Apple Watch Series 12 makes a big change to a small complication that I’m excited about

Apple Watch Series 12 brings a significant upgrade to the health and fitness tracking wearable with its new Health Sensing System. This system features an even more capable heart rate monitor that extends beyond just more accurate health data. One particular change that catches attention is a modification to a small complication in Apple's marketing material. This alteration is one of the many exciting features in the new Series 12 and Ultra 4 models.

The author appreciates being able to quickly glance at their Apple Watch and see their recent heart rate, as maintaining a low resting heart rate serves as an indicator of good fitness practices and stress management. The Heart Rate complication on the watch face is typically used for this purpose. There are two versions of this complication: a small, circular version that acts as a launcher displaying the Heart Rate app icon, and a wider version that shows a recent heart rate reading along with a graph of heart rate data since midnight. The author prefers the wider version because it provides useful information.

Apple's marketing material suggests that the smaller heart rate complication version is receiving a substantial upgrade in the Series 12 and Ultra 4 models. Apple displays the complication showing an actual heart rate for the first time, allowing it to be one of the smaller complication sides rather than just a three-wide version.

However, the same complication is still just an app launcher on watchOS 27's release candidate version for Series 11 and Ultra 3 models due to the new Health Sensing System's ability to read heart rate every five seconds, which is 60 times faster than previous Apple Watch versions. This small change contributes to an overall better product that all users can appreciate.

The Apple Watch Series 12 is currently available for pre-order starting at $399, while the Ultra 4 model is available for pre-order at $799 and will launch on September 18.