Technology
Apple unveils Series 12 and Ultra 4 watches with AI-powered Siri and upgraded sensors
The tech giant's refreshed smartwatch lineup brings new health features, faster charging, and the return of ceramic cases.
The Verge
Apple has introduced its latest smartwatch generation following today's event, delivering meaningful upgrades across both the mainstream and premium tiers.
What's New#
The Apple Watch Series 12 arrives with a starting price of $399 for aluminum models—available in space gray, black, light gold, and dark bronze. Premium titanium editions in natural and radiant gold run $699, while new ceramic variants in night blue and pearl white command $899. The Apple Watch Ultra 4, positioned as the flagship option, begins at $799 in titanium finishes and a luxury Hermès collaboration.
Both models become available September 18th, with preorders starting immediately.
Performance and Battery#
The new S11 processor enables meaningful improvements to power efficiency and longevity. The Series 12 delivers up to 24 hours of standard use and extends to 10 hours during intensive outdoor activity. Rapid charging gets a boost—15 minutes of charging now replenishes the battery to 12 hours of runtime. The Ultra 4 takes endurance to another level, offering up to 50 hours per charge.
Health and Intelligence Features#
A redesigned heart rate sensor array forms the centerpiece of the health upgrade. The refreshed setup uses a "32 petal design" with densely packed optical sensors—a significant leap from the previous two-petal configuration. This architecture reduces optical light leakage and theoretically enables substantially more precise readings at five-second intervals.
Three new AI-driven capabilities power the health experience: Sound Recognition, which detects ambient audio patterns; Live Rewind, allowing users to revisit recent data; and Siri Recap, which synthesizes activity summaries. Additionally, a new Health Age metric contextualizes your biometric profile against your chronological age, while the Readiness feature scores your preparedness for the day based on recent workouts, training load, vital signs, and sleep quality. The Readiness capability remains exclusive to Series 12 and Ultra 4 due to their advanced sensor array.
