Here are the 7 things we like best about the new Apple Watch Series 12 and its Apple Watch Ultra 4 sibling, which launched at the same time.
1. Stunning new materials
Granted, the design hasn’t changed in any fundamental way this year. (As I said on the live blog, the average member of the public would probably struggle to spot the difference between the Series 12 and the Series 4.) The leakers were right about that. But cosmetics matter too, and in that department Apple has done outstanding work with its watches this year.
Firstly, Apple has refreshed the color finishes. On the aluminum models, Silver and Rose Gold are gone, replaced by Light Gold (nice) and Dark Bronze (my favorite Apple Watch color so far). On the titanium side, Gold has been replaced by Radiant Gold, a definite improvement.
But the real aesthetic killer is the return of ceramic as a chassis material. The ceramic version of Series 12 comes in Night Blue and Pearl White, and they’re both gorgeous. You may think us shallow, but we’re pumped for the look of this year’s new watches. And watches, after all, are at least partly fashion items, so it’s okay to care about things like that.
Apple
2. Tougher screens
The Series 11 had a tough screen… if you went for the more expensive titanium version. But as of the launch of the Series 12, Ceramic Shield 2 is on the aluminum models too, bringing (Apple claims) a 60 percent jump in durability compared to the mere Ion-X protective tech on the baseline Series 11. This brings an important feature within reach of less wealthy customers.
3. More accurate, all-day heart-rate sensing
This is one improvement we did know about ahead of the launch. What was surprising was the extent of Apple’s claims for the new devices.
