The Series 12 case is offered in 46-mm and 42-mm sizes. You can opt for an aluminum finish or more premium-priced titanium or ceramic options, each in a few different colors. The watch is significantly thinner and lighter than the Ultra, making it potentially more comfortable to wear all day, including to bed. CR’s testers rate the quality of the previous Series 11 watch’s build as excellent, so it should hold up well to daily wear and tear.
No matter the size or display type you choose, expect a top-tier smartwatch equipped with all the important functionality that matters to a typical smartwatch user, like sleep tracking, heart rate monitoring, and tap-to-pay.
The Series 12 comes equipped with the S11 chip. While we plan to test the Series 12 battery life in our labs, our testers have found that the Series 11 lasts an impressive 73 hours on a single charge.
As with the Ultra line, the health tracking is robust. Notably, the Series 12 can alert you to chronically high blood pressure, according to Apple. It also has body temperature sensors for more accurate cycle tracking and retrospective estimates of ovulation, a high-g-force sensor for car crash detection, and ECG functionality to detect unusual heart rhythms.
The Series 12 also supports Audio Intelligence, a new feature coming later this year that alerts users to certain ambient sounds, like sirens, and transcribes missed portions of conversations happening around them.
In CR’s independent testing, the Series 11’s fitness features proved particularly accurate, including its step tracking and heart rate monitoring.
For robust sleep health analysis, the Series 12 offers sleep apnea detection through the monitoring of nightly breathing disturbances, as well as the holistic Sleep Score.
Overall, you can expect the Series 12 to do everything a high-performing smartwatch does, although you’ll lose a few of the specialized features and probably a few hours of additional battery life available on the Ultra line.