GoKawiil
Tech News
WIRED's testing of the Apple Watch Ultra 4 found it shares nearly all core health and safety features with the new Series 12, thanks to the same Health Sensing System and S11 chip powering both devices. The Ultra 4 retains its multiday battery, Action button, and satellite messaging as its main distinctions, but pricing stays at $799 with no new case finishes this generation.
With iPhone 18 Pro units now arriving to customers, retailers are running discounts across new cases, chargers, and cables alongside an existing $50 markdown on AirPods Pro 3. Amazon is also offering pre-order savings on the upcoming M6 and M5 Pro Mac mini lineup, plus a $320 cut on the entry 24GB M5 MacBook Pro.
Apple's newest lineup—iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4, and AirPods 5—hit store shelves and retailers worldwide today. CEO John Ternus marked the occasion by opening Apple's Fifth Avenue flagship in New York alongside retail chief Deirdre O'Brien and marketing head Greg Joswiak. Online orders for the new iPhones face multi-week delays, though in-store pickup is available in many locations.
Alongside launching the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, Apple Watch Series 12, Apple Watch Ultra 4, and AirPods 5, Apple has rolled out its complete range of first-party accessories. This includes multiple Silicone and TechWoven case options with MagSafe support in various colors for both new iPhone models, priced at $49 and $59 respectively.
In the latest 9to5Mac Happy Hour episode, hosts Chance Miller and Benjamin Mayo share hands-on impressions after a week testing the iPhone 18 Pro and new Apple Watch models, alongside first reactions to Apple's newly released operating systems, including macOS Golden Gate. The episode also touches on rumors that Apple may be developing its own game controllers for iPhone.
Early reviews of the Apple Watch Series 12 point to roughly two-day battery life, a notable improvement over previous generations, alongside upgraded health monitoring capabilities. The source material provided limited detail beyond these headline points, but the general reception appears positive.
Apple's Series 12 smartwatch introduces a single-tap hand gesture for navigating Smart Stack widgets alongside existing double-tap and wrist-flick controls. It also debuts a new Health Sensing System with 32 ECG electrodes, ring-arranged photodiodes, and larger LEDs, enabling heart rate readings every five seconds and HRV readings every five minutes, up from every five minutes and two hours respectively on Series 11. The new S11 chip also improves step-tracking accuracy and adds a real-time Steps complication to the watch face.
Apple's latest Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 keep familiar shapes but introduce a new underlying Health Sensing System aimed at improving health tracking accuracy. The Series 12 gets a roughly 2% smaller display area, a slightly wider case, Ceramic Shield 2 glass on aluminum models, and four new aluminum finishes including Dark Bronze and Light Gold. Ultra 4 retains its titanium build in Natural and Black finishes.
Apple's Series 12 keeps the same screen size and case dimensions as the Series 11 but adds a returning Ceramic case option in white or blue, Ceramic Shield 2 on aluminum models, and new color choices including dark bronze and radiant gold. The bigger change is an overhauled 'health sensing system' with a larger skin-contact area and more diodes, electrodes and sensors packed into the same footprint.
Apple's new Series 12 and Ultra 4 look identical to prior models but pack a new S11 chip with a secure microphone-processing exclave and a redesigned health sensor array for more frequent, accurate, and efficient readings. Larger EKG electrodes and upgraded photodiodes ship now, while several AI-driven health features remain unavailable until later this year.
Apple has released an early version of its redesigned Health app to developers testing iOS 27.2, ahead of a planned public rollout later in 2026. The update adds an Insights tab summarizing sleep, fitness and readiness trends, plus a Longevity tab featuring a 'Health Age' score and movement assessments for flexibility, strength and balance, with commentary from health experts tied to user data.
Apple Watch Series 12 keeps the same 42mm and 46mm display sizes as Series 10 and 11, but its case width has grown by about 1mm, which Apple did not mention at launch. That extra case size without a corresponding display increase means the new watch has noticeably thicker bezels than its predecessors.