Image: Apple · source
Apple Watch Series 12
A new S11 chip and ceramic cases for the 2026 flagship.
Overview
Series 12 keeps the 42 and 46 mm sizing of its predecessors but adds a new top tier of materials. Buyers can now pick aluminium with Ceramic Shield 2 glass, titanium with sapphire crystal, or a ceramic case in Pearl White or Night Blue.
The S11 chip is described by Apple as its strongest wearable processor and sits beside 64 GB of storage. A redesigned Health Sensing System takes heart rate measurements every few seconds in the background, and the new Readiness score combines sleep, recovery and activity data into a single daily rating.
Battery life is rated at 24 hours of normal use, with ten hours for outdoor workouts, roughly a quarter more than Series 11. Watch owners also get Live Rewind with Siri Recap, which captures the last 15 seconds of a conversation as text.
Why it mattered
Moved the main watch line to the S11 chip and brought ceramic to the standard series.
At a glance
- Announced
- September 9, 2026
- Released
- September 18, 2026
- Launch price
- $399
- Chip / processor
- Apple S11
- Display
- 1.65" / 1.96"
- Storage
- 64GB
- Status
- Available
Highlights
- S11 chip
- Ceramic, titanium and aluminium cases
- New Health Sensing System
- Readiness score
- Up to 24 hours battery
Tech specs
Specifications as published at launch. Some values (like battery life) are manufacturer estimates.
Display
- Case sizes
- 42 mm and 46 mm
- Type
- Always-On wide-angle LTPO3 OLED Retina
- Brightness
- 2,000 nits peak
- Resolution
- 374 x 446 (42 mm), 416 x 496 (46 mm)
Chip
- Chip
- Apple S11 64-bit dual-core with 4-core Neural Engine
Memory
- Storage
- 64GB
Health
- Sensors
- Second-generation electrical heart sensor, always-on optical heart sensor, blood oxygen, temperature sensor, depth gauge (6 m), compass, always-on altimeter, high-g accelerometer, gyroscope
Battery
- Battery life
- Up to 24 hours (38 hours in Low Power Mode)
- Charging
- About 80% in 30 minutes
Connectivity
- Cellular
- Optional 5G (RedCap) and LTE
- Wi-Fi
- Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n, 2.4 and 5 GHz)
- Bluetooth
- Bluetooth 5.3
- GPS
- L1 GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, BeiDou
- Ultra Wideband
- Second-generation chip
Design
- Materials
- Aluminium (Ceramic Shield 2), titanium and ceramic (sapphire crystal)
- Water resistance
- 50 metres, IP6X dust resistant
- Dimensions
- 42 x 37 x 9.7 mm (42 mm); 46 x 40 x 9.7 mm (46 mm)
- Weight
- 32.2 g (42 mm aluminium GPS) to 52.9 g (46 mm Night Blue ceramic)
Software
- Launch OS
- watchOS 27
