- By Prateek Levi
- Thu, 10 Sep 2026 10:40 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
Apple has refreshed its smartwatch lineup with the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4, bringing a mix of new health tracking, workout features and AI-powered tools. Both watches run on watchOS 27 and use Apple’s new S11 chipset.
The bigger focus this time is on health and recovery. Apple has added a new Readiness feature that looks at recent activity, training load, sleep and vital signs before giving users a daily score between 0 and 10. Depending on the result, the watch suggests whether it is better to recover, slow things down, stay on track or push harder.
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The new Health Sensing System also brings changes to heart tracking. Apple says the optical heart sensor now uses larger, more power-efficient green LEDs and checks heart rate every five seconds throughout the day. Heart rate variability can also be measured up to 24 times more often than before, with separate readings for Recovery HRV and overall HRV.
Apple Watch Series 12 Price And Availability
The Apple Watch Series 12 starts at $399 (roughly Rs. 37,956), while the Apple Watch Ultra 4 starts at $799 (roughly Rs. 76,000). Both models are available for pre-order from today and will go on sale on September 18, 2026.
In India, the Series 12 starts at Rs. 56,900. The Ultra 4 carries a starting price of Rs. 1,09,900.
The Series 12 comes in 42mm and 46mm sizes and gets aluminium, titanium and ceramic case options. Aluminium versions are available in dark bronze, black, light gold and space grey. Titanium models come in radiant gold and natural titanium, while the new ceramic case is offered in pearl white and night blue.
The Ultra 4 sticks with titanium and comes in natural and black finishes. Apple has also added new colour options for its Trail Loop, Alpine Loop and Ocean Band straps. The Ocean Band now uses translucent silicone and comes in translucent grey, kelp and black.
What The Series 12 Adds
The S11 chip brings some of the new features to the Series 12, including upgraded audio tools such as Sound Recognition, Live Rewind, Siri Recap and Shazam integration.
Siri also gets a bigger role through watchOS 27. Apple has introduced a dedicated Siri app and a Siri Modular watch face, giving users access to Siri AI and Apple Intelligence features directly from the watch.
Battery life has also gone up. Apple claims the Series 12 can last up to 24 hours with everyday use, which is 25 percent longer than the previous model. A 15-minute charge is said to provide up to 12 hours of additional battery life.
Apple Watch Ultra 4 Focuses On Endurance
The Ultra 4 shares the Series 12's Health Sensing System, S11 chip and Readiness feature, but its main advantage remains battery life.
Apple claims up to 50 hours of regular use from the Ultra 4, increasing to 84 hours when Low Power Mode is enabled. A 15-minute charge can provide up to 18 hours of battery life, according to the company.
Apple has also changed the pedometer on the Ultra 4 and added machine learning algorithms to improve distance tracking during indoor workouts and make daily step counting more accurate.
The new watches were unveiled alongside the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, AirPods 5 and Apple's first foldable smartphone, the iPhone Duo.