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What to Expect From Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today outlined what to expect from the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 this year. Spoiler: not very much.

Apple Watch Ultra 2 Black Titanium
While it was rumored that Touch ID may be coming to the Apple Watch Series 12, Gurman said he does not expect the Series 12 or Ultra 4 to have any major design changes compared to the current Series 11 and Ultra 3 models. Touch ID probably counts as a major design change, so the rumor now sounds increasingly unlikely.

Another sketchy rumor claimed that the Series 12 will have a band with an embedded health sensor, but Gurman did not mention that.

Instead, he expects more ordinary changes, including faster performance and unspecified improvements to health and fitness tracking. The Series 11 and Ultra 3 both have an S10 chip that debuted in the Series 10 and Ultra 2, so the S11 chip or newer should provide the first Apple Watch performance improvements in years.

There will not be an Apple Watch SE 4 this year, he said.

Bigger changes are in the works for the Apple Watch, but he said they are unlikely to arrive for another year or two. Even further ahead, he added that Apple continues to develop a blood sugar detection feature with a goal of releasing it by 2030.

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Top Rated Comments

10 hours ago at 08:25 am
It is really disappointing that Apple has dropped support for most watches in the upcoming watchOS. The Ultra 1 being marked as vintage before it even turned four years old is a prime example. Right now, there doesn't seem to be anything new in the pipeline that justifies making previous models obsolete so quickly. Personally, I won't be buying another Apple wearable until it's completely clear what their strategy is, and only if they prove they haven't shortened their device support lifecycle.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
10 hours ago at 08:17 am
Anyone ever thought of switching to a garmin?
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jz0309 Avatar
10 hours ago at 08:56 am



TouchID make sense because its a pain to have to enter my pin number every time i put on my watch.
why not unlock with your phone? I maybe have to enter passcode on watch once per month at the most.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
johannnn Avatar
10 hours ago at 08:28 am

It is really disappointing that Apple has dropped support for most watches in the upcoming watchOS
It will still work for years. And it will get security updates for years likely.

And it was never a secret it got an outdated chip when it was released
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
10 hours ago at 08:28 am

Anyone ever thought of switching to a garmin?
I switched to a Garmin Fenix and couldn't be happier. The health metrics are amazing and you can view them not just on your phone, but on an actual website on your computer!

Garmin is leaps and bounds ahead of Apple for sports tracking. You literally see which muscle groups were used during any kind of strength workout purely from the sensors. Additionally if you're into cycling they have amazing integrations with power meters, radar tail lights and electronic shifting.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
10 hours ago at 08:16 am

while the Ultra 3 has an S9 chip
The Ultra 3 has an S10 chip
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)