Apple Watch Series 12 vs. Series 11: Apple Watch Series 12 vs. Design Series 11: Apple Watch Series 12 display vs. Series 11: Colors Apple Watch Series 12 vs. Series 11: Apple Watch Series 12 Specs vs. Series 11: Apple Watch Series 12 cellular connectivity vs. Series 11: Apple Watch Battery Life Series 12 vs. Series 11: Sensors Apple Watch Series 12 vs. Series 11: Features Apple has a new flagship smartwatch. The tech giant announced the Apple Watch Series 12 during its “Surprise and Shine” iPhone event on September 9, along with the new Apple Watch Ultra 4, AirPods 5, iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, and the first foldable iPhone Duo. In a press release, Apple’s vice president of worldwide iPhone product marketing Kaiann Drance called the Series 12 “the most advanced health and fitness companion we’ve ever created.” You might not know it at a glance because it looks the same as last year’s Series 11. To find out what’s really new about the Series 12, you need to take a look inside its box. Here’s a full breakdown of the main differences between the Apple Watch Series 12 and Series 11, including one notable update that Apple didn’t mention in its keynote. (Spoiler: it has something to do with memory). Apple Watch Series 12 vs. Series 11: Pricing The Series 12 has the same $399 base price as the Series 11 (pictured). Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable Now available for pre-order, the Series 12 starts at $399 with a 42mm aluminum case, the same price as the base Series 11. However, the 46mm Series 12 starts at $449, which is a $20 increase over the previous generation. There is now a $50 difference separating the two sizes, regardless of the box material. The 42mm and 46mm titanium variants of the Series 12 start at $699 and $749, respectively, just like their Series 11 counterparts. SEE ALSO: How to pre-order the new Apple Watches, including the Series 12 and Ultra 4 The Series 12 comes in a third “new” ceramic variant that starts at $899 for the 42mm size and $949 for the 46mm model. (The Series 11 was not available with a ceramic case, but the much older Series 2, 3, and 5 came in that scratch-resistant material.) Apple Watch Series 12 vs. Series 11: Design The Series 12 has the same external design as the Series 11 and, indeed, the Series 10. Apple hasn’t changed the look of its flagship wearable since the 2024 launch, when it got a thinner, lighter case and a more rounded display. (Rumors say a proper redesign will be coming next year.) Additionally, it remains IP6X dust and water resistant up to 50 meters. That said, the aluminum variants of the Series 12 received a slight tweak. Its Ceramic Shield 2 glass is more durable than the Ion-X glass in its Series 11 counterparts. Apple said it’s “60 percent stronger,” to be exact. Apple Watch Series 12 vs. Series 11: Display This is an image of the Apple Watch Series 11, but it’s also kind of an image of the Series 12. They’re virtually identical. Credit: Apple Both Apple Watches have the same wide-angle always-on OLED display with up to 2,000 nits of brightness. That’s very, very brilliant. Mashable Light Speed Apple Watch Series 12 vs. Series 11: Colors The Apple Watch Series 12 comes in eight different combinations of case materials and colors. Credit: Stan Schroeder / Mashable The Series 12 case comes in the following colors: Aluminum: Dark Bronze, Light Gold, Black, Space Gray Titanium: Radiant Gold and Natural Ceramic: Pearl White and Midnight Blue The Series 11 case came in fewer color combinations: Aluminum: Rose Gold, Silver, Space Gray and Jet Black Titanium: Natural, Gold and Slate Apple introduced a number of new colors and band materials for the Series 12 that also It would fit the Series 11, if you want to upgrade one you already own. You can buy them separately starting at $49. Apple Watch Series 12 vs. Series 11: Specs The S11 chip in the Series 12 has more power than the S10 chip in the Series 11. Credit: Apple The Series 11 is powered by the S10 chip, while the Series 12 is powered by the newer S11 chip — “Apple’s most powerful wearable chip,” the company said. It allows several new functions that I will explain shortly. Notably, MacRumors reports that the Series 12 has twice the memory of the Series 11 (4GB vs. 2GB). Apple didn’t mention that during its iPhone event this week, but the company’s Xcode 27 development tool supposedly shows evidence of it, the tech site said. If true, the Series 12’s virtually unchanged prices are quite a feat: RAM costs have skyrocketed in the last year. (That’s why Apple raised the prices of its MacBooks and iPads this summer, and probably also its logic behind the recent iPhone price increases.) The Series 12 maintains the same storage capacity as the Series 11: 64 GB. Apple Watch Series 12 vs Series 11: Cellular Connectivity Like the Series 11, the Series 12 is available with 5G cellular connectivity. It’s still a $100 upgrade on aluminum variants and a standard feature on titanium (and now ceramic) versions. Apple Watch Series 12 vs. Series 11: Battery Life The Series 12 and 11 are rated at up to 24 hours of battery life per charge, which you can extend to 38 hours by putting them in low power mode. However, the charging speed of the Series 12 increased. A 15-minute quick turn-on provides up to 12 hours of typical use, compared to eight hours for the Series 11. Apple Watch Series 12 vs. Series 11: Sensors The Series 12’s health detection system is only available on one other Apple Watch, that being the new Ultra 4. Credit: Apple This is where things start to get more interesting. The Series 12 has a new health detection system with improved optical and electrical sensors that measure the user’s heart rate continuously and more accurately. You can see the bright green lights of the optical sensor on the bottom of its case. Apple said this system measures heart rate every five seconds throughout the day. It also captures heart rate variability (HRV) data, a metric of stress and recovery, up to 24 times more often. Apple Watch Series 12 vs Series 11: Features Should you skip leg day or move on? Your Series 12 can tell you. Credit: Apple The Series 12 and 11 run on watchOS and share the same core health, wellness, and safety features, including sleep scoring, hypertension and sleep apnea notifications, cycle tracking, fall and accident detection, Emergency SOS, and AI-powered Workout Buddy. They will also be compatible with Apple Intelligence and Siri AI, which arrives with the launch of watchOS 27 on September 14. However, the Series 12 brings some exclusive new features to the table, courtesy of its improved chip and sensors: Readiness, a feature that tells the user how prepared they are (or not) for future physical activities based on their recent workouts, vital signs, and sleep patterns. Audio intelligence tools using your built-in microphone, including sound recognition. alerts, Live Rewind conversation transcripts, and Siri Recap conversation summaries. More accurate step tracking powered by a revamped pedometer model, including a step complication (finally!). Do these small hardware tweaks and new features make the Series 12 worth the upgrade? Stay tuned for Mashable’s full review to find out – we just got our hands on a review unit to test out. In the meantime, you can revisit our version of the Series 11. 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