor of electrical engineering at the University of Liverpool, noted that gravity sensing remains the only passive alternative technology that works globally and resists jamming or spoofing attempts entirely.
The trials arrive amid rising concern over deliberate satellite interference, with roughly 978,000 jamming events recorded worldwide during the first quarter of 2026 alone, most concentrated in the Middle East.
Taken together, these three trials suggest quantum navigation is edging closer to practical deployment rather than remaining a theoretical concept.
Whether it can fully replace GPS, rather than simply back it up during outages, still depends on further testing and cost considerations.
Earlier this year, many Apple products (but not iPhones, AirPods or Watches) were hit with a huge set of price hikes. And then, more recently, Apple unveiled its new Mac mini range, which also comes at a 50% higher starting price than just five months before.
This left me (and probably a lot of other people) fearing the worst about the prices of the new stuff coming at Apple's September 2026 event.
But as we watched new products being announced that were the same price, or actually better value, than their predecessors, I felt like I was watching Neo dodging RAM-ageddon bullets… even though the iPhone 18 Pro price rose (check out our full list of iPhone price hikes), it felt reasonable.
But then, just like Neo, we got clipped and dropped to the ground by the fact that Apple quietly increased the price sof all its older phones following the event. Here's the new pricing for those models:
The increased iPhone pricesModel
New starting price
Old starting price
iPhone 17
$899 / £899
$799 / £799
iPhone Air
$1,099 / £1,099
$999 / £999
iPhone 17e
$699 / £699
$599 / £599
iPhone 16
$799 / £799
$699 / £699
Let's run through how well we did in different areas in the US and UK prices (it may differ elsewhere, of course).
Apple's launch prices comparedNew product
Launch price
Comparison model
Launch price
Apple Watch Series 12
$399 / £369
Apple Watch Series 11
$399 / £369
Apple Watch Ultra Series 4
$799 / £749
Apple Watch Ultra Series 3
$799 / £749
AirPods 5
$129 / £119
AirPods 4
$129 / £119
AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case
$149 / £139
AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation
$179 / $169
iPhone 18 Pro
$1,199 / £1,199
iPhone 17 Pro
$1,099 / £1,099
iPhone 18 Pro Max
$1,299 / £1,299
iPhone 17 Pro Max
$1,199 / £1,199
iPhone Duo
$1,999 / £1,999
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra
$2,099 / £1,899
Apple WatchA nice easy win here — we got new features across both the new regular model and the new Ultra, and we got them for the same price as the previous model. That's pretty great given the levels of inflation we're dealing with.
The only potentially offputting thing is Apple's slightly new always-listening Siri Recap option, now — but not the price, mercifully.
AirPods 5These were the big win on value, in my opinion. When reporting on the AirPods 5 rumors, we said that we really wanted to see Apple improve what you got for the money specifically, because its entry-level were behind the best budget earbuds from competitors.
Well, that's exactly what we got. The basic AirPods 5 now have active noise cancellation, and along with other improvements this should make them competitive again at the same price. And the mid-range AirPods 5 model get on-ear volume controls and a few other small quality-of-life upgrades, which makes them cheaper than last year's mid-range model. It's a win all around — and you can pre-order them today.
iPhone 18 ProThis is where things get rockier — but both models have a relatively modest $100 price increase in the US, which is under 10%, and in the world of 2026, I'll take that.
Of course, they've also improved compared to the previous model, and from what Apple's saying the new variable aperture camera system and the much longer battery life provided by the (somehow also super-powerful) A20 Pro chip might be well worth the extra cash.
iPhone DuoLook, do I think $1,999 is an appealing price for a phone? It's not what I'd choose to pay. I wasn't happy about the rumors of it being that high, but it was kind of inevitable. However, the iPhone Duo folding phone needs to be assessed in context — and that context is: the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra costs more in the US (in the UK, Samsung has the edge).
It only costs $100 more, I'll grant you, but a win is a win — and again, given the price rises elsewhere in Apple's range earlier this year, I think it was far from a given that its fancy folder was going to actually undercut the competition.
@techradar ♬ Candy - Lane 8 & Quentin Quivera It's not all rosesWill we be as lucky with future releases? Perhaps not. It's notable that these product categories are some of the few that didn't get price rises in the hikes earlier this year.
We're expecting the Apple TV 4K and HomePod mini to get new versions soon, for example, and these will probably arrive with the same price the current models do… which were just jacked up significantly. Same for the rumored new entry-level iPad.
And then there's the small matter of Apple having raised the prices of all its existing iPhone models. Unlike the iPhone 18 Pro, those increases don't come with any hardware or performance upgrades — they're just more expensive.
And I assume this means we're not getting a base iPhone 18 at all, if all these phones are sticking around with higher prices.
Apple's September 9 'Surprise and Shine' event has come and gone, and we've learned a lot about Apple's latest crop of devices. While we've got new AirPods and iPhones (including Apple's first foldable, the iPhone Duo), it's the Apple Watches that have caught my eye as TechRadar's resident fitness and wearables writer — specifically, the Apple Watch Ultra 4, the latest version of Apple's flagship watch series.
But how does it compare to the previous gen, the Apple Watch Ultra 3 — and is it worth upgrading? Read on for a full comparison of both watches, so you can make an informed decision.
Apple Watch Ultra 4 vs Apple Watch Ultra 3: SpecificationsComponent
Apple Watch Ultra 3
Apple Watch Ultra 4
Price
$799 / £749 / AU$1,399
$799 / £749 / AU$1,399
Dimensions
49 x 41 x 14mm
49 x 44 x 12mm
Weight
61.6g
63.1g
Case/bezel
Titanium
Titanium
Display
514 x 422 px LTPO3 always-on OLED Retina Display
514 x 422 px LTPO3 always-on OLED Retina Display
GPS
Yes, dual-band
Yes, dual-band
Battery life
42 hours
48 hours
Connection
Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi, 5G, satellite
Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi, 5G, satellite
Water resistant
Yes, WR100 (diveproof)
Yes, WR100 (diveproof)
Apple Watch Ultra 4 vs Apple Watch Ultra 3: Price and availability- Price is unchanged from last year
- $799 / £749 / AU$1,399
- Available from September 18
Here's an easy one to start with: the Apple Watch Ultra 4's price is unchanged from last year, at $799 / £749 / AU$1,399. It's available from the September 18, so if you were considering getting an Apple Watch Ultra 3 but were holding out, there's no reason not to wait a few days for the latest model.
Apple Watch Ultra 4 vs Apple Watch Ultra 3: design(Image credit: Apple)Physically, little has changed in terms of looks, but there have been subtle tweaks. The titanium case is still there, slightly wider and slimmer than last year, and it lasts six hours longer than the Ultra 3 to make it to two days, or 18 hours with continuous GPS use.
The watch's heart rate accuracy is even better thanks to the new Health Sensing System. This redesign of Apple's LED optical heart rate sensor tech offers better skin contact thanks to an increased electrode surface area. Heart rate readings are now being taken up to every five seconds, with heart rate variability, an overnight measure of rest and recovery, being read up to every five minutes.
This makes Apple's heart rate sensor the most accurate of any wearable, according to Apple. It has apparently conducted tests against rivals using ECG chest straps, much like we do in our reviews.
I can attest that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is as accurate a wearable as it gets, so I'll be intrigued to test the new Ultra 4 against my trusty Polar H10.
Apple Watch Ultra 4 vs Apple Watch Ultra 3: Features(Image credit: Apple)- Finally, a Readiness Score
- New Audio Intelligence features
- Redesigned Health app
At last! Apple Watch gets a Readiness Score, a feature almost every other fitness wearable has had for years. Typically from Apple, it looks like the bee's knees, feeding into Vitals to generate a holistic overview of your night, and updating throughout the day, like Garmin's Body Battery function. A new Health Age feature also compares your current fitness level to those in your age group, much like Garmin's Fitness Age or Whoop's, er, Whoop Age.
It's unclear at the moment whether the Ultra 3 will get these features, or if it will be an Ultra 4 / Series 12 exclusive. But all the Apple Watch Ultra 3 features, including LTE and satellite connectivity, are available on the Ultra 4.
An incoming redesigned Health app on iPhone is Apple Intelligence-forward, offering personalized AI-powered insights, and what is clear is that this will also work with the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and all Apple Intelligence-compatible iPhones. This Health App will show you Readiness, Longevity, and allow you to measure your VO2 Max using a coached guided workout on your iPhone's camera, then update it according to your activity levels and metrics.
Audio Intelligence features are exclusive to the Ultra 4 and Series 12, and include Shazam on your wrist, Sound Recognition (your watch will let you know the doorbell's rung or a siren's going off, for example), and two more features which are sure to prove controversial.
Live Rewind has your watch listen to and instantly recall a conversation up to 15 seconds previously, by double-tapping the crown of your Apple Watch. Siri Recap listens throughout the day and uses Siri AI to process live audio files, serving you a summary of the day in the evening. There are numerous controls and privacy safeguards in place here, but there's no doubt they'll come across as creepy to many. You can read all about Audio Intelligence on Apple Watch here.
Apple's 'Surprise and Shine' event unveiled long-awaited devices including the iPhone 18 Pro and the long-anticipated iPhone Duo, but Apple Watches also had their time in the spotlight.
The Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 are the latest models to join Apple's family of wearables, and both pack quite a punch on the features- and health-tracking front, thanks to the combination of the new Health Sensing System and deeper Apple Intelligence integration.
Of course every new Apple Watch offers improvements over the previous generation — the question is always whether it offers enough to make it worth the upgrade. To help you decide, I've compared the new Apple Watch Series 12 against its predecessor, the Apple Watch Series 11, so you can see all the changes side-by-side.
@techradar ♬ original sound - TechRadar Apple Watch Series 12 vs Apple Watch Series 11: SpecificationsApple Watch Series 11
Apple Watch Series 12
Price
From $399 / £369 / AU$679
From $399 / $369 / AU$649
Dimensions
42mm x 36mm x 9.7mm (42mm), 46mm x 39mm x 9.7mm (46mm)
42mm x 37mm x 9.7mm (42mm), 46mm x 40mm x 9.7mm (46mm)
Weight
30.3g (42mm); 37.8g (46mm)
32.2g (42mm); 39.5g (46mm)
Case/Bezel
Aluminum with a metal back or Titanium (100% recycled)
Aluminum, Titanium or Ceramic
Display
Always-on Retina LTPO3 display Wide-angle OLED at 374 by 446 (42mm) 416 by 496 (46mm). Ion-X scratch-resistant
Always‑On Retina display with wide‑angle OLEDs and LTPO3 at 374 by 446 (42mm) 416 by 496 (46mm)
GPS
L1 GPS, GNSS, Galileo, and BeiDou
Precision L1 GPS (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, and BeiDou)
Battery Life
24 hours, 38 hours in Low Power Mode
24 hours, 38 hours in Low Power Mode
Connection
Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi, second-generation ultra-wideband chip, and 5G (Optional)
Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi, Second‑generation Ultra Wideband chip, and 5G (optional)
Water Resistance
IP6X
IP6X
DesignWe weren't expecting a visual overhaul with the Apple Watch Series 12, and nor did we get one.
The new model packs the same digital crown and side button that you'll find on most Apple Watch models, and size-wise the only difference is that the Series 12 is 1mm wider; if you can spot that in real life, you have sharper eyes than I do.
@techradar ♬ original sound - TechRadarHowever, there are some design changes worth talking about. The key one is that as well as being available in Aluminium and Titanium, as the Watch 11 is, there's also now a Ceramic version — the first since the Series 5.
The Ceramic Watch 12 comes in two colors, Pearl White and Night Blue, while the Aluminum model is available in Space Gray, Black, Light Gold and the stunning new Dark Bronze shade, perfect for both casual and smart wear. The Titanium versions come in Radiant Gold and Natural.
Sticking with the Apple Watch 11? Then your choices are between Space Gray, Jet Black, Rose Gold, and Silver for Aluminum, and Slate, Gold, and Natural Polished in Titanium. And to reiterate, there is no Ceramic Watch 11 — so if you want that, you'll need the new model.
FeaturesMinor design changes aside, the key reasons to upgrade to the Apple Watch 12 relate to its health-tracking smarts.
Many of these stem from its new S11 chip. Apple — inevitably — describes this as its "most powerful wearable chip", and it powers the new Health Sensing System and Audio Intelligence features.
Let's start with the Health Sensing System, the redesign of the previous generation's LED heart rate sensor array. The Series 12's electrode surface area is now bigger, allowing for better skin contact for ECG tracking. It also packs new optical-sensing photo diodes to capture light more efficiently, while its brighter green LEDs support accurate HR in motion. In short, it's the most accurate Apple Watch ever, tied with its sibling the Apple Watch Ultra 4.
It records heart rate continuously, up to every five seconds, and heart rate variability (a key part of sleep tracking and recovery metrics) up to every five minutes. That's a massive 24x more frequently than it did before, ensuring peak accuracy (in theory).
However one of the new standout features is the new Readiness Score, which has finally arrived on Apple Watch. Every other health wearable seems to have one, and Apple's Readiness Score will combine your rings, vitals and other health metrics into a single actionable, frequently updated number.
@techradar ♬ original sound - TechRadarThere are also a significant redesign of the Health app which thrusts Apple Intelligence to the front of the experience. Now, Apple Watch lets you explore health profiles while offering personalized guidance thanks to Apple Intelligence. Once the Health app gets a sense of your health habits, it will tweak its recommendations so that they align with your health levels and data.
Health Age is another new feature that aligns your metrics and fitness level with your actual age, similar to features on Whoop and Garmin.
The Series 12 is packing tons of new fitness features, but Apple Intelligence — or at least, audio intelligence — is brand new and unrelated to health.
Audio Intelligence is comprised of four features. The Series 12 can listen out for sounds, be that a doorbell, traffic, or oncoming pedestrians, and will send alerts right to your watch face — which is ideal for users who are hard of hearing. You can also Shazam songs from your wrist.
Slightly more suspect are Live Rewind and Siri Recaps. Live Rewind allows you to go back 15 seconds to remember parts of a conversation. Didn't catch what the waiter said was new on the menu? Just double-press the digital crown and your watch will generate a transcript for you to read. Siri Recaps is a feature that, when active, listens constantly in the background, providing you with a summary of your day in the evening, including conversations.
We've covered these two features in more detail here, including Apple's privacy assurances and why the Cupertino giant might not be reading the room on this feature, as surveillance-capable wearables are receiving a lot of pushback at the moment.
You can pre-order the Apple Watch Series 12 now, which will be available starting September 18.
- John Ternus: 'I started the day with the idea of a personal hub'
- This, during Apple's famous 'one more thing' moment, to close its event
- And yet, no HomePod mini 2 — which feels like an oversight
Whether you followed our Apple event coverage or simply streamed the event itself (and referred back to us later for a rundown of what you saw) you'll know that alongside a cracking duo of AirPods 5 new releases and of course our first folding iPhone, Apple's John Ternus seemed to continually tease the idea of a "personal hub" to act as the remote for your life.
At one point during the event, before announcing those ice-white buds, Mr. Ternus also stood in front of a spherical array of speakers (imagine standing right in the center and streaming a bit of Rage Against the Machine…), so I felt sure Apple's "one more thing" moment would be the much-rumored, hotly anticipated HomePod mini 2, which we've been waiting on (and writing about) for quite some time now.
Most of us agreed that Apple's delay in releasing its second-generation HomePod mini would be intrinsically tied to everyone at Apple Park waiting, with bated breath, for the company's overhauled, AI-powered Siri assistant to be fully finished and worthy of some new products.
And it seems that those planets have started to align, with the iPhone Duo, Apple Watch and more all boasting Apple's new Audio Intelligence tech and even Siri Recap (a combination that can now translate things said around you). So surely it was full steam ahead, and this was it?
No HomePod mini 2, no party(Image credit: Future)And so I sat there, waiting for the "Behold, Apple's new and improved softball-sized wireless speaker (now in colors fit to grace any softball pitch), the HomePod mini 2! What's new? The chipset, the improved chattiness and the snappier responses".
And then, Ternus' people would wax lyrical about the fact that even six years after the original launched, the 2020 pricing of the new HomePod mini 2 had been put on lockdown (see what I did there?), so the price rise from $99 / £99 / AU$129 to $129 / £129 / AU$199 that was enacted in late June of this year would be reversed — just like the better-value AirPods 5. These, after all, just arrived with wireless charging, ANC and volume-swipe stems for $149 / £149, less than the $179 / £179 of the previous version!
But no.
What else might Apple have unveiled in its compact, Siri-powered "hub" speaker no-show? Oh, maybe an upgraded S9 chip, to replace the original HomePod mini's S5 chipset. Then perhaps deeper integration with Apple Intelligence for a chattier, more context-aware Siri that actually could become a voice to talk to, about music (music commands are all I use Siri for, when I use it at all).
How about stronger Wi-Fi or 2nd-gen Ultra-Wideband (UWB 2) for improved Handoff — something Apple did note at the event?
It seems that what Ternus said after his opening "I started the day with the idea of an intelligent personal hub" bit was most important. What was the end of the sentence? It was " …and why there's no product in the world better-designed to be that hub than iPhone". Ah. There's the rub. Folding phones.
I understand Apple's desire to get a foldable out there, but I have to disagree. A speaking speaker hub that plays music as well as the HomePod mini can, and is able to simply accept your iPhone-and-AirPods audio in one smooth audio handoff as you step in the door? That would be a hub that made your home a better place to be.
And if we look at the definition of the word — a hub is the central component of something — isn't home where the heart is for many of us? So wouldn't a HomePod mini 2 be a great intelligent personal hub, Mr. Ternus?
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