Apple Watch Series 12 vs. 11: Every upgrade, including one Apple didn't mention

Primary Journalistic Dispatch & Direct Reporting

Apple has a new flagship smartwatch. The tech giant announced the Apple Watch Series 12 during its Sept. 9 "Surprise and Shine" iPhone event, along with the new Apple Watch Ultra 4 , AirPods 5 , iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max , and the first-ever foldable iPhone Duo .

In a press release , Apple's Vice President of Worldwide iPhone Product Marketing Kaiann Drance called the Series 12 "the most advanced health and fitness companion we've ever created." You might not know that at a glance because it looks the same as last year's Series 11. To find out what's actually new about the Series 12, you have to peek inside its case.

Here's a full breakdown of the main differences between the Apple Watch Series 12 and Series 11, including one notable upgrade that Apple didn't mention in its keynote presentation. (Spoiler: it has something to do with memory.)

In-Depth Developments & Factual Context

Now available for preorder , the Series 12 starts at $399 with a 42mm aluminum case - the same price as the base Series 11. However, the 46mm Series 12 starts at $449, which is a $20 bump from the previous generation. There's now a $50 difference separating the two sizes, no matter the case material.

The 42mm and 46mm titanium variants of the Series 12 start at $699 and $749, respectively, just like their Series 11 counterparts.

The Series 12 comes in a third "new" ceramic variant that starts at $899 for the 42mm size and $949 for the 46mm model. (The Series 11 wasn't available with a ceramic case, but the much older Series 2, 3, and 5 all came in that scratch-resistant material.)

Industry Impact & Strategic Analysis

The Series 12 has the same external design as the Series 11 - and the Series 10 , for that matter. Apple hasn't changed the look of its flagship wearable since that 2024 release, when it got a thinner, lighter case and a more rounded display. (The rumor mill says a proper redesign is coming next year.) Additionally, it's still IP6X dust-resistant and water-resistant for up to 50 meters.

That said, the aluminum Series 12 variants got one small tweak. Their Ceramic Shield 2 glass is more durable than the Ion-X glass on their Series 11 counterparts. Apple said it's "60 percent tougher," to be exact.

Both Apple Watches have the same always-on, wide-angle OLED display with up to 2,000 nits of brightness. That's very, very bright.

Forward Outlook & Market Perspective

The Series 12's case comes in the following case colors:

Apple introduced a bunch of new band colors and materials for the Series 12 that would also fit the Series 11, if you want to freshen up one you already own. You can buy them separately starting at $49 .

The Series 11 ran on the S10 chip, while the Series 12 is powered by the newer S11 chip - "Apple's most powerful wearable chip," the company said. It enables several new features that I'll elaborate on shortly.

Notably, MacRumors reports that the Series 12 has twice as much memory as the Series 11 (4GB versus 2GB). Apple didn't mention that during its iPhone event this week, but the company's Xcode 27 developer tool reportedly shows evidence of it, the tech site said. If true, the Series 12's mostly unchanged prices are quite the feat: RAM costs have skyrocketed in the past year. (That's the reason why Apple raised its MacBook and iPad prices this summer, and probably its logic behind recent iPhone price hikes , too.)

The Series 12 maintains the same storage capacity as the Series 11: 64GB.

Like the Series 11, the Series 12 is available with 5G cellular connectivity. It's still a $100 upgrade on the aluminum variants and a standard feature on the titanium (and now ceramic) versions.

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