Early reviews of the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 are now available ahead of the devices’ launch this Friday, September 18.
Although both new Apple Watches are virtually identical to the previous generation models, there have been some improvements this year. For example, a more powerful S11 chip and larger LEDs on the optical heart sensor enable more accurate and frequent heart rate detection, and HRV is now measured up to 24 times more often.
There’s also a new Readiness app, more accurate step tracking, and faster charging. Finally, two new Audio Intelligence features, Siri Rewind and Live Recap, will be available later this year, as part of an upcoming watchOS update.
The edgeVictoria Song of , said that the S11 chip speeds up Siri AI:
The impact of the S11 was also noticeable during testing. Siri AI requests are faster on the Series 12 than on my Ultra 3.
Song added that higher frequency heart rate detection did not impact battery life:
I didn’t notice any negative impact on battery life from continuous heart rate tracking. People will complain that the Series 12 doesn’t have a multi-day battery and sticks to the 24-hour battery rating of the Series 11. But like last year, I maintain that faster charging is a pretty nice solution. During a 20 minute load test, I went from 20% to 64% battery.
9to5MacChance Miller’s on Apple Watch Ultra 4 battery life:
In my testing, the Apple Watch Ultra 4 lives up to Apple’s claims for battery life. In my actual test, I charged it to 100% around 8 p.m. Sunday and didn’t put it back on the charger until 8 p.m. Tuesday. That’s 48 hours on a single charge, including 90 minutes of workout tracking, three hours of battery life with my iPhone, and two nights of sleep tracking.
CNETVanessa Hand’s Orellana noted that the Apple Watch’s late ability to display a readiness score stands out from competitors like the Oura Ring by constantly updating throughout the day and not requiring a monthly subscription fee for certain stats:
Many wearable devices give you a score in the morning based on metrics like HRV, sleep, temperature, and other vitals during the night, but because it’s static and delivered once a day, it can feel like a life sentence (and sometimes a self-fulfilling prophecy) rather than a training tool. Apple Watch continues to measure your vital signs throughout the day and adjusts your Readiness Score as the day unfolds, rating you from 0 to 10 with actionable tips including Recover, Pace yourself, Get Ready, and Get Going. In theory, you could see how a mid-morning nap affects your score and adjust your training accordingly.
Apple also provides you with the data behind your readiness score at no additional cost. Oura, for example, shows you a readiness score without a subscription, but you’ll need to pay the $7 monthly fee to understand what’s driving it and see long-term trends.
Apple’s readiness score requires “at least” seven nights of data, and most reviewers said they still weren’t seeing a score after about a week, so we’ll have to wait for later reviews to get a better look at the feature.
Siri Rewind and Live Recap were unfortunately not yet available to reviewers.
Always, woozadCherlynn Low of , said the new models are a “solid upgrade” this year:
If you can overlook the Live Rewind and Siri Recap features that aren’t even available on the Apple Watch Series 12 yet, the device is a solid upgrade over older models. The new health detection system is a significant overhaul, while the expansion of gesture support has the potential to enable more hands-free interactions with your watch. The inclusion of a new type of HRV measurement, increased sampling rates, and a few extra complications on the watch face are minor but useful touches for those who are obsessed with their measurements.
There are new case options and colors for the 12 Series, such as Light Bronze aluminum and the return of ceramic in Pearl White and Night Blue.
