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When Apple releases a new watch, it’s not always worth upgrading. Last year’s Series 11 only had a few barely noticeable features to recommend it over the 10, and we said it’s probably one to skip if you’re happy with your current watch. But the Series 12 is different, and this one is worth the upgrade no matter which Apple Watch you’re coming from.
One of the biggest reasons to upgrade is that the Series 12’s new processor (called, confusingly, the S11 chip) can support some features older Apple Watches can’t. That’s why only the new models are getting step counts, for example; Apple chose to implement those in a way that only the new hardware can calculate. Whenever there’s a break in software compatibility, it makes sense to get the newer model. I’d expect more features are coming in future years that will be back-compatible with the 12 but not earlier models.
The heart rate sensor is a big upgrade
Apple upgraded the hardware on the back of the watch that optically reads your heartbeats. (This new sensor is in both the Series 12 and the Ultra 4.) I’ve tested its accuracy, and found it’s substantially better than the sensors in previous Apple Watches like the Series 10 and 11. If you train by heart rate during workous, or if you use heart rate data after the fact to evaluate and plan your training, the upgrade is worth it.
Apple claims it provides the most accurate heart rate of any wearable. I tested that claim and can partially agree: It’s as good as Garmin’s top-of-the-line sensor. I wouldn’t say it’s better than Garmin’s, but the two are tied in my book for the best wrist-worn sensor. (Chest straps are better than any wrist-based system, of course.)
Steps on the watch face are a nice plus
I wouldn’t buy a new Apple Watch just for the step count, but it’s a nice upgrade and one I deeply appreciate. I can add a step count complication to my watch face (I have it in a corner of the Modular face right now) and I have step count pinned to my Smart Stack.
If you don’t upgrade, you use use a third-party step counter to provide a complication for your watch face. But it’s nice that Apple finally has this feature built in. Apple says its step counts are the most accurate; I’ll be testing that claim soon.
Readiness and recovery HRV are another nice extra
The Apple Watch was always capable of measuring HRV, but until the Series 12 (and Ultra 4), it didn’t use the RMSSD version, which is most useful for gauging how stressed or recovered you are. (Instead, it used the SDNN version that can provide some information about cardiac health; the newer Apple Watches can do both.)
This means you can now get an overnight HRV reading that matches the kind of data you can get from the Oura ring or Whoop. I find HRV useful in monitoring how stressed or fatigued I am, so if you already wear an Apple Watch, it’s nice to be able to get that data from the watch instead of needing a second device. Apple has added a readiness score that uses HRV to tell you how “ready” you are for the day.
What do you think so far?
What I’m less excited about in the Series 12
Besides the features above, Apple has announced a few things that it’s using as selling points for the Series 12, but I wouldn’t put too much weight on these. Some are software features, like a small upgrade to Workout Buddy and a big upgrade to the Health app on the phone; you don’t need a new watch for these. Others are actually tied to the watch, but they wouldn’t be a reason to upgrade, at least for me personally. They include:
Siri AI
There’s a new AI-based version of Siri, and it’s available on the watch. It can do a few things better than the old Siri, like searching your messages and emails, but it seems to have gotten worse in some respects. I wrote about my experience trying Siri AI on the watch; I got plenty of delays and errors that negated any small benefit of the new algorithm. I suppose it will get better over time, but right now, it’s not very good.
Rewind and recaps
Apple touted two features on the new watches that feel a little more creepy than useful to me: Live Rewind, which gives you a text transcription of whatever audio it heard in the last 15 seconds; and Siri Recaps, which summarize meetings. Despite Apple’s assurances about privacy, it’s still a feature that’s always listening to you and to bystanders who didn’t consent to be rewound or recapped. This feature isn’t live yet on my watch, so I can’t comment on what it’s like to use—but I’m not exactly thrilled about the idea.
