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Tech News
iFixit has rated the latest Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4, along with AirPods 5, as difficult to repair, with scores of 4 and 2 out of 10 respectively. While the Apple Watch Series 12 shows slight improvements over previous models, battery replacement remains a significant challenge. The teardown highlights ongoing issues with repair accessibility and potential non-compliance with US right-to-repair laws.
iFixit completed its teardown of the Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4, finding the Ultra 4 unchanged in repairability at 4/10 while the Series 12 showed slight gains thanks to new stretch-release adhesive and a pull tab for battery removal. Both models still require prying off a glued display to access internals, with iFixit's Shahram Mokhtari noting the Series 12's tighter display tolerances raised concern about screen damage during disassembly.
Garmin has unveiled the Enduro 4, a rugged smartwatch rated for up to 320 hours of battery life on a single charge. The watch shares the health and fitness tracking features found in Garmin's Fenix 9 Pro line.
During Amazon's fall Prime Day sale, several Apple Watch Series 12 models reached their lowest prices ever, with discounts approaching $50. The new Apple Watch Ultra 4 also saw significant markdowns, with some configurations nearly $100 off, including the Black Titanium version with a Burgundy Trail Loop. Additionally, the recently released ceramic Apple Watch Series 12 is available at a premium price point during the sale.
Amazon has launched early fall Prime Day discounts on Apple products, including AirPods Pro 3 at $179 (down from $249) and AirPods Max 2 at $429, $120 off list price across all five colors. The sale also includes up to $150 off M6 Mac mini models, $200 off M5 MacBook Air units, discounts on Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4, and new low prices on iPhone 18 Pro/Max cases, Magic Mouse, and Apple's new Magic Keyboard.
Amazon is offering early discounts on several of Apple's newest products as part of its fall Prime Day sale, including AirPods 5, Beats 360 ANC headphones, the Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4, and the M6-powered Mac mini and Mac Studio. Notably, today marks the last day for an 80% discount on the Beats 360 Cushion Kit, dropping it to $10 from $50.
Apple confirmed two upcoming watchOS 27 features for the Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4: Siri Recap, which ambiently logs conversations and generates Apple Intelligence summaries that auto-delete after seven days unless saved, and Live Rewind, which lets users double-press the Digital Crown to see a text snippet of the last 15 seconds of speech. Both features are part of Apple's broader Audio Intelligence push and will arrive later this year, with Apple publishing separate privacy white papers for each.
Amazon has kicked off an early fall Prime Day sale ahead of the main event next week, offering price cuts across Apple products, smart TVs, speakers and displays, and smart home devices. Highlighted deals include AirTag 2 at $24, an M5 Pro MacBook Pro down $500 to $2,699, MacBook Air models cut by up to $150, and Apple Watch Ultra models discounted to $780. Anker has also launched its own Fall Sale with up to 50% off chargers and power banks, alongside bundle blind boxes and multi-buy discounts.
Amazon's early Prime Day sale includes a $500 price cut on the 2TB M5 Pro MacBook Pro (14-inch, 24GB RAM) in both Space Black and Silver, bringing it to $2,699 from $3,199. The retailer is also offering $50 off the new Mac Studio, up to $150 off M5 MacBook Air models, clearance pricing on Apple Watch Ultra 3, and various accessory deals from brands like Twelve South and Anker.
A review of the fourth-generation Apple Watch Ultra reports incremental upgrades over its predecessor, including more accurate health sensors and extended battery life. The reviewer notes the device doesn't introduce a radically new design or feature set but refines existing capabilities.
Apple has extended watchOS 27.0.1, which fixes an issue causing unexpected restarts, to all Apple Watch models compatible with watchOS 27. The update had initially been limited to Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 last week, and shares the same build number, 24R365, as that earlier release. Apple simultaneously released related updates including iOS 27.0.1, iPadOS 27.0.1, visionOS 27.0.1, and several macOS versions.
WIRED's wearables reviewer tested Apple's current three-model Watch lineup—Series 12, Ultra 4, and SE 3—and named the Series 12 the best overall choice. The Series 12 introduces a new Health Sensing System with a 32-electrode ECG, more frequent heart-rate and HRV tracking, a new Readiness score, and Audio Intelligence features, alongside faster charging and satellite connectivity that the Series 11 lacked.