The Apple Watch SE 3 starts at $249, while the Apple Watch Series 12 starts at $399. The $150 difference buys a more advanced health sensing system, a larger display, longer battery life, and more options for tracking training and recovery.


The two watches still share many features, including an always-on display, wrist temperature sensing, sleep apnea notifications, retrospective ovulation estimates, 5G connectivity on cellular models, media playback, and 64GB of storage. Our guide helps to answer the question of how to decide which of these two Apple Watch models is best for you. The differences between the two models are as follows:

‌Apple Watch SE 3‌	Apple Watch Series 12
Same design as Apple Watch Series 4, 5, and 6	Refined design with a thinner casing, display with more rounded edges and a wider aspect ratio, and front glass that extends further over the sides for a higher screen-to-body ratio
40mm or 44mm case	42mm or 46mm case
Aluminum case	Aluminum, titanium, or ceramic case
40mm: 40 by 34 by 10.7mm 44mm: 44 by 38 by 10.7mm	42mm aluminum/titanium: 42 by 37 by 9.7mm 46mm aluminum/titanium: 46 by 40 by 9.7mm 42mm ceramic: 43 by 37 by 9.85mm 46mm ceramic: 47 by 41 by 9.85mm
Aluminum GPS weight: 26.3 grams (40mm) or 32.9 grams (44mm)	Aluminum GPS weight: 32.2 grams (42mm) or 39.5 grams (46mm)
Ion-X front glass	Ceramic Shield 2 front on aluminum models; sapphire crystal front on titanium and ceramic models
No published IP6X rating	IP6X dust resistance
LTPO OLED display	LTPO3 display with a 1Hz always-on refresh rate, allowing a live ticking seconds hand on supported watch faces
‌OLED‌ display	Wide-angle ‌OLED‌ display
40mm: 324 by 394 pixels 44mm: 368 by 448 pixels	42mm: 374 by 446 pixels 46mm: 416 by 496 pixels
40mm: 759 sq mm display area 44mm: 977 sq mm display area	42mm: 970 sq mm display area 46mm: 1,196 sq mm display area
Up to 1,000 nits brightness	Up to 2,000 nits brightness
2 nits minimum brightness	1 nit minimum brightness
Nylon composite and sapphire crystal back	Aluminum or titanium and zirconia back; ceramic and zirconia back on ceramic models
S10 chip (2024)	S11 chip (2026)
2GB RAM	4GB RAM
Second-generation optical heart sensor	Always-on optical heart sensor
Standard background heart rate tracking	Background heart rate readings every five seconds
Heart rate variability tracking	Recovery HRV and more frequent overall HRV readings
Vitals app with heart rate, respiratory rate, wrist temperature, and sleep duration	Vitals app with heart rate, respiratory rate, wrist temperature, sleep duration, HRV, and a daytime view
	Readiness app
	Electrical heart sensor and ECG app
	Blood oxygen sensor and Blood Oxygen app
	Hypertension notifications
Standard step tracking	Improved step tracking
	Real-time heart rate and steps watch face complications
	Water temperature sensor
	Depth gauge to 6 meters and Depth app
	Oceanic+ app for snorkeling to 6 meters, available on the App Store
	Audio Intelligence features including Siri Recap, Sound Recognition, and Shazam
	Live Rewind and ‌Siri‌ Recap, due in beta in late 2026
Microphone	Microphone with Voice Isolation
Single, elongated speaker openings	Individual speaker holes
2.4GHz Wi-Fi 4	2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi 4
L1 GPS	Precision L1 GPS
	Second-generation Ultra Wideband chip
Find iPhone	Precision Finding for iPhone, with distance and direction guidance
HomePod playback controls	‌HomePod‌ playback controls and proximity-based media suggestions with a compatible Ultra Wideband ‌HomePod‌
Up to 18 hours of normal use	Up to 24 hours of normal use
Up to 32 hours in Low Power Mode	Up to 38 hours in Low Power Mode
Up to 7 hours of workout tracking	Up to 10 hours of workout tracking
Charges from 0 to 80% in about 45 minutes	Charges from 0 to 80% in about 30 minutes
15 minutes of charging for up to 8 hours of normal use	15 minutes of charging for up to 12 hours of normal use
8 minutes of charging for up to 8 hours of sleep tracking	5 minutes of charging for up to 10 hours of sleep tracking
Midnight and Starlight aluminum finishes	Dark Bronze, Light Gold, Black, and Space Gray aluminum finishes
	Radiant Gold and Natural titanium finishes
	Pearl White and Night Blue ceramic finishes
	Silver and Radiant Gold titanium Hermès models
40mm: $249 GPS or $299 GPS + Cellular 44mm: $279 GPS or $329 GPS + Cellular	Aluminum 42mm: $399 GPS or $499 GPS + Cellular Aluminum 46mm: $449 GPS or $549 GPS + Cellular
	Titanium models start at $699; ceramic models start at $899

If you mainly want a smart watch for notifications, standard workout and sleep tracking, and an always-on display, the ‌Apple Watch SE 3‌ remains the better value. Although it is now a year old, it still represents excellent value for money at $249, offering most of the Apple Watch's core features for $150 less than the entry-level Series 12.

The Apple Watch Series 12 has a much stronger case for anyone who uses their device to follow health and recovery trends. Its new Health Sensing System enables frequent heart rate readings, Recovery HRV, and a Readiness score that draws on recent activity, training load, vitals, and sleep. ECG, blood oxygen monitoring, and hypertension notifications add further capabilities unavailable on the ‌Apple Watch SE 3‌.

Battery life may be a decisive factor. The Apple Watch Series 12 is rated for six more hours of normal use and three more hours of outdoor workout tracking. It also charges faster, which is particularly useful if you wear your watch overnight for sleep tracking.

The Series 12 also offers a larger and brighter display, which makes a noticeable difference in daily use, along with 5GHz Wi-Fi, Precision Finding for a misplaced iPhone, and premium titanium and ceramic case options. Its Audio Intelligence features include ‌Siri‌ Recap, Sound Recognition, and always-on Shazam.

If you prefer the Series 12's broader health tracking capabilities, longer battery life, display advantages, or luxury case options, the extra cost is justified. If those features are unlikely to change how you use or appreciate your watch, the ‌Apple Watch SE 3‌ is the more economical choice.
This article, "Apple Watch SE 3 vs. Series 12 Buyer's Guide: Which Should You Buy?" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple released watchOS 27 on September 14. The features and changes aren't limited to owners of new Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 models. If you have an Apple Watch model that supports the latest update, here are 12 features and changes to check out after installation.


To do so, open the Watch app on your iPhone, then tap General ➝ Software Update, strap your watch into a charger, and follow the onscreen prompts.

Check Out the Dedicated Siri App

Siri has finally caught up with the AI revolution, and apart from having contextual awareness, it now has an app of its own that collects every conversation in a single view and syncs them privately across your devices over iCloud. Just ask something on your iPhone and you can pick the thread up again on your Apple Watch, as well as pin conversations worth keeping, or even start a new chat directly from your wrist.

Try Siri Modular Watch Face

The new Siri watch face is a genuinely useful one. Its rectangular complication shows you whatever sits at the top of your Smart Stack, and it automatically updates through the day based on time, location, and other factors.

The Dynamic App Grid

Pressing the Digital Crown no longer produces the honeycomb app view by default. Now, watchOS 27 shows a dynamic grid made up of suggested apps, your most-used apps, and your most recently used ones. The Siri app sits in the middle, but the alphabetical list remains available – simply turn the Digital Crown to navigate through all of your apps.

New Tap Gesture

Apple has added a third gesture to Double Tap and Wrist Flick. The new one is simply called Tap. A single tap of your index finger and thumb opens the highlighted widget in the Smart Stack. You can still navigate the Smart Stack with Double Tap and dismiss notifications with Wrist Flick.

Walkie-Talkie Has Been Deleted

Walkie-Talkie is gone, and not merely hidden. The app is unavailable after updating to watchOS 27 and cannot be reinstalled from the App Store. You can keep the app by staying on watchOS 26, but you won't be able to start a conversation with a contact who has updated.

Live Rewind (Not Yet)

This is the change most likely to catch people out. In watchOS 26 and earlier, a double press of the Digital Crown opens the App Switcher, where you can jump back to the previous app, scroll through recent ones, and swipe to force-quit anything misbehaving.

That's changed in watchOS 27, in which a double press shows the new dynamic app grid instead. The gesture has been reserved for Live Rewind, an upcoming feature (exclusive to Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4) that produces a transcript of the last fifteen seconds of speech in your environment.

Fortunately, the App Switcher will still be available when watchOS 27.2 is released later this year, but it will open with a different gesture. If you're already on the latest beta, simply long press on the bottom of the app that you're in, and that should open the App Switcher.

Find My is Now One App

Find Devices, Find Items, and Find People have been folded into a single Find My app with a map-centric layout, which also includes shortcuts for directions and for items nearby.

Workout Buddy No Longer Needs Your iPhone

Introduced in watchOS 26, Workout Buddy previously required your iPhone within range. In watchOS 27, your Apple Watch can run it if Wi-Fi or cellular is available. It also draws new insights from your training history, tracking gradual gains in pace, distance and workout duration, and it now speaks Spanish as well as English.

New Cycle Tracking Features

Cycle Tracking in the Health app can now notify you if your logged patterns are suggestive of perimenopause, alongside symptom tracking and educational material. The notifications only draw on your logged cycle history and apply to users aged 40 and over. Apple says the feature is not a method of birth control and is not a diagnosis.

Treadmill Distance Is More Accurate

In watchOS 27, new machine learning motion algorithms measure distance more precisely for indoor runs and walks, and Apple says the improvement starts from the first step, as opposed to settling after a few minutes. Fitness route maps are more accurate too, and step counts finally stay in sync between the Fitness and Health apps.

The Smart Stack Gets More to Say

The Smart Stack's contextual suggestions are now a lot smarter. A few examples provided by Apple include new widgets surfacing your parked car's location, a close contact's birthday, a change in your transit card balance, the Noise app immediately after a loud-noise alert, a reminder that Theater Mode is still on, pinned messages, celebrations, and identity cards.

New Models Get a Steps Counter

On Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4, the redesigned pedometer model and S11 chip allow watchOS 27 to provide more accurate step counts. There's also a new Steps complication on the latest models to track your steps in real time, right from your watch face. Will we see the feature come to older devices? Your guess is as good as ours.
This article, "watchOS 27: 12 New Things To Check Out on Your Apple Watch" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Die Kritik war anscheinend laut genug: Mit der Beta von watchOS 27.2 kehrt der App-Umschalter zurück. Allerdings öffnet er sich nicht über den ehemaligen Doppelklick auf die Digital Crown, sondern durch langes Drücken auf den unteren Rand einer geöffneten App.

Das ist semi-nachvollziehbar, weil iOS und iPadOS über eine vergleichbare Geste den App Switcher aufrufen. Allerdings funktioniert der Shortcut auf der Uhr nicht auf dem Zifferblatt, sondern ausschließlich aus einer Anwendung heraus.

Zu entdecken ist eine solche Geste nicht – zumindest zum jetzigen Stand. Einen Doppelklick führt man eventuell eher aus.

Wenn die Doppelbelegung tatsächlich für „Live Rewind“ reserviert bleibt, obwohl das Feature nicht global und lediglich auf zwei Modellen der Uhr funktioniert, sollten Watch-Nutzer:innen mindestens eine Auswahloption bekommen.

The Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 feature a refreshed band lineup for the fall, adding new colors and materials.



Here's a breakdown of what's new across the band lineup:

• Sport Band: New Navy Blue, Magenta, Olive, Burgundy, Wildflower Blue, Pale Succulent, Sand, and Black colors for Apple Watch Series 12.


• Sport Band (ceramic hardware): Sand and Navy Blue to match the new ceramic Apple Watch Series 12 models; not available as a standalone purchase.


• Sport Loop: New Olive, Burgundy, Limestone, Magenta, and Chambray Blue colors, plus a new inkjet-printed plaid pattern in Burgundy and Light Umber.


• Nike Sport Band and Nike Sport Loop: Five new colors; Essential White, Chalk Calm, Pavement Grey, After Dark Black, and Green Spark.


• Milanese Loop: New Radiant Gold and Natural colors to match the titanium case, plus a new Dark Bronze option, priced at $99.


• Link Bracelet: A new stainless steel bracelet in Radiant Gold and Natural, priced at $349.


• Modern Buckle: New woven material with flecks of color, in Mulberry, Camel, Sage, and Navy Blue, now available with gold hardware for the first time alongside natural hardware, priced at $199 (42mm only).


• Magnetic Link: Available in Wildflower Blue, Burgundy, Camel, and Midnight, priced at $99.


• Solo Loop: New Wildflower Blue, Burgundy, Olive, and Navy Blue colors, priced at $49.


• Braided Solo Loop: New Olive, Magenta, Wildflower Blue, Burgundy, Navy Blue, and Black colors, priced at $99.


• Trail Loop: New Dark Umber, Sand, and Burgundy colors for the Apple Watch Ultra 4, priced at $99 (49mm only).


• Alpine Loop: New Desert, Dark Olive, and Burgundy colors for the Ultra 4, priced at $99 (49mm only).


• Ocean Band: Now made from a translucent silicone material, offered in Translucent Gray, Translucent Kelp, and Translucent Black, priced at $99 (49mm only).


• Hermès Noir Satin Clou de Selle: A new band with a gold-finish clasp and saddle stud, exclusively paired with the new Hermès radiant gold titanium case, priced at $499.


• Hermès Rocabar Club: A new knitted H pattern band inspired by horse-jumping competitions, in four Bleu Nuit colorways paired with Gris Titane, Orange, Bleu Brighton, and Vert accents, priced at $499.


• Hermès En Mer: A new water-resistant knit band for the Apple Watch Ultra 4 with a pillowed stripe and titanium buckle, in Argile, Bordeaux, Bleu Nuit, and Orange colorways, priced at $549 (49mm only).


• Hermès Scub'H Diving: A new rubber band for the Ultra 4 with circular porthole-like cutouts, in Vert Vertigo, Gris Titane, and Bleu De Malte colorways, priced at $549 (49mm only).


• Hermès Grand H Titane: A new titanium version of the Grand H bracelet for the Apple Watch Ultra 4, priced at $2,199 (49mm only).


• Hermès Kilim Single Tour: Bleu De Malte, Cuivre, and Béton colorways, priced at $499.

The new Apple Watch bands are available to order today, with availability in stores beginning Friday, September 18.
This article, "Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 Get Wave of New Bands" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple Watch Series 12 comes in a refreshed selection of case finishes and materials, including ceramic.



Here's a breakdown of the case types, finishes, and pricing across the new Apple Watch lineup:

• Apple Watch Series 12 (aluminum): Available in space gray, black, light gold, and dark bronze (starts at $399).


• Apple Watch Series 12 (titanium): Available in radiant gold and natural (starts at $699).


• Apple Watch Series 12 (ceramic): Available in pearl white and night blue (starts at $899).


• Apple Watch Ultra 4 (titanium): Available in natural and black finishes (starts at $799).


• Apple Watch Hermès Series 12 (titanium): Available in radiant gold and silver (starts at $1,399).
• Apple Watch Hermès Ultra 4 (titanium): Available in natural titanium (starts at $1,499).

The ceramic finish returns with the Series 12 this year, pairing with sand and navy blue Sport Bands that feature a ceramic pin-and-tuck closure to match the case.

Pre-orders for both Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 are open today, with availability beginning Friday, September 18.
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Apple today announced "Audio Intelligence," a new suite of Apple Intelligence-powered features for the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 that use the built-in microphone to help users catch missed moments in conversation and stay aware of important sounds.


The Apple Watch's Audio Intelligence comprises four features:

• Siri Recap: Uses ambient listening to generate high-level notes from conversations, such as takeaways from a team meeting or a parent-teacher conference, producing an Apple Intelligence-generated title, summary, and key points reviewable in the Siri app.


• Live Rewind: Lets users "go back in time for 15 seconds," transcribing and displaying what was just said in a conversation with a double press of the Digital Crown.


• Shazam: Automatically identifies music playing nearby and surfaces the song title and artist on the Music Recognition widget in the Smart Stack.


• Sound Recognition: Brings sound alerts to Apple Watch for users who are deaf or hard of hearing, listening for sirens, alarms, doorbells, a baby crying, and more, even when their iPhone isn't nearby.

Apple emphasized that ‌Siri‌ Recap is opt-in and configurable, telling users they "control if and when ‌Siri‌ Recap takes notes." Users can set it to always listen or schedule it for specific contexts, such as only at work or never at night, and can toggle it on or off at any time from Control Center. Apple reiterated that none of the Audio Intelligence features create or store audio recordings, with raw audio processed in an isolated Secure Exclave on the S11 chip and deleted immediately after use.

Audio Intelligence and ‌Siri‌ AI both require an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone, with Live Rewind and ‌Siri‌ Recap limited to the iPhone 16 or later (excluding the iPhone 16e).

The features arrive in beta later this year, starting in English, with additional languages to follow, and will not initially be available in the EU.
This article, "Three All-New 'Audio Intelligence' Features Arrive With Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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The Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 offer a range of new health and fitness features. Here's everything that's new.


Apple today revealed the following features for the two new devices:

• New "Health Sensing System": A redesigned sensor architecture with three main improvements, including increased electrode surface area for better ECG skin contact, photodiodes arranged in a ring for more efficient light capture, and larger, more power-efficient green LEDs for accurate heart rate readings during motion.


• Continuous heart rate sensing: Heart rate is now measured every five seconds throughout the day, 60 times more frequently than before, viewable via a new watch face complication.


• Higher-frequency HRV: Heart rate variability is sampled up to 24 times more often, with separate recovery and overall HRV values shown in a new section of the Heart Rate app.


• Daytime vitals view: A new toggle lets users switch between overnight and daytime vitals, potentially catching shifts in metrics before they show up in overnight readings.


• VO2 Max test: A new test has users set up their iPhone to watch them perform a series of exercises, delivering results immediately alongside data from their Apple Watch.


• Most accurate step tracking: A redesigned pedometer model with new machine learning algorithms improves distance accuracy for indoor workouts and all-day step counts.


• Steps complication: A brand-new watch face complication, enabled by the S11 chip, lets users track their step count in real time.


• Longer workout battery life: Up to 10 hours during an outdoor workout, 25% more than the previous model, with 15 minutes of charging now delivering up to 12 hours of extra battery. The Apple Watch Ultra 4 goes further, with up to 50 hours of everyday battery life, 84 hours in Low Power Mode, and a new Max Extended Workout mode rated for up to 45 hours of outdoor tracking; 15 minutes of charging adds up to 18 hours of battery.

The Apple Watch Series 12 starts at $399 and the Apple Watch Ultra 4 starts at $799, with pre-orders for both open today and availability beginning Friday, September 18.
This article, "Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 Offer These Eight New Health and Fitness Features" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Previously, a double press of the Digital Crown would surface your currently open apps, allowing you to switch between them or close them. Now, a double press does the same thing as a single press: opening the new dynamic app grid. I used the App Switcher infrequently, but when I did, it was useful, so I hope Apple reverses course.

Jonathan Reed | MacStories

Bis zur aktuellen Beta 5 hielt sich meine Hoffnung, dass Apple die Doppelbelegung der Digital Crown – der Doppelklick führte ins „watchOS Dock“ – nicht komplett streicht. Das bremst den Wechsel zwischen Apps nämlich signifikant aus.

Selbst das Verhalten vor watchOS 10, bei dem ein Doppelklick schlicht zur zuletzt geöffneten Anwendung sprang, war besser als die Abkürzung generell zu entfernen.

Zugegeben: Der App-Umschalter ließ nie glorreich multitasken. Trotzdem war es immer der schnellere Weg, um zwischen einer Handvoll der zuletzt genutzten Anwendungen hin und her zu springen.

Solange das neue „dynamische App-Raster“ keine vollständig freie Belegung zulässt, mit der ihr Apps dort dauerhaft anspinnt, ist es kein Ersatz. Und selbst dann ist es lediglich eine feste Auswahl und ersetzt nicht den Verlauf der zuletzt verwendeten Apps.

Es ist vollkommen in Ordnung, Apples Uhr lediglich für Fitness, Kommunikation und als Uhr zu benutzen. Diese 15 Apps zeigen jedoch, was darüber hinaus möglich ist.

Hier das Intro der Episode:

Weiterlesen

Together Board – eine geteilte Pinnwand mit den Liebsten – erlaubt die App-Store-Familienfreigabe und ist damit ein unverschämt guter Deal.

Das über iCloud geteilte Organisationsboard reicht von lustigen (Foto-)Erinnerungen über Post-its bis hin zu Einkaufslisten und Events. Dinge, die sich manche Familien vielleicht mit Magneten an ihren Kühlschrank kleben.

Weil’s aber digital ist, pinnt ihr an diese Familientafel auch Sprachnotizen, Abstimmungen und kleine Zeichnungen – sogar von der Apple Watch aus!

Together Board ist natürlich nicht auf die Personen eurer iCloud-Familie beschränkt. Allerdings nutzt diese Gruppe einfach euer Abo/den Einmalkauf mit.

Im Gegensatz zu einer klassischen iMessage-Gruppe verschluckt der Chatverlauf hier keine Ereignisse. Obendrein ist die App narrensicher, erfordert keine separaten Accounts, zieht eure Inhalte nicht über Apple-fremde Server und lässt euch bei Bedarf die Boards komplett exportieren.

Together Board ist eine simple Idee, hervorragend umgesetzt.

Mein Haus, mein Auto, mein Boot: „What’s in my Bag“-Videos haftet immer eine Spur der Angeberei an. Ich versuche, den „Schau her, was ich mir alles leisten kann“-Eindruck mit einem realistischen Blick in meinen Rucksack zu vermeiden.

Hier das Intro der Episode:

Weiterlesen

💾

Am heutigen „Global Running Day“ gibt es für ’nen entspannten 5-Kilometer-Run eine Apple-Watch-Auszeichnung.

Diese Fitnessherausforderung ist ein passender Anlass, um auf „Watch to 5K“ hinzuweisen – für alle, die sich mit einem solchen Run nicht so leicht tun.

Watch to 5K is an Apple Watch app that helps people gradually work up towards running 5K in just nine weeks by following the Couch to 5K program (C25K). The app works independently on the Watch, allowing users to leave their phone at home (or in their locker) while they run.

Für fünf Euro nimmt die Watch-App hier absolute Beginner an die Hand zu ihrem ersten 5K.

„Watch to 5K“ entstand in den ersten COVID-Lockdown-Monaten vor sechs Jahren, funktioniert tatsächlich unabhängig vom Telefon und motiviert gezielt Anfänger:innen (oder alle, die das Laufen wieder aufnehmen) mit einem strukturierten Trainingsplan.