Overview
- Apple is expected to unveil the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 at its Sept. 9 event, and multiple outlets report the pair will likely ship with a new S-class chip that represents the first notable CPU upgrade for the Watch in several years.
- Bloomberg’s reporting says Apple is testing continuous, always-on heart-rate monitoring that would record heart rate throughout the day rather than only during workouts, a change intended to produce more detailed recovery and wellness signals.
- Industry sources claim substantial sensor upgrades for the new models, with Digitimes reporting the number of sensor components could roughly double, and Forbes and others saying hypertension screening will be improved but will likely stop short of giving on-wrist numeric blood-pressure readings.
- Apple has tested returning a premium ceramic case for Series 12 in white and dark gray, and it is developing a major Health app overhaul (Project Mulberry) with an AI health coach and camera-based workout guidance that may arrive at the keynote or in a later iOS release.
- Key commercial details remain unclear: Apple has held Ultra pricing at $799 since 2022 but component costs could force a change, some health features may require the new hardware, and a larger watch redesign is being pushed into 2027 or later.