Apple Watch Series 12: New S11 chip and more detailed heart tracking, from RM1,799
Apple’s September launch had more in store than just the new iPhones and AirPods 5. The company also gave its smartwatch range an update, and first up is the Apple Watch Series 12. If you were hoping for a dramatic redesign, this isn’t it, as the Series 12 looks much like before. Instead, Apple has put nearly all of its attention on health tracking and a few clever audio tricks this time round.
The headline feature is a new Health Sensing System, built around new optical and electrical heart sensors that Apple says deliver the most accurate heart rate sensing in a wearable. The big change is that it now takes background heart-rate readings every five seconds throughout the day, a real jump from before, giving you a far more detailed picture of your heart activity. Tied to that is a new readiness feature, which weighs up your recent activity, training load, vitals and sleep to hand you a daily score from 0 to 10, along with a simple call on whether to recover, pace yourself, or go for it.
Under the hood, the Series 12 runs on Apple’s new S11 chip and ships with watchOS 27, which brings a smarter, AI-powered Siri along for the ride. Everyday battery life stays at up to 24 hours, so no change there, but the other numbers have improved. Outdoor workout battery is now up to 10 hours, a 25% bump over the previous model, and fast charging is quicker too, with a 15-minute top-up now giving you around 12 hours of use, up from eight before.
New this year are Audio Intelligence features powered by the microphone and S11 chip. Sound Recognition alerts users to important sounds like sirens, alarms, doorbells or a crying baby, while Live Rewind lets you double-press the Digital Crown to see a text snippet of the last 15 seconds of a conversation. Siri Recap can also generate titles and key points from conversations for users to review later, while Shazam automatically identifies nearby music and shows the song title and artist in the Smart Stack.
On the design side, the Series 12 comes in the same 42mm and 46mm case sizes as before. You’ve got the usual aluminium and titanium finishes, and Apple is also bringing back a ceramic option for those who want something a little fancier, available in pearl white or night blue.
There’s plenty to pick from on the strap front too. The Nike Sport Bands and Nike Sport Loops return in a batch of new colours, while the more premium Apple Watch Hermès Series 12 is offered in gold or silver titanium, including a radiant gold titanium finish for the first time.
For the pricing, the Apple Watch Series 12 starts at RM1,799 in Malaysia for the aluminium model, which is the same starting price as the last couple of generations. Pre-orders open on Friday, 11 September, with the watch hitting stores from Friday, 18 September.
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