Apple Watch Series 12 Adds 30-Hour Battery, Subscription-Free Health at $399
Updated
Updated · CNET · Sep 17
Apple Watch Series 12 Adds 30-Hour Battery, Subscription-Free Health at $399
3 articles · Updated · CNET · Sep 17
Summary
$399 Apple Watch Series 12 keeps Apple’s base price unchanged while adding health insights with no subscription, making the upgrade more notable for features than design.
30 hours of battery life in CNET’s testing—about four hours more than Series 11—came alongside faster charging and new workout power-saving modes, though it still trails weeklong rivals.
32 electrodes and a redesigned optical sensor let the watch sample heart rate every 5 seconds instead of every 5 minutes, while HRV can be checked as often as every 5 minutes.
A new 0-to-10 Readiness score updates through the day rather than only each morning, but it needs 7 nights of sleep data and near-constant wear before it unlocks.
The S11 chip also speeds watchOS 27 features such as Siri AI, while still-unreleased Audio Intelligence tools raise privacy concerns and gave false sound alerts in early testing.