GoKawiil
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Apple has released the Apple Watch Ultra 4, its premium smartwatch that inherits the updated internal components from the Apple Watch Series 12 while extending battery life further. The device places renewed emphasis on heart health monitoring alongside the rugged, high-performance design Ultra buyers expect.
Apple unveiled the Apple Watch Ultra 4 at its fall event, keeping the same titanium design and $799 price as its predecessor but adding an S11 chip with a quad-core Neural Engine that enables on-device Siri AI features. Preorders start September 9, with shipping and retail availability beginning September 18.
Apple unveiled the Watch Series 12 with a new 'Audio Intelligence' feature that listens to conversations, letting users rewind the last 15 seconds via Digital Crown tap or ask Siri for a summary afterward. The watch also gets a redesigned sensor platform with larger ECG electrodes and PPG photodiodes, plus a returning ceramic case option after several years' absence.
Apple announced the Watch Series 12, featuring a new Health Sensing System paired with its S11 chip that enables higher-frequency heart rate and HRV monitoring, along with a new readiness score. The device also introduces Audio Intelligence features and Siri AI powered by Apple Intelligence, while a redesigned Health app with a Longevity tab and Health Age metric is set to arrive later this year.
Apple used its Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 event to unveil watchOS 27, which introduces a new watch face called Siri Modular. The face revives the concept of the old Siri watch face that Apple had discontinued, now integrating the updated Siri assistant and a new Recaps feature for surfacing timely information.
Reports indicate Apple's upcoming Watch Series 12 will expand beyond fitness and health monitoring to include tracking of conversations. The lineup is also expected to bring back ceramic casing options as part of its design refresh.
Apple used its Surprise and Shine event to introduce a redesigned Health app powered by Apple Intelligence, alongside the iPhone 18 Pro, AirPods 5 and Apple Watch Ultra 4/Series 12. The app adds a Longevity tab showing a calculated 'health age,' an Insights tab, AI-based movement tests for strength and balance, and paid blood tests through Quest Diagnostics starting at $119. The Apple Watch Series 12 also gains a Readiness score using sleep, activity and vitals data to recommend how hard users should push themselves each day.
Apple unveiled the Watch Ultra 4 and Watch Series 12 with two new agentic audio features, Live Rewind and Siri Recap, which let the watch continuously process ambient sound to summarize conversations or replay recent audio. This shifts the Apple Watch from a primarily health-focused device toward one that functions as an ambient AI assistant on the wrist.
Apple unveiled the Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4, both built around a redesigned health-tracking system that checks heart rate every five seconds and HRV every five minutes, which Apple calls its most accurate wearable heart sensor yet. The watches also debut Audio Intelligence, featuring sound recognition, a 15-second 'live rewind' transcription tool, and Siri-generated meeting recaps, all powered by Apple's new S11 chip.
Apple introduced the Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 at its September event, keeping familiar designs but adding faster processors, upgraded health sensors, and the new watchOS 27 software. The sensor update allows continuous heart rate readings every five seconds, and both devices ship alongside watchOS 27's redesigned interface and smarter Siri.
Apple released a document detailing how its newly announced Audio Intelligence features—Siri Recap, Live Rewind, Sound Recognition, and Music Recognition—process audio without storing or exposing raw recordings. The company says these features rely on a hardware-isolated 'Secure Exclave' in the Apple Watch's S11 chip, which processes sound locally and never creates an accessible audio file. Any data transferred to iPhone is encrypted between Secure Exclaves, and users must manually activate features like Live Rewind and choose what text to retain.
Apple introduced the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 at its 'Surprise and shine' event, adding upgraded health sensors, audio transcription and summary features, and a new ceramic case option for the Series 12. Both models retain the same starting prices as their predecessors, with the Series 12 at $399 and the Ultra 4 at $799.