The launch of new iPhones may well have largely been about a foldable first for the iPhone, as well as a phone camera with variable apertures, but like there is every iPhone launch, there was also more going on at hand. Quite literally.
As expected, there’s a new Apple Watch or two on the way, as the Series 11 Apple Watch becomes the Series 12, though you may not even realise there’s much of a different upon first glance.
The design has largely stayed the same, much as it has between iPhone variations, but the difference is mostly under the hood where the processor has taken a leap forward and the health sensor tech, as well.
Instead of the S10 chip like last year, there is now a faster processor under the hood, the S11, a piece of hardware designed to work with new AI features coming to Siri, complete with the ability to record conversations heard around the watch as part of Apple’s “Audio Intelligence”, a feature set to arrive later this year.
Expect a little more battery life courtesy of that processor, even if the battery hasn’t changed significantly, as well as a newly improved fitness sensor including higher frequency heart eate checks and heart rate variability measurement. Even the pedometer has been improved to make it more reflective of real world movements.
More measurements means more accuracy, and it will also mean the inclusion of a “readiness” score to gauge how a combination of metrics makes you ready to take the day. It includes vitals, sleep, recent activity, and training load, usinf this combination to get a score from zero to ten to determine whether you can go for it or simply take it easy.
On the surface, you probably won’t notice any major changes, though the base model S12 Apple Watch will now feature Ceramic Shield 2, the same glass protection technology seen on the iPhone 17 Pro Max, making it a touch more resistant. That said, there are also titanium and ceramic models with sapphire glass protecting them. Depending on what sort of style you like, there will also be a Hermès edition, too.
The Apple Watch Ultra 3 also gets an update to the insides to keep it on par with its Series 12 sibling, using that same S11 processor, the new heart rate tracking sensor stack, and including the readiness score, but leaving just about everything else in tact.
The Apple Watch Ultra 4 is a titanium-only model, but will see a Hermès model, too, with both models more or less the most well built editions you can find.
Australians can expect the entire 2026 Apple Watch range in stores from September 18, with the Series 12 priced from $649, while the Ultra 4 will cost $1349, and the Hermès models of each much more.
