Apple Watch Series 12 review: a more accurate heart sensor and better battery life, but still not your doctor

Apple Watch Series 12 puts most of its weight on health sensors — a new heart sensor measures heart rate every 5 seconds throughout the day (previously measured periodically), and HRV is sampled 24x more often, alongside a Readiness Score on a 0–10 scale that synthesizes activity, training load, vital signs and sleep to advise whether to rest or push hard.

Battery life for general use stays at 24 hours, but outdoor workout tracking rises to 10 hours (up 25%), and a 15-minute fast charge adds 12 hours of use (up 50%). The watch comes in two sizes, 42mm and 46mm, with a choice of three materials: aluminum with Ceramic Shield 2 that's 60% harder, titanium, and ceramic, while the external design is nearly unchanged from Series 11.

Audio Intelligence voice features like Live Rewind and Siri Recap remain in beta, rolling out in late 2026, supporting English only, limited in Europe, and requiring an iPhone 16 or later with Apple Intelligence support. Thai pricing starts at 14,900–16,900 baht for aluminum GPS, 18,900–20,900 baht for aluminum GPS + Cellular, 25,900–27,900 baht for titanium, and 33,700–35,700 baht for ceramic. Pre-orders are open now with a September 18 release. Reviewers see it as best suited to those wanting detailed heart-health data or upgrading from a Series 8 or older, while Series 10/11 owners may want to skip this generation.

Source: Apple