Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4: Every New Feature, Full Specs and India Pricing

Apple used its September 9 keynote to push the Apple Watch further toward medical-grade health tracking than any previous generation. The Apple Watch Series 12 and Watch Ultra 4 went on sale on September 18, built around a new Health Sensing System that Apple says gives the most accurate heart rate tracking on any wearable, plus an S11 chip and the first Apple Intelligence features designed for the wrist (Digit, Beebom).

The Health Sensing System is the headline

Every Apple Watch generation has refined the optical heart rate sensor, but this year's step is bigger. The new system reads heart rate about every five seconds instead of sampling occasionally, and measures heart rate variability far more often through the day and night. That data feeds a new Readiness score from 0 to 10, which combines sleep quality, recovery and recent activity load into one daily number telling you whether to push hard or ease off.

A companion Health Age feature comes to the Health app on iPhone later this year, comparing your vitals with your chronological age. It is Apple's most direct step yet toward positioning the Watch as a health-monitoring device rather than a notifications accessory that counts steps.

Apple Watch Series 12 features

• S11 chip with better efficiency and faster on-device processing for Siri and health calculations
• Redesigned Health Sensing System with heart rate readings about every five seconds
• More frequent heart rate variability tracking, day and night
• New Readiness score (0 to 10) combining sleep, recovery and training load
• Health Age, arriving later this year in a redesigned Health app
• Audio Intelligence features, including ambient sound awareness tools
• Siri AI on the wrist with watchOS 27 and a dedicated Siri app
• Expanded Cycle Tracking for perimenopause and menopause
• Workout Buddy improvements, including use without an iPhone nearby
• 42mm and 46mm cases in aluminium, titanium and ceramic
• Up to 24 hours of normal battery life, 38 hours in Low Power Mode
• Display brightness up to 2,000 nits

Blood pressure monitoring, a rumoured microLED display and Touch ID, all widely expected before the keynote, did not arrive this generation.

Watch Ultra 4 bets on battery, not a redesign

The Ultra 4 keeps the Ultra 3's design in a 49mm titanium case and focuses on battery and software. Apple rates it for up to 50 hours of everyday use, up to 45 hours of outdoor workout tracking and up to 84 hours in Low Power Mode, among the longest figures Apple has quoted for the line (Technosports). It shares the Series 12's Health Sensing System and Readiness score, and adds Sound Recognition, an Apple Intelligence feature that alerts deaf and hard-of-hearing users to sirens, alarms, doorbells or a crying baby without an iPhone nearby. Live Rewind can show a text snippet of a recent conversation, useful mid-run if you miss what a coach or companion said.

Pricing

Model	US price	India price
Series 12, aluminium, GPS	From $399	From ₹56,900
Series 12, aluminium, Cellular	Not stated	From ₹69,900 (reported)
Series 12, titanium	Not stated	₹99,900 (reported)
Series 12, ceramic	Not stated	₹1,24,900 (reported)
Ultra 4 (Alpine Loop, Trail Loop, Ocean Band)	From $799	From ₹1,09,900
Ultra 4, Titanium Milanese Loop	Not stated	₹1,24,900

An earlier version of this table listed a 46mm Cellular Series 12 at ₹74,900; launch coverage gives ₹69,900 as the Cellular starting price.

For Indian buyers

The Series 12 starts about ₹10,000 above the Series 11's launch price, and the Ultra 4 costs ₹20,000 more than the Ultra 3 did at launch. Hypertension notifications are reportedly not yet available in India pending local regulatory clearance, as happened with earlier health features.

What to watch next

Watch whether the Readiness score and Health Age change how people use the Watch or become features most users check once. The larger question is whether blood pressure monitoring and Touch ID are coming next year or are further away than earlier reports suggested.

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