Apple Watch Series 12 arrives with a new health system and intelligence.
New sensors, readiness score, and smart audio features arrive on Apple's watch
On the morning of September 9, Apple introduced the Apple Watch Series 12, highlighting a new health sensor system and audio intelligence features that promise to improve how users track their physical condition and interact with the device.
What the Health Sensing System brings to the watch
The Health Sensing System, powered by the S11 chip, enables heart rate measurements every five seconds and heart rate variability (HRV) collection up to 24 times more frequent than previous generations. These readings power a new "readiness score," which indicates the capacity to take on the day with recommendations like "Recover" or "Go For It."
How the new Siri AI works on the wrist
With watchOS 27, the Apple Watch Series 12 incorporates Siri AI, which includes the Live Rewind feature—by double-pressing the Digital Crown, the user sees the last 15 seconds of transcribed audio. Siri Recap creates high-level summaries of conversations, generating a title and key points that are available in the Siri app.
Audio features focused on accessibility
The Sound Recognition feature detects sounds like sirens, alarms, doorbells, or a crying baby and alerts deaf or hard-of-hearing users, even without a nearby iPhone, using on-device intelligence.
Battery and charging impacts
The Apple Watch Series 12 maintains up to 24 hours of battery life in daily use and offers up to 10 hours during outdoor workouts, 25% more than the previous model. Fast charging allows 15 minutes to gain 12 hours of autonomy, 50% more than before.
Design and availability
Available in 42 mm and 46 mm sizes, the watch comes in aluminum finishes (dark bronze, black, light gold, space gray), titanium (radiant gold, natural), and ceramic (pearl white, night blue). The aluminum versions feature Ceramic Shield 2, which is 60% more resistant than the previous Ion-X glass. Pre-orders began on the same day as the announcement, with delivery scheduled for September 18.
With information from Apple, The Verge, MacRumors.
Source: Apple, The Verge, MacRumors