Apple Watch Series 12 Review: Small Steps To Better Battery Life

The Apple Watch Series 12 was unveiled alongside the Watch Ultra 4 in September, featuring a new chipset, upgraded health sensors, and enhanced battery life. While retaining the familiar design of its predecessors, the Series 12 offers some notable improvements. After using the 42mm version for some time, the overall experience felt quite similar, with only minor changes to report.

The watch is available in 42mm and 46mm sizes, both crafted from aluminium and titanium. The gold aluminium finish is a welcome addition, though it doesn't set the Series 12 apart from its predecessors. The 42mm model I received proved comfortable for daily wear, with adjustable silicone straps and a bright, responsive display that reaches up to 2,000 nits and can drop to just one nit in low light conditions.

Under the hood, the Series 12 operates on Apple's new S11 chipset, derived from the A20 Pro architecture found in the iPhone 18 Pro. The watch also boasts redesigned heart rate sensors, which Apple claims provide the most accurate readings yet, along with increased background heart rate and heart rate variability (HRV) measurements.

Battery life has seen a significant boost, with Apple claiming more than two days of usage or around 50 hours. The watch introduces Extended Battery GPS and Max Extended Mode options, as well as a Readiness Score that evaluates daily preparedness on a scale of zero to 10 based on sleep, vitals, training load, and recent activity.

Overall, the Series 12 is a solid smartwatch, comparable to the Series 11. The interface remains smooth, apps respond quickly, and navigating the watch is hassle-free. The new chipset ensures smooth operation, although the everyday impact may not be overly pronounced. The most noteworthy upgrade is in health tracking. While I can't independently confirm Apple's claim of improved heart rate accuracy, the watch performed adequately in tracking various health metrics during my testing period.

Interestingly, I contracted the flu during the initial weeks, and the Series 12 effectively monitored the dramatic fluctuations in my heart rate during fever, coughing, and a runny nose, providing a reassuring sense of its capabilities in measuring vital signs during illness.