Bad news, Apple Watch power users: the latest watchOS 27 software release removes the easiest way to quickly and efficiently jump between apps.

In watchOS 26 and earlier, users could simply double-press the digital crown at any time to jump back into the previous app they were using. This functionality, unofficially called the “app switcher,” is unfortunately no longer available in watchOS 27.

Here’s everything you need to know about the removal of the app switcher function for Apple Watch in watchOS 27.

watchOS 27 removes the app switcher function

I just updated my Apple Watch Series 11 to watchOS 27, a process that took longer than expected (several hours). While I’m largely impressed with the new software — these are the 7 watchOS 27 features you should try first — it falls short in two regards.

First, Apple removed the fan-favorite Walkie-Talkie app for no apparent reason. Second, and perhaps much more noticeable, double-tapping the digital crown no longer brings you to the last app you used. Instead, it defaults to displaying the new “Dynamic App Grid” with your seven most-used apps.

Oddly, a single click of the digital crown also launches the Dynamic App Grid, which seems redundant/oddly un-Apple-like. What gives?

Apple has bigger plans for the digital crown double-tap

Apple apparently has even bigger plans for the digital crown double-tap. Later this year, several intriguing new “Audio Intelligence” features are set to be added to watchOS 27, including “Live Rewind.”

It’s designed to give users an easy and discreet way to relisten to the last 15 seconds of audio captured by their Apple Watch (Series 12 and Ultra 4 only) at any moment, and even generate a transcript. For example, if you’re bad with names, like me, Live Rewind could be a truly useful bit of tech. It's also freaking some users out.

But what does this have to do with the end of the app switcher function? When Live Rewind launches, the digital crown double-tap will default to opening the feature on compatible devices.

What comes next?

Ultimately, it’s possible that if enough folks convey their annoyance with the removal of the app switcher function for Apple Watch, the brand might add it back in future firmware, at least for the devices that don’t support the new Live Rewind feature.

What are your thoughts on Apple removing the app switcher in watchOS 27? Let me know below.

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• 3 reasons why the Pixel Watch 5 Stephen Curry edition is totally worth it

"Your heart tells a story of your health, and it’s a story worth hearing," said Apple, as it announced the updated Apple Watch Series 12, with the most accurate heart rate sensor yet. It's not often a tech keynote makes me emotional, but as a health writer, this one did. Maybe I was jet-lagged, or maybe I believe that these huge health updates might make this the best smartwatch on the market.

I spend my days writing about how the best prediction of longevity is how healthy your heart is. With a new heart rate sensor, the Apple Watch Series 12 gives you a heart rate reading every five seconds, 60 times more frequent than the Apple Watch Series 11. This supports HRV readings, a new readiness score that gives you deeper insights into when to push and when to recover, and longevity features in the updated Health app.

The downsides? Everyone I talk to hates the fact that the watch has a built-in microphone for new audio intelligence features coming later this year, but I’ll get into that below. I’ve been wearing it for the past week, and I’m impressed — read my full Apple Watch Series 12 review to find out more.

Apple Watch Series 12: Quick facts

• Same 24-hour battery life: Despite the addition of continuous heart rate monitoring, the Apple Watch Series 12 has the same 24-hour battery life as the Series 11
• New S11 chip: Faster, more efficient processing with support for Siri AI features
• Redesigned holistic sensors: Apple says this is the most accurate heart rate sensor on a wearable; heart rate and HRV are sampled more frequently than before; HRV insights are now more readily displayed in the Health app
• New health metrics: Series 12 supports a new Readiness score and Health Age metric
• Siri AI features: The watch ships with support for Siri AI voice assistance; new "Audio Intelligence" features help you better remember life's important details

Apple Watch Series 12: Specs

Apple Watch Series 12 review: Price and availability

The Apple Watch Series 12 is available for preorder starting September 9, with units expected to arrive on September 18. The Series 12 has the same starting cost as the Series 11 — $399.

In addition to the standard aluminum and upgraded titanium case options, the Apple Watch Series 12 is also available in two ceramic finishes: Pearl White and Night Blue.

See a full breakdown of pricing for all the case options and sizes below:

• Apple Watch Series 12, 42mm, GPS (Aluminum): $399
• Apple Watch Series 12, 42mm, GPS+5G (Aluminum): $499
• Apple Watch Series 12, 46mm, GPS (Aluminum): $449
• Apple Watch Series 12, 46mm, GPS+5G (Aluminum): $549

• Apple Watch Series 12, 42mm, GPS+5G (Titanium): $699
• Apple Watch Series 12, 42mm, GPS+5G (Titanium): $749

• Apple Watch Series 12, 42mm, GPS+5G (Ceramic): $899
• Apple Watch Series 12, 42mm, GPS+5 (Ceramic): $949

Apple Watch Series 12 review: Design and display

Design-wise, the Apple Watch Series 12 looks pretty identical to the Apple Watch Series 11: it comes in two different sizes, 42mm and 46mm, but with the newer watch, there are more color and casing options to choose from. The Apple Watch 11 came in rose gold, silver, space gray, and jet black in an aluminum case, and gold, natural, or slate in titanium. You get more choices with the Apple Watch 12, which comes in dark bronze, light gold, black, and space gray in the aluminum case, radiant gold and natural in the titanium case, and pearl white or night blue in the ceramic case.

I’ve been wearing the 42 mm dark bronze aluminum Apple Watch, and I love how lightweight and comfortable it is on the wrist. In real life, the light gold Apple Watch looks like jewelry, and the ceramic cases really are beautiful.

The biggest difference, design-wise, is on the back of the watch — the heart rate sensor has been completely redesigned, but more on that below. The Apple Watch Series 12 also has that built-in microphone I mentioned above for all of the audio intelligence features coming later this year.

Apple Watch Series review: Health and fitness tracking

There’s no doubt about it: as a fitness tracker, the Apple Watch Series 12 is more accurate than its predecessor, and that’s down to the new heart rate sensor. When looking at the two monitors side-by-side, the Series 12 and Ultra 4 have a “32-petal design,” whereas the older watches had a two-petal design. This refers to the spoke-like lines coming out of the electrode. The green LED lights, which measure your heart rate by shining light into the skin, are bigger and more powerful.

If you’ve ever worn an Apple Watch to bed and woken up in the night to a harsh green glow underneath your wrist, you’ll love this update. That glaring light is finally gone — and so is the feeling that you’re about to be abducted by a UFO.

But more than that, heart rate data lies at the heart of a lot of health features on the Apple Watch, including HRV, workouts, and ovulation prediction, so a better heart rate sensor means the watch is doing all of these, well, better. Apple also said the new heart rate monitor works better on certain skin tones, though it will still likely struggle to read heavily tattooed wrists. Your heart-rate complication can update every five seconds, 60 times more frequently than it did on the Apple Watch Series 11. Inside the Heart Rate app, there's a rolling two-minute chart. And HRV, including overnight and recovery data, is much easier to surface directly from the watch.

Previously, Apple only allowed continuous heart rate monitoring during a workout, so this is a huge step in the right direction. On the Apple Watch Series 12, you’ll be able to see your Recovery HRV score, which shows signs of stress and recovery, as well as your overall HRV, which offers insights into your overall health. You can now see from your wrist if your heart rate suddenly spiked, and through the new daytime Vitals app, you're getting a much more immediate picture of what's happening, rather than having to wait till you’re asleep.

I’ve been testing the new heart rate sensor alongside a Garmin chest strap, and have found the Apple Watch Series 12 to be pretty much spot on. Here’s a graph from my recent run:

The new sensors also feed into the new daily Readiness score, which is only available on the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4. Readiness provides a single score out of ten with one of four different recommendations: Recover, Pace Yourself, Ready, or Go For It. Readiness updates throughout the day as new data comes in, and is based on your overnight vitals, sleep score, recent physical activity, and training load.

To get a Readiness score, you need to wear the watch for seven nights and get at least four hours of sleep per night. I have done that, but sadly, my Apple Watch 12 got as confused as my internal body clock was on my flight back from Cupertino, and only registered two hours of sleep for my night of travel. I’ll update this review as soon as I get a score.

There are also new changes coming to the Health app later this year, including a new Health Age score that compares your physical fitness to the average for your age range, and a greater emphasis on things like sleep trends, heart data, and longevity metrics. Again, I’ll be testing them as soon as they drop.

One very minor, but exciting update I’ve found during my testing is the Steps watch face compilation you can now get on the Apple Watch 12. Again, Apple isn’t reinventing the wheel, but you can now see your daily step count from your watch face, without the need for any third-party app. Unfortunately for folks with an older Apple Watch, this is a hardware thing, as Apple says it relies on the more accurate S11 chip, so older watches won’t get the updated pedometer.

Apple Watch Series 12 review: Audio Intelligence

Now to address the elephant in the room — the Audio Intelligence features launching on the Series 12 and Ultra 4. Here’s everything you need to know about the new Audio Intelligence features, but in a nutshell, the two features everyone is talking about are Live Rewind and Siri Recap.

Neither are available for me to test just yet; they are coming later in the year, but essentially, Live Rewind allows you to double-click on the Digital Crown of your Apple Watch and get a 15-second recap of what was just said around you. The Watch will play an audible chime even if your watch is on silent and puts a microphone indicator on screen, so people around you will know you’re recording. The example Apple gave was if you’d missed the specials at a restaurant, or missed a colleague's name, you could read it from your watch. I think there’s a compelling reason here, say, if you have ADHD or struggle with auditory processing.

The trickier sell, for me and most people I’ve spoken to, is Siri Recap. This records ambient audio every 15 minutes to create an itemized summary of your day. Yep, you heard that correctly. Apple put a lot of stress on privacy when demoing this new feature — raw audio isn’t saved, uploaded, or retrievable, and Siri Recap doesn’t identify individual speakers. It’s also designed to exclude sensitive information or hate speech.

However, even with these features, there’s still the slightly blurred line around the fact that my conversation could, in theory, appear on someone else’s Siri Recap without my consent to being recorded. Although this isn’t an Apple problem, it’s a living-in-2026 problem, as the same questions are being leveled at the ambient AI, cameras, and microphones in smart glasses and other wearable devices.

Personally, I can’t think of a situation where I’d need a computer to give me a summary of my day, but I’ll reserve judgment until I’ve been able to go hands-on with the features later in the year. I’d also add that these are all features that you have to opt in to — they are automatically disabled when you unbox the watch.

Apple Watch Series 12 review: Battery life

The Apple Watch Series 12 has the same 24 hours of battery life as the Series 11, but Apple has given us faster charging as well as a bunch of new sensors. You can now get up to 80% charge in about 30 minutes, 15 minutes for up to 12 hours of normal use, and 5 minutes for up to 10 hours of sleep tracking.

If, like me, you’re a runner, you will get slightly longer GPS-mode battery life — 10 hours instead of 8 on the Series 11.

I’ve found Apple’s battery life claims to be pretty accurate, and, as someone who frequently forgets to charge her watch before bed, I have definitely noticed how much faster the Series 12 charges.

Apple Watch Series 12 review: Should you buy?

A week later, I can confidently say that it wasn’t just the jet lag making me emotional in the keynote — as someone who writes about health and fitness for a living, this is the best Apple Watch on the market for most people. In fact, it’s the first year since the Ultra launched in 2022 that I’d be torn about which to shop for.

Between the upgraded heart rate sensor, the new Readiness score — because knowing when to rest is just as important as closing your rings — and an actual dedicated step-counting app, this watch completely outclasses the Series 11. I know other brands have been doing all of the above for years, but none of them are also like having an extension of your iPhone on your wrist, and that’s why when Apple does it, it feels different.

Audio Intelligence is the flashy upgrade and Siri Recap is going to generate headlines, but personally, I think it’s the continuous heart-rate sensing and better recovery information that have changed the day-to-day feel of the Apple Watch on my wrist when testing the Series 12. Buy the Ultra 4 if you want 50 hours of battery life, you’re into diving, or you just want to make a statement, but if you’re looking for a smartwatch that’ll help you make actionable changes to your health, the Apple Watch Series 12 is a good place to start.

Apple designed the Ultra for summiting mountains and diving reefs. In reality? Most of us wearing one are weekend warriors chained to a 9-to-5, using an $800 rugged watch to track our steps on our commutes. With the Apple Watch Ultra 4, Apple makes having the watch on your wrist even better, whether you're working out or not.

The big headlines with the Apple Watch Ultra 4 are a new heart rate monitor, a readiness score to help you know when to push and when to rest, two days of battery life for the first time, and new Audio Intelligence features that will come later this year. Physically, it looks the same, but under the hood, this is a smarter watch.

But is it worth the upgrade if you already have the Apple Watch Ultra 3 on your wrist? I’ve been wearing the Apple Watch Ultra 4 for the past week and wore it for a 22-mile run this morning to see how the heart rate monitor compares to a physical chest strap. Read my full Apple Watch Ultra 4 review to find out more.

Apple Watch Ultra 4: Quick facts

• Improved battery life: lasts up to 50 hours per charge compared to 42 hours for the Ultra 3
• New S11 chip: Faster, more efficient processing with support for Siri AI features
• Redesigned holistic sensors: Apple says this is the most accurate heart rate sensor on a wearable; heart rate and HRV are sampled more frequently than before; HRV insights are now more readily displayed in the Health app
• New health metrics: the Ultra 4 supports a new Readiness score and Health Age metric
• Siri AI features: the Ultra 4 ships with support for Siri AI voice assistance; new "Audio Intelligence" features help you better recall life's important details

Apple Watch Ultra 4: Specs

Apple Watch Ultra 4 review: Price and availability

The Apple Watch Ultra 4 is available for preorder from September 9, 2026. Units should hit store shelves and your hands starting on September 18.

The Apple Watch Ultra 4 is $799 / AU$1,349, the same price as the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and prior models.

Apple Watch Ultra 4 review: Design and display

The Apple Watch Ultra 4 looks physically identical to the Ultra 3, boasting the same dimensions, oversized display with 3,000 nits of max brightness, an all-titanium case, and 100 meters of water resistance. It’s still available in black and natural titanium.

There are slightly more bands to choose from: the Trail Loop is now available in dark umber, sand, and Apple’s color of the year, burgundy. The Alpine Loop comes in desert, dark olive, and also burgundy. Ocean Bands are now made from translucent silicone and come in three new colors: translucent gray, translucent kelp, and translucent black.

The big difference between the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 from a design perspective is when you flip the watch over. The heart rate sensor has been completely redesigned, but more on that below. The Apple Watch Ultra 4 also has a built-in microphone for all of the audio intelligence features coming later this year.

Apple Watch Ultra 4 review: Health and fitness tracking

The biggest difference, and the reason I think this is the best Apple Watch Ultra yet, is the new heart rate monitor loaded onto the watch. When looking at the two monitors side-by-side, the Ultra 4 and the Apple Watch Series 12 have a “32-petal design,” whereas older watches had a two-petal design. This refers to the spoke-like lines coming out of the electrode.

The green LED lights, which measure your heart rate by shining light into the skin, are bigger and more powerful. Apple says it also makes the heart rate monitor more accurate on certain skin tones, although it might still struggle if you have tattoos on your wrist.

I’ve always found the heart rate monitor on my Apple Watch Ultra 3 to be a little sketchy, and while I often put this down to how it sits on my wrist, I was keen to see how things might have changed on the Ultra 4. It’s worth noting that if, like me, you have petite wrists, you’ll need to ensure the Ultra is really tight against your wrist. I’ve found that if my watch strap isn’t tight enough, the watch just doesn’t give me a heart rate reading.

Heart rate data lies at the heart of a lot of health features on the Apple Watch, including HRV, workouts, and ovulation prediction. With the Apple Watch Ultra 4, the new heart rate monitor, along with the S-11 chip, measures your heart rate every five seconds, all day long. On the Apple Watch Ultra 3, Apple only allowed continuous heart rate monitoring during a workout, but this is a huge step in the right direction. Inside the Heart Rate app, there's a rolling two-minute chart.

On the Apple Watch Ultra 4, you’ll be able to see your Recovery HRV score, which shows signs of stress and recovery, as well as your overall HRV, which offers insights into your overall health. You can now see from your wrist if your heart rate suddenly spikes, and through the new daytime Vitals app, you're getting a much more immediate picture of what's happening, rather than having to wait till you’re asleep.

I’ve been testing the new heart rate sensor alongside a chest strap and my Oura Ring 5, and have found the Apple Watch Ultra 4 to be pretty much spot on. Here’s a graph from my recent run:

The new sensors also feed into the new daily Readiness score, which is only available on the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4. Readiness provides a single score out of ten with one of four different recommendations: Recover, Pace Yourself, Ready, or Go For It. Readiness updates throughout the day as new data comes in, and is based on your overnight vitals, sleep score, recent physical activity, and training load.

To get a Readiness score, you need to wear the watch for seven nights and get at least four hours of sleep per night. While I have done that, my Apple Watch got a little confused by moving time zones, so it only registered two hours of sleep as I travelled back to London from Cupertino. I’ll update this review soon when I’ve had a few days of Readiness scores. I’ll also look at how these scores compare to the likes of Body Battery on Garmin, and the Readiness score on the Oura Ring 5.

Later this year, the Health App will see big changes, including a new Health Age score that compares your physical fitness to the average for your age. There will also be a greater emphasis on things like sleep trends, heart data, and other longevity metrics. Again, I’ll be testing these as soon as they drop, but I’m excited to hear about these updates to make the Health app more useful to users.

Of course, it's worth noting that Apple isn’t reinventing the wheel — Garmin has had a Fitness Age score forever, but wearing a Garmin isn’t like having an extension of your iPhone on your wrist. While these little changes might not sound like a lot, a Readiness score can show you at a glance if you’re overtraining and putting yourself at risk of injury. Whether you’re a weekend warrior or training for your seventh marathon, knowing how well you’re coping with your training is imperative, and Apple makes this easier with the Apple Watch Ultra 4.

Another minor but exciting update I’ve found during my testing is the Steps watch face. At last, you can see your daily step count from your watch face. Sure, steps aren’t the biggest health metric to keep an eye on, but on rest days, I still like to make sure I’m closing my rings and keeping my legs moving. Unfortunately for folks with an older Apple Watch, this is a hardware thing, as Apple says it relies on the more accurate S-11 chip, so older watches won’t get the updated pedometer.

Apple Watch Ultra 4 review: Audio Intelligence

Now, to address the parts of the watch that are probably going to get headlines — the Audio Intelligence features. Here’s everything you need to know about the new Audio Intelligence features, but in a nutshell, the two features everyone is talking about are Live Rewind and Siri Recap.

Neither is available for me to test just yet; they are coming later in the year, but essentially, Live Rewind allows you to double-click on the Digital Crown of your Apple Watch Ultra 4 and get a 15-second recap of what was just said around you. The Watch will play an audible chime even if your watch is on silent and puts a microphone indicator on screen, so people around you will know you’re recording.

One example is if you’d missed the specials at a restaurant, or missed a colleague's name, you could read it from your watch. I think there’s a compelling reason here, say, if you have ADHD or struggle with auditory processing.

The trickier sell, for me and most people I’ve spoken to, is Siri Recap. This records ambient audio every 15 minutes to create an itemized CliffsNotes of your day. You can set this to record at certain times or locations, say only at work, or only after 6 pm. Apple put a lot of stress on privacy when demoing this new feature — raw audio isn’t saved, uploaded, or retrievable, and Siri Recap doesn’t identify individual speakers. It’s also designed to exclude sensitive information or hate speech.

Even with these features, there’s still the slightly blurred line around the fact that other people’s snippets of conversation could appear in my Siri Recap, without them knowing they were being recorded. This isn’t a problem Apple faces alone — the same questions can be leveled at the ambient AI, cameras, and microphones in smart glasses and other wearable devices.

Personally, I don’t think I’d ever want my watch to be silently recording in the background, but I’ll reserve judgment until I go hands-on with the features later this year. It’s also worth noting that all of these features you’ll have to opt in to — they are automatically disabled when you unbox the watch.

Apple Watch Ultra 4 review: Battery life

Even with continuous heart rate monitoring every five seconds, Apple has improved the battery life on the Apple Watch Ultra 4. You’re now getting more than two days of battery life in smartwatch mode, with 50 hours of battery life, up from 42 hours of battery life in the Ultra 3. In low power mode, you’ll get 84 hours of battery life in the Apple Watch Ultra 4, compared to 72 hours in the Ultra 3.

In workout tracking, the battery is better on the Ultra 4 too. You’ll get 25 hours of battery life for tracking workouts with full GPS and heart rate tracking. This is up from 20 hours on the Ultra 3. There’s also a Max Extended Workout mode that allows the Apple Watch Ultra 4 to track outdoor runs, walks, and hikes for up to 45 hours.

I’ve found these numbers to be pretty accurate. I’m easily getting two days of battery life on my Ultra 4. It’s 5 pm right now, and I have worn the watch all day, replying to messages from my wrist and tracking three and a half hours of workouts, and my watch has gone from 82% at 6 am to 61%.

You also get faster charging on the Apple Watch Ultra 4 — 15 minutes of charge will give you up to 18 hours of battery life.

Apple Watch Ultra 4 review: Should you buy?

This is, without question, the best Apple Watch Ultra yet. Sure, there are still things missing: I’d love a built-in LED flashlight or a second size option for smaller wrists, but the health improvements made to this watch with the continuous heart rate sensing and recovery information help you train smarter. Little things like a Readiness score and Daytime Vitals help me see, at a glance, how much my long run has impacted my body.

Would I upgrade if I had an Apple Watch Ultra 3 on my wrist? I’m not sure, as the heart rate monitoring isn’t bad on the older watch, but if you’re wearing an older Ultra, you want longer battery life, or you’re intrigued by the Audio Intelligence features, this is a watch worth buying.

If you’re on a budget, I’ve also been wearing the Apple Watch Series 12, which is similarly excellent and has all the same sensors and features as the Ultra 4. It’s also smaller, lighter, and more comfortable to wear for 24/7 sleep tracking.

With the Apple Watch Ultra 4, you’re getting Apple’s extreme durability, the best battery life on an Apple Watch, and that all-important Action Button, which really does make using your watch with sweaty fingers better, along with the native recovery metrics long requested by serious athletes. This stands out as Apple’s most competitive endurance wearable to date.

At last, an AI-powered version of Apple's Siri voice assistant is available for the Apple Watch thanks to the public release of watchOS 27, the newest Apple Watch software.

In my experience so far, Siri AI is more natural in its tone, making conversing less awkward. More importantly, the feature is much better at answering complex, context-based questions with a reasonable degree of reliability.

Here's how to load Siri AI on your Apple Watch and add a dedicated Siri AI widget to your watch face in seven easy steps. Plus, a list of eligible models.

How to enable Siri AI on your Apple Watch

1. Make sure your Apple Watch and iPhone are compatible with Siri AI
2. Update your phone to iOS 27; update your Apple Watch to watchOS 27
3. Turn on Siri in your phone’s settings and join the Siri beta waitlist
4. Turn on Siri in your Apple Watch’s settings
5. Open the Watch app on your iPhone, tap Display and Brightness > Face Gallery
6. Tap “New Watch Faces” and/or search for the “Siri Modular” face
7. Customize the Siri Modular face to your liking and tap “Add to Watch” when finished

Read on to see full illustrated instructions for each step.

And there you have it. Siri AI is now enabled on your Apple Watch, and the Siri AI assistant app is now fixed on your watch face for easy access. Of course, you can also open Siri by double-tapping the Digital Crown or using a gesture control like wrist raise.

Siri AI is still in beta, so your experience with the AI assistant might not be as smooth as the final product. Moreover, getting off the Siri AI beta waitlist can take anywhere from a few minutes or hours to several days. So, be patient.

More from Tom's Guide

• Apple Watch Ultra 4 first impressions: 5 reasons to buy and 2 reasons to skip Apple’s new rugged model
• We asked 368 people what they want from the Apple Watch Ultra 4. Here’s the resounding answer (and it’s not AI)
• I’ve been writing about the Apple Watch for the past decade: Here’s the rumored update I’m most excited about for the Apple Watch Ultra 4

Apple’s latest watchOS 27 software is officially out and available for free download, as long as you have a compatible Apple Watch (more on that below). The new operating system adds all sorts of new health and fitness features, AI tools, and usability improvements.

I’ve been exploring watchOS 27 all day — loaded up on my Apple Watch Series 11 — and it’s a modest yet welcome improvement to watchOS 26. That said, there is one notable downside to upgrading.

Read on for everything you need to know about watchOS 27, including compatible models, installation steps, the seven coolest new features to try first, and more.

Which Apple Watches support watchOS 27?

Apple is generally pretty good about supporting older Apple Watch models with new software. Unfortunately, this time around, the list of models compatible with watchOS 27 is frustratingly short. It includes the latest Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 (duh), along with:

• Apple Watch SE 3
• Apple Watch Series 9
• Apple Watch Series 10
• Apple Watch Series 11
• Apple Watch Ultra 2
• Apple Watch Ultra 3

Most notably missing from the list is 2022’s original Apple Watch Ultra model

How to update to watchOS 27

To update your Apple Watch to watchOS 27, you’ll first need to update your paired iPhone to the latest iOS 27 software. After that, navigate to the Settings menu, either on your Apple Watch or via the Watch app for iPhone, and open General> Software Update.

You might need to reload the update screen a few times by swiping down, but an option to download the latest watchOS 27 should eventually appear. When it does, tap Download, punch in your passcode if prompted, accept the TOS, and wait…

Depending on your internet connection, the whole installation process could take up to several hours. One more thing: Ensure your Apple Watch is on its charger during the update process and keep your paired phone close.

7 new watchOS 27 feature to try first on Apple Watch

With watchOS 27 up and running on your Apple Watch, now it's time for the fun part: exploring all the cool new features. Here's what I recommend checking out first.

1. Siri AI with dedicated Siri app

Ladies and gentlemen, a true-blue AI-powered Siri is finally available on the Apple Watch. With watchOS 27, your Apple Watch now has a dedicated Siri AI app that supports a more conversational style of interaction. The voice is also more natural and expressive, making interactions feel less awkward.

Perhaps most importantly, Siri is now actually good at answering even complex, context-based questions. The question is, can Apple's on-wrist Siri AI compete with Google Gemini AI voice assistant (as found on the latest Pixel Watch 5)? I look forward to testing both head-to-head in a coming article.

2. The Dynamic App Grid

Meet your new default home screen, the Dynamic App Grid. When you press the Digital Crown once, your Apple Watch will automatically display your five most frequently used and/or relevant apps, saving you the effort of scrolling around. As the name suggests, these update dynamically throughout the day.

But what if the app you want isn't one of those five? Simply swipe down/scroll to view the full app view.

3. New Siri Modular watch face

Apple's latest Siri Modular watch face is a personal favorite. Highly customizable, it automatically displays a complication for quick access to the most recently used widget in your Smart Stack. Best of all, this complication also updates dynamically. The new watch face additionally offers a complication to open the Siri app with a tap.

Of course, users can further customize the appearance of the Siri Modular watch face to their heart's delight with the complications and time format of their choosing.

4. Single-tap gesture control to open Smart Stack

The latest watchOS 27 introduces a handy new way to open the Apple Watch's Smart Stack and select one of the dynamic widgets: The Single Tap gesture control. Apple launched the Double Tap gesture in 2026, where users press their index finger and thumb together twice on their watch-worn hand to perform an action, like answering a call.

The new Single Tap gesture works exactly the same way, minus the second tap.

5. Call Context and Smart Stack suggestions

Apple's AI-powered Siri shows up in more places than just the dedicated Siri app. For instance, two new features, Call Context and Smart Stack suggestions, use Siri to automatically surface relevant information on the watch display when it might be useful.

The Call Context feature is designed to display relevant details when brought up during a phone call. For example, if I casually mention an upcoming flight while chatting with my mom, Call Context should then show my itinerary on the Apple Watch screen for me to reference (stay tuned for testing).

Smart Suggestions, meanwhile, generates reminders in your Smart Stack for things you might otherwise overlook/miss, like a friend's birthday, a low balance on a transit card, changes to an upcoming flight departure, and more.

6. New Find My app

One of my favorite watchOS 27 improvements is the updated Find My app, where people, objects, and devices are all consolidated into one easy-to-navigate map view.

I love to travel and use AirTags to keep tabs on all my luggage and bags. Now, instead of having to pull out my phone to make sure that my suitcase actually made it back home to Seattle and isn't still chilling in Amsterdam, I simply need to tap on my Apple Watch a few times and glance down at my wrist.

7. Improved indoor workout tracking

Last but not least, workout tracking accuracy for indoor activities like walking and running should be improved with the latest watchOS 27 release. While I'm not much of a treadmill guy — I prefer to walk and run outdoors, weather be damned — you can count on us fully testing these claims in the coming weeks.

As a big fan of Apple's overall approach to on-wrist fitness tracking, any accuracy improvements are welcomed with open arms.

Now, if only Apple would provide individual step counts for logged workouts...

watchOS 27: Goodbye Walkie-talkie app

With the good comes the bad. While watchOS 27 is brimming with a lot of cool, new features and design improvements, Apple sadly killed off one fan-favorite app in the latest release: the Walkie-Talkie app for Apple Watch.

What are your thoughts on the new watchOS 27 software, and what features are you most excited to try? Let me know in the comments below.

More from Tom's Guide

• Apple Watch Ultra 4 first impressions: 5 reasons to buy and 2 reasons to skip Apple’s new rugged model
• We asked 368 people what they want from the Apple Watch Ultra 4. Here’s the resounding answer (and it’s not AI)
• I’ve been writing about the Apple Watch for the past decade: Here’s the rumored update I’m most excited about for the Apple Watch Ultra 4

If you’re like me and sometimes struggle to remember names and other small bits of information on the fly, despite your best attempts, this article is for you.

At best, this shortcoming can lead to awkwardness; at worst, utter embarrassment. But what if some magical bit of tech solved this issue once and for all? Enter: Apple’s new Live Rewind feature for the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4.

I’ve long dreamed of being important/wealthy enough to have a team of assistants that follow me around, whispering crucial details in my ear before I need them… like names of acquaintances. Unfortunately, rather than pursuing a career in politics or entertainment, my calling was journalism, an occupation where you’re very much your own assistant (and editor, photographer, etc.).

No worries; Apple has my back. Here’s why I’m super-excited to try out the Live Rewind Audio Intelligence feature on the new Apple Watch 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4.

At last, a smartwatch feature for the short-term memory-challenged

The whole concept behind Live Rewind is to allow users to easily and discreetly relisten to short snippets of conversations they may have missed, immediately after-the-fact. When active, Live Rewind continuously records the past 15 seconds of ambient sound from your wrist.

When you want to rewind and listen in on something that was just said, you simply need to double-tap the digital crown and hold your smartwatch to your ear (or simply listen if you’re wearing paired Bluetooth headphones).

Not only do I see this feature being useful when meeting new people and trying to remember names, but also in the presence of fast-talking servers at restaurants, when asking for directions from strangers, or when trying to recall book/movie/TV recommendations from friends.

How does Live Rewind actually work?

How exactly does Live Rewind on the Apple Watch work? The Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 sport an upgraded S11 processor, which unlocks the ability to continually buffer up to 15 seconds of audio capture, day and night.

In addition to being able to play back 15 seconds of audio at a moment’s notice, the feature can generate a transcription of the audio — something I appreciate as a visual learner — as well. Users can even save said transcription for later.

Privacy isn’t an afterthought

The idea of having your smartwatch continuously record your surroundings 24/7 might seem a bit unsettling, and frankly, it is. However, Cupertino has put several actions in place to guarantee the privacy of anyone recorded by the latest Audio Intelligence tools.

For starters, the latest Apple Watches don’t actually save any audio files, on the device or in the cloud. Every 15 seconds of buffered audio is continuously replaced by new audio. Furthermore, the feature never identifies individual speakers (for better or worse). Finally, all the data used for this feature is encrypted end-to-end.

So, what are your thoughts on Apple’s new Live Rewind feature for the Apple Watch 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4? Is this something you might benefit from? Do you have any hesitations? Let me know in the comments.

More from Tom's Guide

• Apple Watch Ultra 4 first impressions: 5 reasons to buy and 2 reasons to skip Apple’s new rugged model
• We asked 368 people what they want from the Apple Watch Ultra 4. Here’s the resounding answer (and it’s not AI)
• I’ve been writing about the Apple Watch for the past decade: Here’s the rumored update I’m most excited about for the Apple Watch Ultra 4

The Apple Watch Series 12 just dropped, and you might be wondering whether to buy an Apple Watch Series 11 on sale or wait and pre-order the new watch. Both watches will run the new watchOS 27 software, both have the same battery life, and both look pretty much identical, but there are some key differences. We’ll dive into them below, so read this before adding either watch to your cart.

Apple Watch Series 12 vs Apple Watch Series 11: 6 biggest differences

Heart rate monitor

They might look the same, but flip the watches over and you’ll spot the biggest difference from a health and fitness-tracking perspective: the newer watch has a completely redesigned heart rate monitor. Apple says it’s the most accurate heart rate sensor in a wearable, with larger, more power-efficient green LEDs that measure your heart rate every five seconds, compared to every five minutes in the Apple Watch Series 11.

But why does this even matter? Continuous heart rate monitoring lets the watch provide more accurate heart rate variability (HRV) data. On the Apple Watch Series 12, you’ll be able to see your Recovery HRV score, which shows signs of stress and recovery, as well as your overall HRV, which offers insights into your overall health.

The new heart rate monitor also allows you to use Apple’s new Readiness score. More on that below.

Daily Readiness score

Readiness provides a single score out of ten with one of four different recommendations: Recover, Pace Yourself, Ready, or Go For It. Readiness updates throughout the day as new data comes in, and is based on your overnight vitals, sleep score, recent physical activity, and training load.

Charging speed

Even with continuous heart rate monitoring, both watches have the same 24-hour battery life in smartwatch mode. That said, the Apple Watch Series 12 offers faster charging and slightly longer GPS-mode battery life — 10 hours instead of 8 on the Series 11.

With the Series 12, 15 minutes of charging gives you 12 hours of battery life, making it easier to ensure you don’t miss any sleep-tracking data.

Audio Intelligence features

The third huge difference between the two devices is that the Apple Watch Series 12 has Apple’s Audio Intelligence features on board. This uses Apple Intelligence to tell you what song is playing in the background in real time, detect important sounds you might have missed, get a transcript of the last 15 seconds of conversation with Live Rewind, and take notes of your conversations throughout the day with Siri Recap.

These features will drop later in the year, and you can read more about the Audio Intelligence features on the Apple Watch here.

Processor

The Apple Watch Series 12 has the new S11 chip. As well as the features above, Apple says this chip has redesigned algorithms to improve the distance accuracy of indoor walk or run workouts, as well as a more accurate pedometer. With the Apple Watch Series 12, you’ll also be able to see how many steps you’ve taken each day from your home screen.

Durability and cases

While the two watches look pretty much identical, the Apple Watch Series 12 watches with aluminum cases have a tougher screen.

Finally, you’ll also get new finishes with the Series 12 — there’s a new radiant gold titanium casing, as well as two new ceramic casings in pearl white and night blue.

Which should you pick?

So, should you pre-order the Apple Watch Series 12, or save your money and buy the Series 11 when it goes on sale? We’re yet to fully test the Series 12, so stay tuned for our full review dropping later this month, but from the heart rate sensor alone, this seems like a worthy upgrade from a health and fitness tracking standpoint.

More from Tom's Guide

• We asked 368 people what they want from the Apple Watch Ultra 4. Here’s the resounding answer (and it’s not AI)
• Apple Watch Series 12 hands-on: A new heart rate sensor and a readiness score (at last)
• Apple Watch Ultra 4 is official: All the upgrades explained

If you’re a fan of the best smartwatches, you’ve been treated in recent weeks with the launch of the latest models of the Garmin Fenix and Apple Watch Ultra.

The Garmin Fenix 9 line-up launched in late August, with the top-of-the-range Fenix 9 Pro being Garmin’s most advanced sports watch yet.

A couple of weeks later the Apple Watch Ultra 4 was announced at Apple’s September event, boasting new features like continuous heart rate tracking and a readiness score.

We’ll thoroughly test both watches and compare them in our full reviews, but for now here’s a breakdown of how the pair stack up with regards to their key specs, features and price.

Apple Watch Ultra 4 vs Garmin Fenix 9 Pro: Specs compared

Apple Watch Ultra 4 vs Garmin Fenix 9 Pro: Price

The price is simple when it comes to the Apple Watch Ultra 4; it will set you back $799, the same price as its predecessor. There’s also only one model of the watch, which comes in either black or natural titanium,

Things are a lot more complicated with the Garmin Fenix 9 line-up, with three sizes, two display options and standard and Pro models to consider.

The standard Garmin Fenix 9 costs from $999, whereas the Fenix 9 Pro costs from $1099 and has a full titanium case and the option to add inReach connectivity as its key upgrades. I’m going to focus on the Fenix 9 Pro for this comparison, because it’s the top model in Garmin’s line-up.

Whatever Fenix you opt for, however, the Apple Watch Ultra 4 is going to be the more affordable option, and it’s $400 cheaper than a Garmin Fenix 9 Pro with inReach.

Apple Watch Ultra 4 vs Garmin Fenix 9 Pro: Design and display

Both watches have rugged, durable designs with full titanium cases and sapphire crystal displays. The Apple Watch Ultra has a square 49mm case, whereas with the Fenix 9 Pro you can choose between circular 43mm, 47mm and 51mm case sizes.

Another choice you get with the Fenix 9 Pro is the display type, because there is a memory-in-pixel Fenix 9 Pro Solar with solar panels on its face to boost battery life.

The standard Fenix 9 Pro has a 3,000 nit AMOLED display, matching the brightness of the Apple Watch Ultra 4’s Retina display.

Both watches stick with their classic button layouts — the Ultra 4 has three buttons, one of which is a digital dial, while the Fenix 9 Pro has five buttons.

They have equivalent waterproof ratings and both can be used for diving to depths of 40m.

A big design advantage for the Fenix 9 Pro is its built-in flashlight, which has white, red and green modes and is brighter and more useful than the flashlight option on the Ultra 4, which uses the watch face itself to light the way.

Apple Watch Ultra 4 vs Garmin Fenix 9 Pro: Health and fitness features

Both watches are packed with useful sports and activity tracking features, and the Apple Watch Ultra 4’s new continuous heart rate monitor and readiness feature are two big improvements that bring it into line with features that have been available on Garmin watches for some time.

We’ll be testing Apple’s claims that the new heart rate monitor on the Ultra 4 and Apple Watch Series 12 is the most accurate on the market, but I have been impressed by the heart rate accuracy on the Fenix 9 Pro so far in testing, and on past Apple Watch models.

The Apple Watch Ultra 4 has more health tracking features, like alerts for signs of an irregular heart beat and hypertension, whereas the Garmin’s strengths are in more extensive training analysis, with additional metrics rating your overall endurance and predicted race times.

Both watches have all the sports modes and stats you need to track workouts, and are also comprehensive daily activity and sleep trackers.

Apple Watch Ultra 4 vs Garmin Fenix 9 Pro: Smart features and connectivity

The Apple Watch Ultra 4 is a true smartwatch and offers more useful day-to-day features than the Fenix 9 Pro, especially with its new Siri AI-based features, like Live Rewind, Sound Recognition and Siri Recap.

There’s also a wealth of useful third-party apps available for the Apple Watch, whereas Garmin’s Connect IQ app store is much more limited, and Apple Pay is easier to set up and use than Garmin Pay.

The Fenix 9 Pro’s smart features do include music storage and the ability to link up with streaming services including Spotify, but the Apple Watch Ultra 4 is certainly smarter all round.

Both watches offer LTE and satellite connectivity though, which can be useful for staying in touch with others when you don’t have your phone, or to send SOS alerts if you get into trouble when adventuring off-the-grid.

This feature is only available on the more expensive Fenix 9 Pro model with inReach connectivity, and you will need a subscription with both watches to use these services, except for SOS alerts, which are free on both (for one year with the Fenix 9 Pro, for two years on the Apple Watch Ultra 4).

Apple Watch Ultra 4 vs Garmin Fenix 9 Pro: navigation

Garmin’s on-watch navigation tools are the best in the business, and you can quickly create and follow routes on the Fenix 9 Pro thanks to its routable maps, as well as getting specific info on what’s ahead of you when tackling long climbs or descents.

You can also view and use these maps with your sports modes, so you can see your activity stats and a map at the same time, unlike on the Apple Watch Ultra 4, which has its maps and routing features in a separate app to Workouts (though you can use third-party apps to shows maps during an activity).

Apple Watch Ultra 4 vs Garmin Fenix 9 Pro: Battery life

The Apple Watch Ultra 4 got a battery life bump that means it now offers up to 50 hours on a charge with the always-on display enabled, and 18 hours of GPS tracking in its most accurate mode.

However, this is an area where the Garmin Fenix 9 Pro certainly has the edge, no matter what size of the watch you opt for.

The Fenix 9 Pro 43mm lasts up to 10 days in watch mode and has 18 hours of GPS tracking. The 47mm watch lasts up to 18 days in watch mode and has 32 hours of GPS tracking, and the biggest 51mm watch I’m testing can last a whopping 31 days in watch mode and has 56 hours of GPS tracking.

Both watches can extend these ratings by using various low-power modes during activities, but if it’s battery life you want, the Fenix is the watch to go for.

Apple Watch Ultra 4 vs Garmin Fenix 9 Pro: Which should you buy?

The Garmin Fenix 9 Pro is built to be the ultimate adventure and sports watch and focuses more on battery life and training features than the Apple Watch Ultra 4, and it also offers more design choices and the flashlight, which I find invaluable.

For its part the Apple Watch Ultra 4 looks to be a very capable sports watch with more smarts and health features than the Fenix 9 Pro, and it also comes in a lot cheaper.

Both are among the best options in their category, but which suits you better will largely depend if you’re mainly looking for a sports watch, or a smartwatch.

More from Tom's Guide

• Apple Watch Ultra 4 first impressions: 5 reasons to buy and 2 reasons to skip Apple’s new rugged model
• Apple Watch 11 vs Apple Watch Ultra 3 — which one should you buy?
• We asked 368 people what they want from the Apple Watch Ultra 4. Here’s the resounding answer (and it’s not AI)

Apple has once again launched new Apple Watches, including the flagship Apple Watch Series 12 and premium Apple Watch Ultra 4. The question is, which one is right for you?

I'm here to help you answer that. Below, I've compared the Apple Watch Series 12 vs. Apple Watch Ultra 4 across seven categories, including cost, design, display, health and fitness, safety, AI, and battery life. Here's everything you need to know before you buy.

Apple Watch 12 vs Apple Watch Ultra 4: Specs compared

Apple Watch 12 vs Apple Watch Ultra 4: Price

This is an easy one; the Apple Watch Series 12 starts at $399, half the $799 cost of the Apple Watch Ultra 4. Even the priciest Series 12 configuration, 46mm with 5G+GPS, is $250 less than the latest Ultra model.

That said, if you opt for the Series 12 with an upgraded ceramic case (vs standard aluminum), it surpasses the Ultra 4 in cost: $899 for the 42mm and $949 for the 46mm. Note: there is no ceramic Apple Watch Ultra 4.

Both the Apple Watch Ultra 4 and Apple Watch Series 12 are available for preorder from September 9 with a September 18 ship date.

Apple Watch 12 vs Apple Watch Ultra 4: Design and durability

Even though the Apple Watch Series 12 features an upgraded Ceramic Shield 2 screen coating — which is 60% tougher than the Ion-X glass used on the Series 11 — the Apple Watch Ultra 4 is hands-down the more rugged model.

The Ultra 4, like those before it, boasts 100 meters of water resistance, enough for scuba diving and double that of the Series 12. Additionally, the Ultra 4 sports a sapphire crystal display, which is more scratch-resistant than even Ion-X glass.

From a usability standpoint, the Ultra 4's design includes an additional, customizable "Action" button on the side of the case opposite the digital crown and side button.

Apple Watch 12 vs Apple Watch Ultra 4: Display

The Apple Watch Ultra 4 and Apple Watch Series 12 each use the same display as their respective predecessors. Ultimately, the Ultra 4's display offers slightly more real estate than the 46mm Apple Watch Series 12, and a noticeable amount more than the 42mm model.

You'll find LTPO3 wide-angle OLED panels with 326 pixels per inch of resolution in both the latest flagship and Ultra models, but the latter's display is more powerful than the former's.

While the Series 12 maxes out at a respectable 2,000 nits, which is generally bright enough for viewing in bright sunlight, the Ultra 4 reaches 3,000 nits of max brightness. In my experience, that's bright enough to read the screen in even direct sunlight.

Apple Watch 12 vs Apple Watch Ultra 4: Health and fitness features

When it comes to onboard health and fitness tech and features, the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 are essentially a match. They both have Apple's new, redesigned holistic sensor array, which promises far more accurate heart rate tracking, ECGs, and heart rate variability insights compared to prior Apple Watches.

Both watches support a wide range of trackable workout types, along with onboard GPS for logging outdoor activities without a paired phone, but the Ultra 4 has a more advanced dual-band antenna compared to a single-band GPS on the Series 12.

Translation: In settings with obstructed skies, like cities or forests, the Ultra 4 will likely generate slightly more accurate location-based data than the Series 12.

Apple Watch 12 vs Apple Watch Ultra 4: Safety features

Apple's latest smartwatches are each jam-packed with useful safety features, including fall and crash detection, high/low heart rate alerts, Hypertension Alerts, and sleep apnea notifications. However, the Ultra 4 (and Ultra 3) have one unique safety tool not found on any other Apple Watch: Emergency SOS via satellite.

This feature allows users to connect to a satellite, even without a paired smartphone and/or a cellular signal, and send a message to friends and/or emergency responders with location and other details.

Apple Watch 12 vs Apple Watch Ultra 4: AI features

The Apple Watch 12 and Ultra 4 support the latest, greatest Siri AI-based features, including the onboard voice assistant itself, along with Live Rewind (lets you ‘go back in time’ up to 15 seconds), Sound Recognition(alerts users to sounds like sirens and alarms), and Siri Recap (takes high-level notes of conversations and generates summaries).

Some are concerned about potential privacy issues, but Apple stresses that Live Rewind only activates when you deliberately double-press the Digital Crown. In addition, audio is not recorded or stored for either feature and Siri Recap offers only AI summaries and not transcripts or speaker names.

Apple Watch 12 vs Apple Watch Ultra 4: Battery life

If you want the best battery life in an Apple Watch, your best bet is the Apple Watch Ultra 4, which is rated to last up to 50 hours per charge, more than double the 24-hour rating of the Apple Watch Series 12.

Apple Watch 12 vs Apple Watch Ultra 4: Which should you buy?

Apple has long been careful to differentiate the flagship Apple Watch series from the pricier Ultra series, and that's still the case in 2026. The Apple Watch Ultra 4 is tougher-built with double the water resistance, twice the battery life, a brighter screen, better GPS, and more impressive safety tools.

On the flip side, the Apple Watch Series 12 is much more affordable than the Ultra 4, with all the same cutting-edge health and fitness tools, AI features, and nearly the same-size screen (in the 46mm model). Oh, and it's also more comfortable on the wrist thanks to a slimmer case.

For most of us, the Apple Watch Series 12 is going to be the more sensible option. But if you fancy yourself to be a rugged, outdoor adventurer or hardcore athlete, then the extra cost of the Apple Watch Ultra 4 may be worth it.

Which new Apple Watch would you rather rock? Let me know in the comments.

More from Tom's Guide

• Apple Watch Ultra 4 first impressions: 5 reasons to buy and 2 reasons to skip Apple’s new rugged model
• Apple Watch 11 vs Apple Watch Ultra 3 — which one should you buy?
• We asked 368 people what they want from the Apple Watch Ultra 4. Here’s the resounding answer (and it’s not AI)

Shiny and new, shiny and new, we all love things that are shiny and new. Then again, just because something is fresh on the scene doesn’t necessarily mean it’s meaningfully better than its predecessor.

Hi, I’m Dan, and I review smartwatches. I’ve been covering the Apple Watch Ultra series ever since the first model launched. As you might expect, I had a long wishlist of upgrades for the fourth generation, many of which came to fruition!

Of course, not all my desires were fulfilled by the cult of Cupertino. With that in mind, here are the five biggest reasons I’m excited about the new Apple Watch Ultra 4 (i.e., the five biggest reasons to buy it).

And for all the contrarians out there, I've also included the two biggest letdowns, aka why you might want to skip the Ultra 4.

Buy: Better heart rate tracking

Apple went ahead and completely overhauled every aspect of the on-wrist holistic sensor array, including making the heart rate tracking LEDS more powerful and increasing the size of the electrode surface used for ECG readings.

Moreover, after extensive internal testing against the competition and a traditional chest-mounted heart rate monitor, Apple says that the Ultra 4 and Series 12 (which share the new holistic tech) are the most accurate heart trackers in any wearable on the market.

That’s not all; the new tech now takes heart rate readings every five minutes (60x times more frequently than the Ultra 3) and HRV readings every 15 minutes (24x more frequently than its predecessor) to better understand your long-term health trends.

Buy: New ‘Live Rewind’ feature

The Apple Watch Ultra 4 and Apple Watch Series 12 are the first two Apple Watch models to ship with true-blue Siri AI features built-in, including my personal favorite, Live Rewind.

Are you someone who forgets names moments after they're told to you? Did you just zone out while the server read off tonight’s specials? Live Rewind allows you to discreetly listen back to the past 15 seconds of audio at any given moment with a double-tap of the digital crown.

Essentially, the watch is constantly buffering 15 seconds of ambient audio from your wrist. However, actual recordings are never saved, individual voices aren’t identified, and all of the data used for the feature is encrypted end-to-end.

Buy: Improved battery life

This is a biggie and an upgrade that tends to top my wishlist for pretty much every anticipated smartwatch release. The Apple Watch Ultra 4 is now rated to last up to 50 hours per charge, a noteworthy increase over its predecessor’s 42-hour rating.

For extreme athletes, there’s also a new Max Extended workout tracking mode that increases longevity from around 18 hours with full-time GPS and continuous heart rate tracking to a whopping 45 hours without sacrificing cardiovascular and location insights.

Buy: More accurate distance and step count tracking

As one of TG’s resident smartwatch walk testers, I couldn’t help but smile when I saw that the Apple Watch Ultra 4’s onboard pedometer software has been completely overhauled for better step count and distance tracking accuracy, thanks in part to machine learning.

Stay tuned for countless head-to-head walk test comparisons with the Ultra 4 versus the competition; let me know in the comments which smartwatch I should test it against first!

Buy: No price increase

Unlike those nerds over at Google and Samsung, Apple opted to keep its pricing for the 2026 line of smartwatches exactly the same as before, inflation and RAM crisis be damned!

This is commendable and, frankly, not very Apple-like. But, hey, there’s a new CEO in charge, so maybe the Apple of today and tomorrow will be a little more budget-minded than the Apple of yesterday.

Skip: Same display

The Apple Watch Ultra 4 sports the same exact display as its predecessor. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a fantastic panel that’s easy to read at just about any angle. It also boasts an impressive max brightness of 3,000 nits.

That said, the Apple Watch Ultra 4’s nearest competitor, the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, boasts a max screen brightness of 5,000 nits. Ultimately, it would’ve been nice to see some sort of upgrade to the display in the Ultra 4, if only to keep up with its rivals.

Skip: It’s still gigantic

Every year, come late August, I close my eyes and pray to Steve Jobs, asking him for the one thing that would make the latest Apple Watch Ultra a total slam-dunk: A smaller size option. And every year, I’m disappointed.

The Apple Watch Ultra 4 is the same dimensions as its predecessor, and even though it isn’t quite as chunky as the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, it still wears rather large on my fairly average-sized 6.5-inch wrist.

Ultimately, in addition to the 49 x 44mm standard Ultra model, I’d loooove to see a second 45 x 40mm offering for those who prefer smaller wrist candy and/or have daintier extremities.

What are your thoughts on the new Apple Watch Ultra 4? What do you love, and what do you hate? Let me know below.

More from Tom's Guide

• I went hands-on with the Apple Watch Series 12: A new heart rate sensor, ceramic colors and a readiness score, at last
• We asked 368 people what they want from the Apple Watch Ultra 4. Here’s the resounding answer (and it’s not AI)
• I’ve been writing about the Apple Watch for the past decade: Here’s the rumored update I’m most excited about for the Apple Watch Ultra 4

"Your heart tells a story of your health, and it’s a story worth hearing," said Apple, as it announced the updated Apple Watch Series 12, with the most accurate heart rate sensor yet. It's not often a tech keynote makes me emotional, but as a health writer, this one did. Maybe I'm jet-lagged, or maybe I believe that these huge health updates might make this the best smartwatch on the market.

I spend my days writing about how the best prediction of longevity is how healthy your heart is. With a new heart rate sensor, the Apple Watch Series 12 gives you a heart rate reading every five seconds, 60 times more frequent than the Apple Watch Series 11. This supports HRV readings, a new readiness score that gives you deeper insights into when to push and when to recover, and new longevity features in the updated Health app.

With a built-in microphone for audio intelligence features and new ceramic colors, there's a lot to like about this new watch. Read my hands-on review of the Apple Watch Series 12 below to find out more.

Apple Watch Series 12: Quick facts

• Same 24-hour battery life: Despite the addition of continuous heart rate monitoring, the Apple Watch Series 12 has the same 24-hour battery life as the Series 11
• New S11 chip: Faster, more efficient processing with support for Siri AI features
• Redesigned holistic sensors: Apple says this is the most accurate heart rate sensor on a wearable; heart rate and HRV are sampled more frequently than before; HRV insights are now more readily displayed in the Health app
• New health metrics: Series 12 supports a new Readiness score and Health Age metric
• Siri AI features: The watch ships with support for Siri AI voice assistance; new "Audio Intelligence" features help you better navigate life's fine details

Apple Watch Series 12 hands-on: Specs

Apple Watch Series 12 hands-on review: Price and availability

The Apple Watch Series 12 is available for preorder starting September 9, with units expected to arrive on September 18. The Series 12 has the same starting cost as the Series 11 — $399.

In addition to the standard aluminum and upgraded titanium case options, the Apple Watch Series 12 is also available in two ceramic finishes: Pearl White and Night Blue.

See a full breakdown of pricing for all the case options and sizes below

• Apple Watch Series 12, 42mm, GPS (Aluminum): $399
• Apple Watch Series 12, 42mm, GPS+5G (Aluminum): $499
• Apple Watch Series 12, 46mm, GPS (Aluminum): $449
• Apple Watch Series 12, 46mm, GPS+5G (Aluminum): $549

• Apple Watch Series 12, 42mm, GPS+5G (Titanium): $699
• Apple Watch Series 12, 42mm, GPS+5G (Titanium): $749

• Apple Watch Series 12, 42mm, GPS+5G (Ceramic): $899
• Apple Watch Series 12, 42mm, GPS+5 (Ceramic): $949

Apple Watch Series 12 hands-on review: Design and display

Design-wise, the Apple Watch Series 12 looks pretty identical to the Apple Watch Series 11. That said, with Series 12, Apple has released some new colors: there's now a dark bronze in the aluminum case, radiant gold in the titanium case and all-new ceramic cases in pearl white and night blue.

The ceramic pearl white looks beautiful in person, and the radiant gold is a close runner-up in my eyes.

The biggest difference design-wise is on the back of the watch: the heart rate sensor has been completely redesigned. More on that below.

Apple Watch Series 12 hands-on review: Health tracking

Both the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 feature a completely new heart rate monitor, which Apple says offers the most accurate heart rate tracking in a wearable.

When looking at the two monitors side-by-side, the Series 12 and Ultra 4 have a “32-petal design,” whereas the older watches had a two-petal design. This refers to the spoke-like lines coming out of the electrode. The green LED lights, which measure your heart rate by shining light into the skin, are bigger and more powerful. This supposedly makes the heart rate tracking more accurate.

Heart rate data lies at the heart of a lot of health features on the Apple Watch, including HRV, workouts, and ovulation prediction. The new sensors all feed into the new daily Readiness score that is based on your recent workouts, sleep quality, and vitals. There's also a new Health Age score that compares your physical fitness to the average for your age range.

I will, of course, be testing the readiness score, and the heart rate tracking over the next week. You need a week's worth of data, including seven nights of sleep longer than four hours to recieve a readiness score. The readiness score will not roll out to older models, as it relies on the continuous heart rate monitoring offered on the Apple Watch Series 12.

Later this year, a redesigned Health app is expected to launch with a greater emphasis on long-term trend reporting and actionable Siri AI-powered insights and advice.

Apple Watch Series 12 hands-on review: AI features

The Apple Watch Series 12 ships running watchOS 27, which means that it's one of the very first Apple Watch models to support Apple's Siri AI voice assistant, which is trained to answer queries and provide context-based guidance tailored to the individual user.

Siri AI also powers a handful of new "Audio Intelligence" features like Live Rewind, which lets you go back and listen to the past 15 seconds of ambient sound at any given time by double-pressing the digital crown.

Not the best note-taker? Siri Recap can listen into your conversation or meeting and automatically generate a report highlighting key topics, along with an overall summary of what was discussed.

Finally, Series 12 supports Apple's Sound Recognition technology, which can automatically alert users when common sounds like a doorbell or fire alarm are observed.

Apple Watch Series 12 hands-on review: Battery life

The Apple Watch Series 12 has the same 24 hours of battery life as the Series 11, but Apple have given us faster charging as well as a bunch of new sensors. You can now get up to 80% charge in about 30 minutes, 15 minutes for up to 12 hours of normal use and 5 minutes for up to 10 hours of sleep tracking.

I will, of course, be testing the battery life claims.

Apple Watch Series 12 hands-on review: Should you buy?

It's too soon for me to say yes, you should buy this watch over the Apple Watch Series 11, but based on my brief experience with the watch, the ceramic casing is beautiful.

While the Siri AI elements are cool, what's more impressive, in my opinion, is the heart rate sensor.

My full review of the Apple Watch Series 12 will be dropping later this month, so stay tuned.

More from Tom's Guide

• iPhone Duo hands-on: Apple nailed it — and just put everyone else on notice
• Apple Watch Ultra 4 is official: All the upgrades explained
• Apple Event live blog — Hands-on with the iPhone Duo and all the big announcements including the iPhone 18 Pro Max, Apple Watch 12

The new Apple Watch Ultra 4 is here, and while it may look identical to its predecessor, I assure you it is not. Under the hood, the Ultra 4 sports a new, speedier processor, a more accurate/robust health sensor array, better battery life, and lots of cool AI tools.

Here's everything you need to know about the new Apple Watch Ultra 4 smartwatch based on our hands-on experience with the device at the official "Surprise and Shine" launch event in Cupertino, California.

Apple Watch Ultra 4: Quick facts

• Improved battery life: lasts up to 50 hours per charge compared to 42 hours for the Ultra 3
• New S11 chip: Faster, more efficient processing with support for Siri AI features
• Redesigned holistic sensors: Apple says this is the most accurate heart rate sensor on a wearable; heart rate and HRV are sampled more frequently than before; HRV insights are now more readily displayed in the Health app
• New health metrics: the Ultra 4 supports a new Readiness score and Health Age metric
• Siri AI features: the Ultra 4 ships with support for Siri AI voice assistance; new "Audio Intelligence" features help you better navigate life's fine details

Apple Watch Ultra 4: Specs

Apple Watch Ultra 4 hands-on review: Price and availability

The Apple Watch Ultra 4 is available for preorder from September 9, 2026. Units should hit store shelves and your hands starting on September 18.

The Apple Watch Ultra 4 is $799 / AU$1,349, the same price as the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and prior models.

Apple Watch Ultra 4 hands-on review: Design and display

The Apple Watch Ultra 4 looks physically identical to the Ultra 3, boasting the same dimensions, oversized display with 3,000 nits of max brightness, an all-titanium case, and 100 meters of water resistance.

Apple Watch Ultra 4 hands-on review: Health and fitness upgrades

Apple totally redesigned the health sensor array on the Ultra 4 to make its heart rate data more accurate, efficient, and frequently sampled. The new health sensing system now samples your heart rate every five seconds, 60x more frequently than its predecessor.

It also reads your heart rate variability every 15 seconds, a 24x increase in frequency over the Ultra 3. Apple also completely reworked the pedometer algorithm for improved step count accuracy and more precise distance data when logging an outdoor workout.

Apple is also adding several handy new metrics to the Health app, including a daily Readiness score that is based on your recent workouts, sleep quality, and vitals. There's also a new Health Age score that compares your physical fitness to the average for your age range.

Later this year, a redesigned Health app is expected to launch with a greater emphasis on long-term trend reporting and actionable Siri AI-powered insights and advice.

Apple Watch Ultra 4 hands-on review: AI features

The Apple Watch Ultra 4 ships running watchOS 27, which means that it's one of the very first Apple Watch models to support Apple's Siri AI voice assistant, which is trained to answer queries and provide context-based guidance tailored to the individual user.

Siri AI also powers a handful of new "Audio Intelligence" features like Live Rewind, which lets you go back and relisten to the past 15 seconds of ambient sound at any given time by double-pressing the digital crown.

Not the best note-taker? Siri Recap can listen into your conversation or meeting and automatically generate a report highlighting key topics, along with an overall summary of what was discussed.

Finally, the Ultra 4 supports Apple's Sound Recognition technology, which can automatically alert users when common sounds like a doorbell or fire alarm are observed.

Apple Watch Ultra 4 hands-on review: Battery life

The Apple Watch Ultra series has always been the brand's longest-lasting, and the latest Ultra 4 sees a welcome battery life rating increase from 42 hours per charge to 50 hours per charge.

When recording outdoor workouts with full heart rate and GPS data, the Ultra 4 is rated for roughly 18 hours per charge. However, a new Max Extended tracking mode increases that rating to an impressive 45 hours of use per charge.

Apple Watch Ultra 4 hands-on review: Should you buy?

Without thoroughly testing the improved battery life, health tracking, and outdoor workout logging claims, it's impossible to say for certain whether the Apple Watch Ultra 4 is a must-buy. The same goes for all the new holistic tools and AI features.

Furthermore, some of the advertised upgrades won't be available right at launch; the redesigned Health app with improved longevity insights and custom-tailored holistic advice won't be ready until later this year.

This is to say, it's probably best to hold off on dropping serious dough on the Ultra 4 until our full review is live later this month.

Apple just announced the Apple Watch Ultra 4 alongside the Apple Watch Series 12, iPhone Duo, and iPhone 18 Pro at the September 9th "Surprise and Shine" event in Cupertino, California.

Boasting loads of new wellness tools, improved heart rate tracking, better battery life, an upgraded processor, and a handful of cool AI features, here's everything you need to know about the Apple Watch Ultra 4.

Apple Watch Ultra 4: Upgrades cheat sheet

• Price and release: The Apple Watch Ultra 4 is available for preorder starting today and will be available on September 18; the price is $799, the same as the Ultra 3
• Design: The Apple Watch Ultra 4 looks similar to its predecessor; available in Black or Natural Titanium
• Health features: Updated health sensing system; improved heart rate and heart rate variability (HRV) tracking; HRV reflected in Vitals app; new Readiness metric; new Health Age score; redesigned Health app with improved recovery insights and personalized AI health/fitness guidance that updates dynamically; Health app now supports personal health data and lab results
• AI features: Support for Siri AI voice assistant; Live Rewind lets you ‘go back in time’ up to 15 seconds; Sound Recognition can auto-alert users to common sounds like sirens and alarms; Siri Recap takes high-level notes of conversations and generates summaries
• Under-the-hood: Upgraded S11 processor
• Battery life: Improved battery performance lasts up to 50 hours per charge; up to 18 hours when recording a workout with heart rate and GPS tracking

The Apple Watch Ultra 4 is a substantial upgrade over the Apple Watch Ultra 3, which is currently one of the best smartwatches you can buy.

Apple Watch Ultra 4: Price and availability

The Apple Watch Ultra 4 costs $799 / AU$1,349, the same as all the Apple Watch Ultra models that came before it. Available for preorder on launch day (September 9), the Apple Watch Ultra 4 will be available globally starting on September 18 in your choice of Black or Natural Titanium.

Apple Watch Ultra 4: Health upgrades

Improved heart rate tracking

The Apple Watch Ultra 4 and Series 12 boast “the most accurate heart rate tracking in wearables.” That is, of course, according to Apple’s own internal testing. To be fair, Apple completely overhauled the sensor array on the underside of the watch, making a number of significant improvements to its functionality.

Both the optical and electrical components have been reworked for more precise, efficient performance. More powerful LEDs measure your heart rate every five seconds, a 60-fold increase in sampling frequency over prior models.

Heart Rate Variability (HRV) is now measured every 15 seconds, a 24-fold increase compared to before. Speaking of HRV, users can now view that dynamic metric from the Heart Rate app. HRV is also logged in your overnight vitals report.

Dynamic Readiness score

Apple is finally adding a daily Readiness metric to the Health app, something nearly every other smartwatch brand has long offered. Based on a scale from one to ten, your Readiness Score updates dynamically and is based on recent workouts, sleep quality, training load, and vitals.

The score is accompanied by a brief, actionable, AI-generated recommendation for how to best tackle the day.

Improved step count tracking

The Apple Watch Ultra 4 should be Cupertino’s most accurate step counter, thanks to a completely overhauled pedometer that uses machine learning to more accurately log your steps and distance covered. There’s also a new step count complication to more easily stay on top of your efforts.

Redesigned Health app focused on trends and actionable advice

A totally overhauled Health app is expected to debut later this year with a greater focus on long-term health trends and personalized wellness and fitness advice, courtesy of Siri AI. The refreshed app is expected to offer new Longevity and Insights tabs. The former features a new Health Age feature that compares your physical fitness to others in your age range.

The Insights tab, meanwhile, is where you’ll find dynamic Siri AI-generated health briefings, workout suggestions, and more.

Finally, the updated Health app will better support the integration of a user’s personal health data, including notes from doctor’s visits and lab test results.

Siri AI with Siri Recap

The Apple Watch Ultra 4 supports Apple Siri AI voice assistant, but AI integration powers much more than just that. Siri Recap, for example, can be set up to listen in on important conversations and meetings, and then automatically generate a report with an overall summary along with key talking points. User control when this feature is active, either manually, via a schedule, or based on location.

Apple Watch Ultra 4: New AI features

Live Rewind and Sound Recognition

One of the more exciting new Siri AI features is Live Rewind. Let’s say you just met someone new at a dinner party, but their name “went in one ear and out the other.” With Live Rewind, I can double-tap the digital crown on the Ultra 4 and relisten to the past 15 seconds of ambient audio anytime I like.

It’s worth noting that Apple doesn’t identify people when using this feature or save any recording. Moreover, any logged audio is end-to-end encrypted.

Finally, the Ultra 4 supports Apple’s Sound Recognition feature, which can alert those who are hard of hearing when sounds like fire alarms, doorbells, sirens, or crying babies are registered.

Apple Watch Ultra 4: Battery life

Battery life on the Apple Watch Ultra 4 has been increased to 450 hours per charge, up from 42 hours per charge for the Ultra 3. When using the Ultra 4 to log an outdoor workout with continuous GPS and heart rate tracking, users can expect about 18 hours of use.

Extended workout tracking mode bumps that number to 25 hours per charge, while a new Max Extended mode increases battery life to an impressive 45 hours per charge.

The Ultra 4 charges a little faster than its predecessor. Apple says a 15-minute charge should provide up to 18 hours of use.

Apple Watch Ultra 4: Outlook

The Apple Watch Ultra 4 isn’t exactly a massive upgrade over the Ultra 3 —externally, the two are identical — but the combination of better health tracking tech, new AI features, improved battery life, and updated holistic tools galore… all for the same price as before, is pretty darn compelling.

Stay tuned for my full Apple Watch Ultra 4 review, coming soon. Until then, what new Apple Watch Ultra 4 features are you most excited about? Let me know in the comments.

More from Tom's Guide

• We asked 368 people what they want from the Apple Watch Ultra 4. Here’s the resounding answer (and it’s not AI)
• I’ve been writing about the Apple Watch for the past decade: Here’s the rumored update I’m most excited about for the Apple Watch Ultra 4
• Leaked Apple Watch 12 design change is the opposite of an upgrade — and that has me worried

Move over, Apple Watch Series 11; there's a new flagship Apple Watch in town. Apple just announced the Apple Watch Series 12 alongside the Apple Watch Ultra 4 during Cupertino's September 9 "Surprise and Shine" event (we also got the new iPhone 18 series and the iPhone Duo).

Boasting a completely redesigned health sensor array, upgraded processor, and tons of new wellness tools, here's everything you need to know about the Apple Watch Series 12.

Apple Watch Series 12: Upgrades cheat sheet

• Price and release: The Apple Watch Series 12 is available for preorder starting today and will be available on September 18, with a starting price of $399, the same as the Series 11
• Design: The Series 12 looks similar to the Series 11; available in Space Grey, Black, Light Gold, and Dark Bronze (aluminum case); Pearl White and Night Blue (ceramic case); Polished Gold and Polished Silver (titanium case)
• Health features: Updated health sensing system; improved heart rate and heart rate variability (HRV) tracking; HRV reflected in Vitals app; new Readiness metric; new Health Age score; redesigned Health app with improved recovery insights and personalized AI health/fitness guidance that updates dynamically; Health app now supports personal health data and lab results
• AI features: Support for Siri AI voice assistant; Live Rewind lets you ‘go back in time’ up to 15 seconds; Sound Recognition can auto-alert users to common sounds like sirens and alarms; Siri Recap takes high-level notes of conversations and generates summaries
• Under-the-hood: Upgraded S11 processor
• Battery life: Up to 24 hours per charge, same as Series 11

Last year's Apple Watch Series 11 currently tops our best smartwatch list; will the new Apple Watch Series 12 take its place? Maybe! Here's what's new and exciting about the latest model.

Apple Watch Series 12: Price and release

Unlike Google and Samsung, which increased pricing across their respective smartwatch lines this year, Apple kept the pricing of the Series 12 consistent with last year’s model. The Apple Watch Series 12 starts at $399 for the smaller, non-cellular 42mm model.

You can preorder the Apple Watch Series 12 starting today. The device is expected to be available on September 18th.

Apple Watch Series 12: Design

Like the Apple Watch Series 11, the new Apple Watch Series 12 comes in 42mm or 46mm. While the basic design and display remain unchanged, the Series 12 features Apple's Ceramic Shield 2 screen coating, which is 60% tougher than the Ion-X glass used on the Series 11.

Apple has also added some exciting new case options, including two ceramic models in your choice of Pearl White or Night Blue.

The Series 12 is additionally available in Polished Silver titanium and Polished Gold titanium.

Apple Watch Series 12: Health and fitness

The most notable upgrades to the Apple Watch Series 12 are related to health and fitness. Cupertino completely redesigned the sensor array on the bottom of the device for improved accuracy and efficiency.

The electrode surface, used for ECG, has been increased in size for more precise readings. The photodiodes, meanwhile, have been rearranged in a ring, resulting in improved efficiency, and the LEDS, used for monitoring heart rate, are more powerful than before.

The heart rate sensor on the Series 12 now takes a reading every five seconds, day and night, a 60-fold increase in sample frequency compared to the Series 11. Heart Rate Variability (HRV) is now sampled every five minutes, or 24 times more frequently than before.

According to Apple’s internal testing, the brand’s latest smartwatches have the “most accurate heart rate tracking in a wearable.”

Meanwhile, a new Heart Rate Variability meter, which lives in the Vitals app, provides dynamic stress and recovery advice. Apple has also added a dynamic Readiness Score, similar to what the competition offers, based on recent activity, sleep quality, and vitals.

Later this year, Cupertino will also be rolling out an updated Health app with a much cleaner design. It also adds a new “Insights” tab where users can view AI-generated summaries of their recent health trends. Speaking of AI, the app also generates custom-tailored workout and recovery suggestions.

There’s also a new “Longevity” tab where users can follow guided assessments to learn how their physical fitness compares to other users in their age range. Apple is additionally adding a new Health Age metric, similar to Garmin’s Fitness Age, which similarly compares your workout habits, VO2 Max, sleep trends, heart health, and more, to the averages for your age group.

Finally, the updated Health app will support the integration of personal health data, like lab results and medical stats. This feature is, of course, optional.

Apple Watch Series 12: AI features

The Apple Watch Series 12 supports Apple's Siri AI voice assistant, but that’s not all. There are a handful of new audio-based AI features that sound (pun intended) promising, like Live Rewind, which lets you relisten to the past 15 seconds of ambient sound at any moment with a double-press of the digital crown.

I’m admittedly bad with names, so I could definitely see this feature being useful at my next social outing. Like the latest iPhones, the Series 12 also supports Sound Recognition, which is designed to alert those who are hard of hearing to common noises like fire alarms, doorbells, and even a crying baby.

Finally, Siri Recap is designed to listen in on your important conversations and create digestible notes with summaries and key points. Users can set when this feature is active or not, either manually or via a schedule/geolocation.

It’s worth noting that when using these audio AI features, no actual audio is saved, speakers aren’t identified, and everything gets end-to-end encrypted. Unfortunately, you’ll need to wait a while to test Live Rewind and Siri Recap out; they won’t be released until later this year (in beta).

Apple Watch Series 12: Outlook

While improved battery performance or a brighter screen topped my upgrade wish list, the Apple Watch Series 12 still seems to be a noteworthy improvement over its predecessor, thanks to a faster processor, better health tracking tech, new wellness metrics galore, and support for some genuinely useful-sounding AI features. I'm also beyond pleased to see no price increases across the Series 12 line.

Stay tuned for our full Apple Watch Series 12 review. In the meantime, what are your thoughts on the new model? Are you excited for its debut, or less than impressed? Let me know below.

More from Tom's Guide

• We asked 368 people what they want from the Apple Watch Ultra 4. Here’s the resounding answer (and it’s not AI)
• I’ve been writing about the Apple Watch for the past decade: Here’s the rumored update I’m most excited about for the Apple Watch Ultra 4
• Leaked Apple Watch 12 design change is the opposite of an upgrade — and that has me worried

Apple is expected to launch new models of both the Apple Watch and Apple Watch Ultra at today's “Surprise and Shine” event, and according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, a new readiness app is set to be a key new feature on the watches.

Readiness scores are nothing new for wearables and are a key feature of screenless wearables like the Oura ring and Whoop 5.0, along with the best Garmin watches. Adding the holistic health metric to the Apple Watch is a great move in my opinion — I check the score regularly myself on my Garmin Forerunner 970 to help get a picture of the state of my body.

It’s not a perfect metric and as ever with the stats on wearables, a readiness score is just a guideline, not something to stick to rigidly, but if confirmed it would be a useful addition to the Apple Watch.

What is readiness and how is it measured?

Simply put, a readiness score indicates how prepared you are to handle the day ahead of you, based on health metrics measured by your wearable.

It’s sometimes called a recovery score and with many watches and trackers the focus will lean towards how ready you are to train in particular, so you can understand how hard to push in a workout.

The key stats generally used by a wearable to determine readiness are how well you’ve slept — both last night and over the past couple of weeks — the intensity of your recent activity and workouts, and heart rate stats like heart rate variability and your resting heart rate.

Heart rate variability (HRV) in particular is an important metric, because it’s often used as an indication of the stress on your body. Deviations from your normal ranges can indicate that you’re not well recovered, or are even getting ill.

Past Apple Watch models have measured all the key stats needed for readiness, but didn’t measure your heart rate continuously outside of workouts to save battery life, which reduces the accuracy of the stats that would underpin a readiness score.

The Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 are rumored to be getting a continuous heart rate monitor, which would tie in with the launch of a readiness score if true.

At the moment you can get readiness scores from apps like Bevel and Athlytic on the Apple Watch, but I’ve tested these and the lack of continuous heart rate monitoring does throw up some inconsistent results.

What are the benefits of a readiness score?

I use readiness scores as a handy one-stop shop that bundles a lot of data into one easy-to-understand data point I can use to check in on my body.

When I first started using the readiness score on Oura and Garmin devices, I realised I don’t really care exactly how I slept, or what my individual HRV scores were, I just want to know if I’m in good shape to tackle the day, and that’s how readiness works.

You can still dive into all the individual data points if you want, but the convenience of one score you can see quickly in an app or on your watch face is great for busy mornings.

Trends in your readiness score can be great indications of underlying problems too. If I feel like I'm sleeping well and training normally, low scores can be a sign I’m getting ill. This is especially handy as a parent of two young kids who seem to make it their mission to bring as many germs into the house as possible.

When I’m deep into marathon training and feel a little tired all the time, a high readiness score gives me confidence that I’m actually adapting well to training, and I find that aiming to get a high score promotes good habits like maintaining a consistent bedtime.

I don’t completely upend my plans if a low score comes up, but I might take things a little easier on my run if I see my readiness is in the red in the morning.

While it’s not a perfectly accurate score, which I’ll come to, I have found that trends in my Training Readiness score on my Garmin over many years have been a reliable indicator of where my body is at, and that’s useful info to have on your wrist.

What are the drawbacks of a readiness score?

Readiness scores reduces a lot of data to one single score, and if the data underpinning the stat is flawed, then your readiness score can be too.

Wearables are not perfect with regards to sleep tracking in particular, and with Garmin I have to bear in mind the watches tend to overestimate time asleep and account for that when looking at my score.

The Apple Watch is one of the better sleep trackers I’ve tested for accuracy, but does tend to give high sleep scores in my experience, which might in turn inflate your readiness score.

It’s worth checking in on the stats underpinning any readiness score occasionally to see if anything rings false, and in general I think it’s better to look at trends in your data from a device rather than a score on any given day. One very low readiness score might not mean much, but a few days of your score dropping could well be a sign something is wrong.

If the Apple Watch is getting a continuous heart rate monitor then this might reduce battery life too. That said, many wearables still manage to offer this feature while having long battery life, so hopefully the new watches will at least maintain the battery life of the Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3.

Perhaps a bigger drawback to readiness scores is that they can mess with your head a little. It’s important not to let them dictate your day too much and worry about a low score — you don’t need to be at 100% readiness to smash your workout or a busy day at the office.

I’ve run some of my best races on low-readiness days and actually usually don’t wear my watch the night before a marathon now, because I don’t find that data helpful on race morning.

Like all the data on your wearable, it’s a tool or a guideline that can help at times, but if it’s not proving helpful or actually even adding to your stress, then I think it’s always best to just ignore it.

As an example of that, Roger Bannister slept poorly and then worked a shift in a hospital the morning of the day he ran the first sub-four-minute mile. He wasn't sure if he'd even run, and if he'd had a watch telling him his readiness was low, maybe he wouldn't have. Data is useful, but don't let it be the boss.

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The Apple Watch Ultra 4 is set to be one of the new products launched at Apple’s upcoming Surprise and Shine event on 9 September, and it will follow hot on the heels of Garmin’s new flagship sports watches, the Fenix 9 and Fenix 9 Pro.

These were announced on 25 August, and I’ve been testing out the Garmin Fenix 9 Pro 51mm watch for the past week. I’ve tested every Fenix model since the Garmin Fenix 5 Plus, and I’ve also tested every Apple Watch Ultra launched to date, and both are consistently among the best sports watches available.

Apple has also made great strides in closing the sports tracking gap between its devices and the best Garmin watches, with accuracy, battery life and training analysis features all improving with each generation of the Ultra.

However, there are certainly still areas where the Garmin Fenix 9 Pro outperforms the Apple Watch Ultra, and even after just a week of using the new Fenix, there are two features I’d love to see on the Apple Watch Ultra 4.

Maps within activity screens

I feel like this should be a pretty simple update to effect, and it’s something that’s standard across any sports watch with offline maps.

The Apple Watch Ultra 3 does offer maps and navigation tools, but you can’t have the map as one of your data screens in an activity, so if you want to check your route during a run, for example, you have to exit the Workout app to see it, then switch back to the Workout app afterward.

With the Garmin Fenix 9, you just scroll down to your map screen, which can even show activity stats overlaid on the top, so you can follow a route while also checking the activity duration or pace.

You can actually do this already with third-party sports tracking apps on the Apple Watch, like WorkOutDoors, so hopefully it’s something that shows up as a software update during Apple’s September event and then rolls back to older Apple Watch models.

A built-in flashlight

This is an ambitious hope, but most of Garmin’s top watches now feature a built-in flashlight, and it’s just so useful that I have to hope it’s something that eventually pops up on the Apple Watch Ultra.

When Garmin first launched a watch with a built-in flashlight, I didn’t think it was all that big a deal, but I constantly use the flashlight on my watch, either to navigate around the house at night, find children’s toys that have rolled under sofas, or as an extra light when running after sunset.

The Garmin Fenix 9 Pro has an upgraded flashlight compared to past watches, with a new green option alongside the red light and several levels of white.

I don’t think the Apple Watch Ultra 4 has to go green, though it’s apparently useful for certain sports and for reading maps at night, but any kind of built-in flashlight would be a great addition to the watch.

At the moment, you can use the screen on the Apple Watch Ultra 3 as a torch, but it’s not as bright as a built-in LED light, nor as easy to direct light, and you can’t use the flashlight at the same time as using the screen.

This major design change is the kind of thing that would probably have shown up in leaks if it were going to arrive on the Apple Watch Ultra 4, but I live in hope it makes an unexpected appearance, especially as it would fit perfectly with the "surprise and shine" theme of the September event.

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There hasn’t been a ceramic Apple Watch since 2019’s Apple Watch Series 5, but that could be about to change. With the Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 tipped to arrive next week, one notable Apple insider suggests that an optional, elevated ceramic shell could be on the table this year.

In fact, we may get new Apple Watches offered in not one, but two ceramic case choices. Here’s everything you need to know about Apple Watch 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 ceramic case and general design rumors.

No massive Apple Watch design changes for 2026

We’re a little more than a week out from Apple’s big September "Surprise and shine" smartwatch and smartphone launch, and prolific Apple insider Mark Gurman just dropped some juicy details about what we might expect from the Apple Watch 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4.

For starters, it doesn’t sound like either model will look all that different from last year’s Apple Watch 11 or Apple Watch Ultra 3. Instead, Gurman predicts a major redesign for both lines will probably arrive in 2027.

Under the hood, however, there will likely be small improvements, like a faster processor and potentially improved heart rate tracking. However, a much-rumored onboard fingerprint scanner to unlock the Apple Watch doesn't seem to be in the cards, says Gurman.

Apple's first ceramic model in seven years?

Despite Gurman putting the kibosh on some of the more exciting Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 design rumors, he’s fairly certain of one: the return of an optional ceramic case.

Why is a ceramic smartwatch case such a big deal? In addition to being more impact-resistant than stainless steel and aluminum, zirconia ceramic is also more scratch-resistant than the former (though not the latter).

That said, for most folks, the real appeal of a ceramic Apple Watch 12 or Ultra 4 case will come down to aesthetics. For example, the Series 5 in white ceramic (shown at the top of the page) was widely admired for its unique, elevated, pearly appearance.

According to Gurman, new ceramic color options for the latest Apple Watch models might include a similar pearly white and dark grey.

Apple Watch 12 ceramic: price prediction

Here’s the bad news: When the Apple Watch Series 5 launched in 2019, the standard model started at $399 while the ceramic Series 5 started at a whopping $1,299.

I’m not even going to wager how much a ceramic Apple Watch Ultra 4 might go for, as I’m also not convinced Cupertino will offer such a model. The Series 12 ceramic, however, seems much more possible.

I'm already anticipating a potential price increase for the standard flagship Apple Watch 12 (though nothing is confirmed). Let’s assume, for a moment, the new model starts at $449 instead of $399. In that scenario, I could see a ceramic Series 12 starting as high as $1,499. Woof.

What are your thoughts on the possibility of a ceramic Apple Watch Series 12 or ceramic Apple Watch Ultra 4? Let me know in the comments below.

More from Tom's Guide

• We asked 368 people what they want from the Apple Watch Ultra 4. Here’s the resounding answer (and it’s not AI)
• I’ve been writing about the Apple Watch for the past decade: Here’s the rumored update I’m most excited about for the Apple Watch Ultra 4
• Leaked Apple Watch 12 design change is the opposite of an upgrade — and that has me worried

Apple's "Surprise and Shine" event is confirmed for Wednesday, September 9 at 10:00 a.m. PT / 1:00 p.m. ET. And according to rumors, we can expect a new Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 to be unveiled.

Whether these watches appear and what they look like remains to be seen (I’ll be in Cupertino keeping you updated), but for now, this is the Apple Watch Ultra 4 rumor I’m most excited about.

This is the Apple Watch Ultra 4 rumor I’m most excited about

I’ve been writing about the Apple Watch for the past decade, and without a doubt, the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is the best Apple Watch for runners, cyclists, and fitness fanatics. I wore the Apple Watch Ultra 3 alongside this Garmin for the London Marathon in April, and was impressed with the GPS accuracy, even through the mile 20 Canary Wharf skyscraper dead zone. Yet I have one pretty big issue with the Ultra, and every model that has been released so far: it’s huge on my wrist, and pretty uncomfortable, especially at night.

According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, this year the big news regarding Apple Watches will be what’s inside. In his Power On newsletter, Gurman wrote, “None of this year’s watches is expected to get a major design overhaul, I’m told. Apple is more focused on what’s inside: There will be health and fitness-tracking improvements, along with a long-awaited bump in chips and speed.”

It’s thought that these health and fitness improvements will include a new high blood pressure notification, but other than that, it’s unclear. I predict vast updates to Workout Buddy, or Apple introducing an AI health coach, similar to the Gemini coach used in the Google Health App.

Yet elsewhere, reports have hinted at a slightly thinner and smaller design for the Apple Watch Ultra 4, a rumor I’m really hoping is true. One day, I’d love to see two different size options for the Ultra 4 to suit different wrist sizes, but this is probably a long way off. Time will tell, but one thing is for sure — we don’t have long to wait.

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• 10 Apple Watch innovations that changed the game — from Fall Detection to Hypertension Alerts
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Grab a grain of salt and join me; it's time to chew on the biggest Apple Watch rumors of 2026 (so far). With not one but two new models possible on September 9th — the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 — there's a lot to cover. So, let's focus on the flagship.

As is often the case this time of year, leaks and "insider" reports are plentiful, ranging from believable to, well, not. With that in mind, here's everything we think we know about Apple's next flagship wearable, the Apple Watch Series 12, including whether or not it has a chance of making our Best Smartwatch list.

Apple Watch 12: Rumors in brief

• Price and launch: Expected to be revealed on September 9's "Surprise and shine" event; preorders will likely open on Saturday, with units shipping the following week; a price increase is possible following
• Health and fitness: Support for wrist-based blood pressure readings is rumored but remains unlikely; an updated Health app focused on long-term trends is possible; Apple may also (finally) bring users' health, fitness, and medical data under the roof of a singular app
• Design and display: A more efficient LTPO display is possible; a fingerprint scanner for Touch ID is rumored but less likely; an upgraded ceramic case option is possible
• AI features: The Series 12 is expected to support Apple's new Siri AI voice assistant; a personalized wellness concierge is also rumored
• Battery life: A larger capacity battery is possible; the S12 processor could bring efficiency improvements, too

Apple Watch 12: Price and launch predictions

Apple tends to hold an annual launch event in the second week of September, and this year is no exception.

Apple has confirmed a "Surprise and Shine" launch event for Wednesday, September 9th, where we'll likely get our first look at the Apple Watch Series 12, Apple Watch Ultra 4, and iPhone 18. That said, with the U.S. Labor Day holiday falling the Monday before, Apple may push the event to Wednesday, September 9th or the following Tuesday, September 15th.

How much will the Apple Watch 12 cost? With both Samsung and Google increasing pricing across their respective smartwatch lineups — the Pixel Watch 5 now starts at $399, and the Galaxy Watch 9 starts at $379 — a price bump for the Apple Watch 12 is possible. Put another way: a $399 starting price for the flagship smartwatch is far from guaranteed.

There are also rumors of a ceramic Apple Watch Series 12. The last time Apple offered such an upgrade was in the 2019 Apple Watch Series 5. That model started at $399 for the standard version, but jumped to $1,299 for the ceramic model. So, yeah, if a ceramic Series 12 does exist, it will surely cost a pretty penny.

In terms of availability, Apple usually opens preorders on the Friday after a Tuesday product announcement, with units hitting store shelves in the weeks that follow; I suspect this will be the case for the Series 12, too.

Apple Watch 12: Health and fitness rumors

The Apple Watch Series 12 could arrive with an updated health sensor array. According to a report in DigiTimes (via Wccftech), such an upgrade might unlock new holistic metrics or trend reports.

We could also see an expansion of Apple’s groundbreaking Hypertension Alerts feature. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, one of the more trusted Apple insiders, Cupertino is hard at work on a wrist-based blood pressure monitor that provides readings similar to a traditional cuff. The question is, when will it be ready? I'm not convinced 2026 is the year.

On-wrist blood glucose monitoring is another focus for the Apple Watch team, but according to Gurman, that tech is even further out than blood pressure monitoring.

You can also expect an overhaul of the onboard Health app, with key metrics better organized in one location and a greater emphasis on long-term wellness trend reporting.

In fact, according to Bloomberg's Gurman, there's a possibility that Apple will finally bring all of a user’s health, fitness, and medical data under the roof of a singular app.

Apple Watch 12: Design and display rumors

The Apple Watch Series 12 is rumored to sport an updated processor (likely dubbed S12), which could make it both faster and less power-hungry than the S10 chip in the Series 11. Less likely but still possible: the Series 12 arrives with an LTPO display, which would be more power-efficient than the OLED panel in the Series 11.

I’d also like to see Apple increase the screen brightness on the Series 12 to 3,000 nits or more (from 2,000 nits) to keep up with the latest Google Pixel Watch 5 and Samsung Galaxy Watch 9.

Changes to the case dimensions and button layout seem unlikely. The Series 10 ushered in an updated case in 2024, and Apple only tends to switch up the design every four-ish launch cycles. Moreover, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman also thinks a major design shift is unlikely.

One design-related rumor I'm hoping doesn't come true is the introduction of a new strap attachment system. Such a change would render all previously acquired Apple Watch straps useless, a move that would no doubt annoy longtime customers far and wide.

Some insiders think the Series 12 will sport a front-facing camera hidden beneath the display, not for taking pictures, but for unlocking the screen with Face ID or for AI-backed visual scene and object recognition. The best iPhone models already have a similar Visual Search tool that uses the camera. Perhaps Cupertino is bringing the tech to the Apple Watch next. Either way, this rumor doesn't seem all that likely.

On the other hand, the addition of a long-retired iPhone feature, Touch ID, seems a tad more plausible. According to a report from Macworld, Apple has at the very least explored adding this much-asked-for feature, which would eliminate the need to punch in a passcode every time you want to unlock the watch.

Apple Watch 12: AI features

Apple has already confirmed that the next-gen watchOS 27 operating system will support the company's AI-powered Siri voice assistant. While some older models will also get this feature via a free firmware upgrade, the Apple Watch 12 will likely ship with watchOS 27 pre-installed.

The real question is, will the new Siri AI be ready to roll right from the start when the Series 12 arrives? I'm optimistic it will. Other new AI tools could come in the form of a more personalized wellness concierge that helps you set and maintain goals, sort of like an expansion of Workout Buddy for your overall health.

Apple Watch 12: Battery life predictions

The Apple Watch Series 11 received a nice battery life increase over the models before it, from 18 hours per charge to 24 hours. Might the Apple Watch 12 last even longer? It's certainly possible! But the stars will have to align.

While a more efficient processor and display technology could meaningfully reduce power consumption, a larger-capacity battery — which a handful of insiders have suggested — could mean that the Series 12 lasts substantially longer than the Series 11. But don't get too excited; most of the bigger-battery reports have come from less-than-reliable leakers, so this upgrade is far from guaranteed.

Apple Watch 12: Outlook

Last year’s Apple Watch Series 11 represented a fairly minor upgrade over the Series 10, with the primary benefit being better battery performance. This makes me hopeful that the Series 12 will be an even bigger jump in performance and features.

For example, a next-gen sensor array that unlocks new wellness trend data would be a welcome advancement, while support for on-wrist blood pressure readings would be the ultimate holistic upgrade (and a major flex on the competition), even if it's less likely.

Toss in a fingerprint scanner for unlocking the Series 12, a more power-efficient display, and a larger-capacity battery (why not?), and Apple's new flagship smartwatch starts to look like a legit upgrade over last year's model, rather than an iterative one.

What do you think? Is the Apple Watch Series 12 something you're excited for, and if so, what features are you hoping for the most? Let me know below.

More from Tom's Guide

• 10 Apple Watch innovations that changed the game — from Fall Detection to Hypertension Alerts
• I'm a smartwatch reviewer, and here's my Apple Watch Series 12 wish list — three upgrades I want, and one I don't
• 3 Apple Watch settings I always turn off to maximize battery life

The Pixel Watch 5 is Google’s most accurate smartwatch ever for tracking outdoor activities. Google even benchmarked its performance against pricier wearables, including the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Garmin Fenix 8 Pro, two of the best smartwatches available for fitness tracking, but can it really compete?

I decided to find out by strapping the Pixel Watch 5 to one wrist and the Apple Watch Ultra 3 to my other and walking seven miles around Seattle, Washington.

Google says that the latest Pixel Watch is twice as accurate at route mapping in environments with obstructed skies like “urban canyons,” so I made a point of cruising around the Emerald City’s denser neighborhoods, like South Lake Union, which is jam-packed with gleaming corporate skyscrapers.

I also made my way through several expansive parks, meandering beneath enormous canopies of old-growth trees.

So, how did the Pixel Watch 5 do? Check out the results below.

I walked 7 miles with the Apple Watch Ultra 3 vs Pixel Watch 5

Note: I split my walk into two separately tracked legs and ran Strava on my iPhone 16 Plus as a control for distance, pace, and climb.

The Pixel Watch bested the Apple Watch at tracking my distance

For distance-tracking precision, the Google Pixel Watch 5 proved slightly more capable than the Apple Watch Ultra 3 during this demo, assuming, of course, Strava's data is correct (which it generally is).

That said, both devices did pretty well at logging my miles — well within a reasonable margin of error — but the latest Pixel Watch did just a little better.

Elevation tracking is a toss-up

Things get a little trickier when we look at elevation. For the first leg of my walk, the Apple Watch Ultra 3 proved more accurate, with a total climb tally that's just 18 feet less than the control. Google was more generous with my uphill efforts, to a fault, logging 41 additional feet of gain compared to the control.

During the second leg of my walk, though, the Pixel Watch beat the Apple Watch with a total climb that was just 11 feet greater than Strava's measure, compared to 24 feet over for the Ultra 3.

Both watches noted similar paces

Strava tends to log slightly quicker pace data than most modern smartwatches I test, and the same is true here, even if Strava's data isn't that much faster.

That said, for each of the two legs of my walk, the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Google Pixel Watch 5 calculated remarkably similar paces, a result I love to see.

Heart rate data is also a near-match

The same is true for heart rate data: Both the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Google Pixel Watch 5 measured strikingly similar averages and maxes during each of the two portions of this test. I know this article is mainly about GPS performance, but I would be remiss not to mention this impressive outcome.

Ultimately, this comparison has left me feeling downright cheery about the state of modern smartwatch fitness tracking, with each device performing incredibly well across the board.

Which begs the question: Can the Google Pixel Watch 5 keep up with the pricier Apple Watch Ultra 3 when it comes to logging outdoor workouts using onboard GPS in tricky environments? I'd say the answer is a resounding yes.

Which of these two smartwatches would you be more likely to use to track an outdoor workout? Let me know in the poll below.

More from Tom's Guide

• Apple Watch Ultra 3 vs Pixel Watch 4 XL — I walked 6,000 steps, and the winner is clear
• I walked 4,000 steps with the Apple Watch Ultra 3 vs Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 — and the winning margin was razor-thin
• Exclusive: Inside the Pixel Watch 5's breathing emergency detection — and why it's like an 'airbag on your wrist'

The Apple Watch has looked pretty much the same for the last 11+ years — a rectangular wearable with a large screen and some buttons on the side — but that could soon change.

According to a report from Business Insider’s Mark Gurman, a prolific Apple insider, Cupertino is actively exploring a potentially revolutionary redesign of the Apple Watch, and future models could look nothing like today's.

From a circular case design to ditching the screen altogether, here’s everything you need to know about the latest Apple Watch redesign mutterings.

Screen-free is the way to be?

2026 is truly the year of the screen-free fitness tracker. Both Garmin and Google just launched subscription-free competitors to the Whoop 5.0 in the form of the Garmin Cirqa and Fitbit Air. Might Apple do the same?

According to Gurman, it’s doubtful we’ll see a screenless Apple Watch in 2026. However, Apple R&D is apparently actively considering the concept. Of course, this isn’t the first time talk of a screen-free Apple fitness tracker has surfaced.

Over the past decade, Apple has filed numerous patents hinting at the possible development of an Apple smart ring. However, there’s little evidence suggesting such a product is a current priority.

This is to say, I wouldn’t count on an Apple-built Oura Ring competitor anytime soon. But an Apple-built Whoop alternative? That might actually be on the horizon.

A screen-free Apple Watch could solve my biggest gripe

The number one thing holding back full-featured smartwatches, especially Apple Watches, in 2026 is battery life, or rather, lack thereof. Even the best Apple Watch models don’t last more than a few days per charge.

The latest Apple Watch Ultra 3, for instance, gets just 42 hours per charge in the standard operating mode, but what if Apple nixed the display, a notorious power hog?

The results could be an Apple wearable that cruises for closer to a week; the Fitbit Air lasts seven days, the Garmin Cirqa is good for ten days, and the Whoop 5.0 keeps on chooglin for up to two weeks.

Other radical Apple Watch redesigns are also on the table

Apple Watch with a circular design. He also suggests that Cupertino is considering expanding the Apple Watch line to potentially include premium models above the Ultra series and/or more affordable ones below the SE range.

In the more immediate term, Gurman suggests that 2026 may see a return of the ceramic Apple Watch case design as an optional upgrade for the latest models likely arriving this fall. The list may include the Apple Watch Series 12 and the Apple Watch Ultra 4.

Ultimately, while it’s exciting to know that Apple is taking an open-minded approach to the future look and feel of the Apple Watch, Gurman notes that the design team has yet to settle on any one direction.

Of course, as with all insider Apple reports and rumors, digest the above info with a grain of salt or two.

Would you consider a screen-free Apple Watch? Let me know in the poll below.

More from Tom's Guide

• I just reviewed the Garmin Cirqa — 5 things you need to know about Garmin’s subscription-free Whoop and Fitbit Air alternative
• I trekked the Cascade Mountains with the Apple Watch Ultra 3 vs Garmin Instinct 3 vs Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 — this is the one I'd take on my next hike
• Is your old fitness tracker good enough? I tested a 5-year-old Fitbit vs Apple Watch Series 11 on a 5,500-step walk to find out

I've been wearing an Apple Watch to track my runs ever since I ditched Fitbit a few years ago, and I've settled into a good rhythm with one of the best Apple Watches, the Apple Watch Ultra 2, since 2024.

However, before considering a potential upgrade to the rumored Apple Watch Ultra 4 (if it breaks cover), I wanted to see what Samsung's latest — the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 — had to offer. So I borrowed the press sample loaned to the Tom's Guide fitness team, strapped it to my right wrist (I wore the Apple Watch on my left) and clocked up my usual 10K (6-mile) run.

The watches are unerringly similar: both sport a rugged design, a shortcut button (Action Button on the Apple Watch, Quick Button on the Galaxy Watch) for starting an exercise quickly and dual-frequency GPS for accurate location tracking.

Of course, one run isn't enough to say whether one is better than the other, but there were a few things that immediately stood out about Samsung's effort. Before we get to them, here's the data each watch captured.

As you can see from the table above, there are some discrepancies in a few areas, which I can explain. I tend to mix running with calisthenics training and aim to complete 100 push-ups during each run.

On the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, I had auto-pause enabled, which kicked in every time I dropped down to rattle off some push-ups. That explains the difference in duration, distance, pace and cadence (since the Apple Watch Ultra 2 just kept rolling), but I'm not sure why the active calorie count is so different between the two.

Leaving the stats behind and progressing on to good old-fashioned subjectivity, here are three things I really liked about the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 and one where my trusty Apple Watch Ultra 2 still wins out.

3 things Samsung did better

The bright screen

Samsung has given the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 a 1.52-inch Super AMOLED display with up to 5,000 nits of peak brightness. The company is known for making display tech, and over the course of the run I was constantly impressed with how legible the display was. It adjusted smoothly between sunlight and shade, and I never had to worry about glare on the screen.

Literally and figuratively, the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 outshone the 3,000-nit LTPO OLED screen on my Apple Watch Ultra 2. When you couple this with the fact that Samsung's workout display shows fewer metrics in a larger font size, it means the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 wins the glance-ability contest.

I also like how your current heart rate zone is displayed with a rainbow color scale at the bottom, which pops on the AMOLED screen. While you get more pixels on the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 (502 × 410 vs 498 × 498 pixels on the Apple Watch Ultra 2), this didn't make as much of a difference to me as the brightness.

The strong haptics

Apple calls the haptic technology inside the Apple Watch (and iPhone) the "Taptic Engine". But based on my run with both watches, I'd rate the horsepower inside the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 as higher.

I haven't done a teardown of each model, so I can't say for certain which vibration motor is larger or stronger, but I felt that buzz on my right wrist plenty more than the one on my left. I think it's important too, since I rely on the haptics to alert me to each kilometer I cover. It's not as much of a necessity on a small run, but if you're getting to half-marathon or marathon territory, it becomes indispensable.

Even without haptics, the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 called out my splits and pacing from the built-in speaker. It was loud enough (albeit a little robotic) to hear comfortably without ever having to raise my wrist. I disabled this same feature (called Voice Feedback) on my Apple Watch Ultra 2 a long while ago, so I don't have a comparison from this run. But I'll make sure to re-enable it again on my next one to see if the Apple Watch Ultra 2 can hold up in this regard.

The comfortable strap

It seems like a small thing to mention, especially since they're interchangeable, but the bundled Marine Band attached to the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 has caught my attention. Samsung sells this separately for $90, and in my experience, it's an extremely comfortable strap that sat snugly on my wrist during the run.

It didn't slide around when I started to sweat thanks to the channel on the underside that encourages airflow. My Apple Watch Ultra 2's Trail Loop band, by comparison, was drenched in sweat by the end of the run.

While I never wore Samsung's original Marine Band, this latest version reduces the weight by 10g (0.35oz) by, among other things, switching the keeper from titanium to rubber.

Overall, the band is slimmer and as a result more flexible on the wrist. Even if you don't plan on upgrading to the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 from the first generation, I'd encourage looking into this strap as a purchase. It uses Samsung’s Dynamic Lug band attachment system and fits the original Galaxy Watch Ultra just as well.

I have an affinity for chunky watches, so the Galaxy Watch Ultra's 47.4 x 47.4 x 12.1 mm dimensions don't bother me — but it's definitely a watch I'd rather wear for running than for sleeping.

1 thing it didn't like

Apple's Digital Crown still reigns

It's been hot this summer. Like, really hot. But I live in the U.K., where a lot of the time it's cold and/or rainy. This can often necessitate wearing gloves while out running, hiking, or cycling and if there's one thing I've learned, it's that physical controls always win out where gloves are concerned.

During a run, if I want to raise or lower the volume of my audio or scroll through my metrics, nothing beats the tactile feeling of Apple's Digital Crown. The tiny little grooves etched into the metal can be felt through running gloves, and you don't even need to look at the Apple Watch to use it.

Samsung has given the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 a Touch Bezel feature you can activate in the settings, letting you run your finger around the edge of the display to scroll through the watch's functions. There are some vibration haptics that accompany this, but it's just nowhere near as easy or as satisfying as Apple's solution.

Even a physical rotating bezel as you'd find on a dive watch would have been better. I haven't used this feature in the heavy rain or snow, but I can't see it faring as well as the Digital Crown when you need to interact with your smartwatch with cold, numb fingers.

Final thoughts

Coming away from a single run with the two watches, there's no question the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 is the superior device. It's brighter and more performant with greater storage and a longer battery life.

It also undercut the Apple Watch Ultra 2 at launch with a price of $699 to Apple's $799 (the current price of the Apple Watch Ultra 3), so it wins out if you're on a budget, too. Of course, you can currently find the Ultra 2 at a reduced price since it's been usurped by the Ultra 3, but for the sake of comparing apples to...err...apples? Samsung wins on price.

But it's not a complete victory. For instance, I like that the summary of your run stays up longer on the Apple Watch Ultra 2 than it does on the Galaxy Watch Ultra. Also, while the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 is a good-looking timepiece, I'm not entirely sold on the square-circle hybrid case design.

My final takeaway is to see what the Apple Watch Ultra 4 holds if and when it launches in a couple of months. Then I'll decide whether to keep my affinity with Apple going for another year or jump ship over to Samsung's side for future workouts.

What's your wearable of choice for recording your activity? Let me know if you prefer Apple or Samsung (or split the difference and go with Garmin) in the comments below.

More from Tom's Guide

• I trekked the Cascade Mountains with the Apple Watch Ultra 3 vs Garmin Instinct 3 vs Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 — this is the one I'd take on my next hike
• Garmin Cirqa vs Fitbit Air vs Whoop vs Oura Ring: Our fitness experts are helping you pick the perfect fitness tracker
• I walked 4,000 steps with the Apple Watch Ultra 3 vs Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 — and the winning margin was razor-thin

I just got back from a trip to North Cascade National Park where I experienced the grandeur of jagged mountain peaks, dynamic waterfalls, cerulean rivers, and breathtaking glaciers. Of course, I logged each day of my adventure using a menagerie of the best smartwatches.

To kick things off, my partner and I hiked to Blue Lake, a seriously stunning alpine lake accessible via a well-maintained out-and-back trail. I’m in the process of reviewing the new Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, so this seemed like the perfect opportunity to test it against its direct competitor, the Apple Watch Ultra 3, and my current go-to smartwatch for adventure tracking, the Garmin Instinct 3.

With just two wrists of my own, I asked my partner to rock the Apple Watch Ultra 3 (worn on her left wrist), while I wore the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 on my left wrist and the Garmin Instinct 3 on my right wrist before embarking on our Cascadian trek. I also ran Strava from my iPhone 16 Plus.

Apple Watch vs Galaxy Watch vs Garmin: hike data compared

Three hours, five miles, roughly a thousand feet of climb, and one very chilly swim later, we returned to the car, where I carefully logged the results from each device. The outcome of the comparison was crystal clear; one wearable proved more capable and up to the task than the others. Read on to find out which.

Here are three reasons why I’d choose the Garmin Instinct 3 over the Apple Watch Ultra 3 or Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 for my next hike.

1. Garmin's elevation data is the most accurate

According to the Washington Trail Association, Blue Lake Trail involves an estimated 1,050 feet of elevation gain, which is coincidentally the same exact amount of climb logged by the Garmin Instinct 3.

AllTrails lists the climb at a more modest 920 feet. Either way, Garmin was the closest of the bunch at accurately logging my uphill efforts for this hike. The Apple Watch Ultra 3 turned in a slightly elevated (some pun intended) metric, which is pretty much par for the course for even the best Apple Watches in 2026 from my experience.

Meanwhile, the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 was notably and concerningly waaaaay off, calculating almost double the elevation of Strava and AllTrails.

2. The Instinct 3 used way less battery

With a lengthy pause taken at the top of Blue Lake Trail for a swim and snack, our total trek time took just over three hours. In that period, both the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 burned through 18% of battery, suggesting that around 15 hours of continuous trekking is likely the limit for both when it comes to GPS power consumption.

The Garmin Instinct 3, meanwhile, used only 6% of battery tracking my three-ish-hour trek, making it the obvious choice of the bunch for multi-day outdoor adventurers where access to a charger isn't guaranteed.

3. The Garmin is lighter and comfier

Finally, on my 6.5-inch wrist, the Garmin Instinct 3 in 45mm feels way comfier than the Apple Watch Ultra 3 or the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2. This is because it's both smaller and lighter. Including the straps used for the hike, the Instinct 3 weighs 53.5 g, compared to 95.4 g for th the Apple Watch Ultra 3, and 85.8 g for the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2

The Instinct 3's rounded case also wears more comfortably than the rectangular case design of the Apple Watch and Samsung. Moreover, the Instinct 3 isn't nearly as tall as either of its rivals, and is noticeably narrower than the Samsung, with a similar width to the Apple Watch.

Which of these three smartwatches would you pick to log an epic outdoor mountain adventure? Let me know in the poll below.

More from Tom's Guide

• Can the $99 Fitbit Air beat the $799 Apple Watch Ultra 3 at fitness tracking? I manually counted 4,500 steps to find out
• I hiked 9 miles with the Apple Watch SE vs. Pixel Watch 3 vs. Garmin Forerunner 165 — 5 things I learned
• Samsung turned the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 into a fully-fledged dive computer — but there’s a catch

Today Apple announced its new leasing program, Apple Upgrade which is undergirded by Klarna for iPhone, Apple Watch, Mac and iPad.

The program lets customers sign up for a plan, similar to how you would lease a car, for fixed 12-, 24- and 36-month terms depending on the device. There are options to upgrade to a new device early or return it at the end of the lease.

Apple called the new plan a "more flexible way to pay for products."

It's possible this does offer some flexibility from paying an upfront lump sum or tying yourself to an onerous contract via a network carrier like Verizon or T-Mobile.

However, experts I spoke with think the Upgrade plan is meant to cover rising component costs.

"By shifting the focus to lower monthly payments, it helps mask the effect of rising hardware costs and makes premium devices feel more affordable and attainable for a broader range of consumers," Jitesh Ubrani, a director at IDC, said.

They added that it could entice people who don't want to pay the higher upfront costs, as even Apple has hiked prices recently. It also gives Apple a "steady stream of trade-ins" that the company can resell to expand its customer base.

"Many people are effectively leasing their phones already through carrier plans; leasing a watch or a Mac -- when you know that these are also devices that have upgrade cycles -- can make sense," Techsponential's Avi Greengart told Tom's Guide. "it's still a lease, so you won't be able to use it until it dies unless you buy out the lease, and it may not be the absolute most economical approach."

Beyond upfront prices, is Apple Upgrade better for you? Let's take a look at how the program works.

How Apple Upgrade works

Apple Upgrade offers 12- or 24-month lease terms for eligible iPhones and Apple Watches. For those seeking a Mac or iPad, there are 24- or 36-month options.

Prices start as low as $11.99 per month for the Apple Watch and iPad, depending on size and storage capacity. iPhones start at $17.99, while Macs can be leased starting at $24.99 a month.

You can sign up online or at an Apple Store, where you will be approved by Klarna, which does require a soft credit check that should not impact your credit score.

At the end of the lease term, you can return the device or upgrade to a newer generation or purchase it with a one-time payment.

Compared to the outgoing iPhone Upgrade program, the Apple Upgrade Program does not include AppleCare, which is a separate subscription price and varies in price depending on your device.

Per MacRumors, if you miss a payment, it will be rolled into the next month's payment with no late fees. However, if you miss three consecutive payments, the lease will end, and you will have to pay the full outstanding balance, minus the value of the device when returned. If Klarna can't collect, a debt collection agency will be sent your information.

Apple Upgrade prices

Apple is offering the entire iPhone 17 lineup, plus the iPhone Air, both the Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3 and three iPad options, including the iPad Air, iPad Pro and iPad mini.

For Macs, you can lease the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac and Mac Studio.

Apple defaults to the 24-month leasing option, so we'll share that. The other options can lower or raise your price. Additionally, higher storage capacity or chip versions will also increase the monthly price.

Finally, the price does not include taxes and fees.

Here's how much the base model of each device will cost you.

We've separated the iPads and Macs out because these devices can have the longer 36-month term. Again, the prices below are for the base model of each device and the 24-month term.

No leasing entry-level devices

You may have noticed several Apple devices aren't eligible for the upgrade program. It includes the vanilla iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus, as well as the entry-level models of almost every device category.

Here's the full list of Apple products you can't lease:

• iPhone 16
• iPhone 16 Plus
• Apple Watch SE
• MacBook Neo
• Mac mini
• iPad (A16)
• Studio Display

Availability

Apple Upgrade is available now for all of the listed devices. Apple says that a security deposit is not required and that a trade-in device could reduce monthly payments.

I will note that if you end a lease early, you could see termination fees. Also, if you don't do anything at the end of the lease, you'll be charged the purchase fee.

Lastly, hidden in the fine print, upgrading a device could increase your monthly payments, which is true for both higher-capacity versions of devices and more expensive models when new generations launch in the coming years.

More from Tom's Guide

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• iOS 27 finally fixes the most annoying iPhone workaround we all use
• New iPhone 20 video reveals the 8 biggest upgrades to expect from the 20th anniversary iPhone

Screen-free wearables like the Fitbit Air, Garmin Cirqa, Oura Ring 5 and Whoop 4 are having a moment, but is screen-free really the best way to be, especially when full-featured, hyper-connected devices like the Garmin Venu 4, Apple Watch 11 and Pixel Watch 4 exist?

That depends entirely on what you hope to get out of your wearable. I've already covered the five biggest things to consider before buying a screen-free wearable. Now, we're here to help you further understand the core differences between the best smartwatches and fitness trackers and the top no-screen trackers, including the best smart rings of 2026.

Howdy, I'm Dan Bracaglia, one of TG's resident experts on smartwatches, fitness trackers, and smart rings. I'm here to help you make sense of today's wearables market and even choose between two devices.

Got a burning question about the difference between the Fitbit Air and Fitbit Inspire 3? Are you deciding between the new Apple Watch SE 3 and the new Garmin Cirqa, two devices surprisingly close in price? Not sure if the latest Oura Ring 5 is right for you?

Responding to your questions are myself, Dan Bracaglia, a senior writer at TG and expert in wearables with nearly two decades of experience covering consumer technology, and TG's U.K editor-in-chief, Jeff Parsons, who's not only an avid runner, but also an expert in consumer tech of all kinds.

Please make sure that all queries are related to wearable tech, specifically, screen vs screen-free trackers. We can't wait to answer your questions! You might also like to let us know your feelings about screen-free wearables in the poll below.

As a reminder, please keep all questions appropriate and on-topic. This is an open space where we hope to foster a positive, helpful environment for all readers, whether you're new to the world of fitness trackers or you're a hardcore athlete shopping for your fifth Garmin.

If you've never left a comment on our site before, then you may need to sign up to post your first question. It's free to sign up and will unlock a host of other Tom's Club member benefits, such as exclusive rewards and savings, the ability to earn badges and enter giveaways, join in with popular conversations and all Live Q&As, and reveal hints for our quizzes and puzzles.

We can't wait to hear from you — let us know what you'd like help with now.

More from Tom's Guide

• Can the $99 Fitbit Air beat the $799 Apple Watch Ultra 3 at fitness tracking? I manually counted 4,500 steps to find out
• The Samsung Galaxy Ring is about to be the world’s first FDA-cleared smart ring for sleep apnea
• I walked 7,000 steps with the Garmin Cirqa vs Fitbit Air — and there's a clear winner

Which rugged smartwatch, the Apple Watch Ultra 3 or the new Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, is the better device for tracking outdoor workouts and adventures? I decided to find out by manually counting 4,000 steps with one on either wrist.

Aside from the obvious — the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is for iOS users, and the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 is for the Android faithful — these two smartwatches are remarkably evenly matched. Of course, they also track a whole lot of other, more exciting activities, including scuba diving, but for the sake of our comparison, I’m going to stick with a good old-fashioned walk.

With my manual count as the primary control for this comparison, as a control for distance, climb, and pace, we’ll rely on ol’ reliable, the Strava app.

Read on to find out which smartwatch came out on top in this fitness tracking accuracy showdown with the Apple Watch Ultra 3 vs Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2.

Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 vs Apple Watch Ultra 3

Before diving into the results, here are the biggest differences between the Apple Watch Ultra 3, one of the best smartwatches in 2026, and the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 (review pending). For starters, the Apple Watch is $100 more than the Galaxy Watch, $799 vs $699.

The Galaxy Watch, meanwhile, boasts a brighter display, better battery life, and a genuinely useful onboard AI assistant that's backed by Gemini and accessible via a wrist raise.

Design-wise, I find the Apple Watch Ultra 3 to be a lot comfier than the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2. Not only is the Apple Watch thinner, but it's also narrower. That said, the two weigh roughly the same.

When it comes to logging workouts, Apple and Samsung's best are evenly matched. They each boast dual-band GPS for location tracking, barometric altimeters for elevation monitoring, accelerometers and gyroscopes for motion tracking, and tons of health sensors to monitor your heart rate, body temperature, calories burned, and more.

With that out of the way, on to the result of my 4,000-step walk test comparison with the Apple Watch Ultra 3 vs Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2!

Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 vs Apple Watch Ultra 3: Walk test results

I took exactly 4,000 steps during my ~35-minute walk, a tally that's backed up by Strava, which also logged precisely 4K. As always, any step count total within 100 steps of my actual tally is considered excellent and well within a reasonable margin for error.

Both the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 performed exceptionally well in this test, not just in terms of accurately counting my steps, but also logging distance, elevation gain, pace, and even heart rate.

Of course, when it comes to steps, the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 beats the Apple Watch Ultra 3 by a modest margin compared to the control. The same goes for climb and pace. The Apple Watch, meanwhile, was a little bit closer to the control for distance.

Both devices registered roughly the same maximum and average heart rates, though the Apple Watch calculated more calories burned and used less battery to log my efforts.

Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 vs Apple Watch Ultra 3: Winner

By a teeny-tiny margin, the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 gets a win versus its main competitor, the Apple Watch Ultra 3. Ultimately, though, both devices performed with impressive accuracy during this test, and I would not hesitate to use either to log my next workout, whether it's a walk around the neighborhood or a recreational dive in Puget Sound.

Stay tuned for my full Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 review, to be published soon. In the meantime, which smartwatches would you like to see me test the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 against next? Let me know below.

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The Apple Watch is absolutely packed with features, and while that’s undoubtedly a good thing, it also means there are a lot of menus and apps on the watch, which can slow down your navigation and make it harder to get straight to the things you want to do.

Fortunately, there are a lot of clever shortcuts available on the watch to speed up your usage, and two I use all the time when wearing the watch make it faster to navigate the menus and fire up a workout.

I use these shortcuts on an Apple Watch Series 11 because one of them is essentially a replacement for the Action button on the Apple Watch Ultra 3, so it is only needed on Series watches, but the first hidden feature is one that applies to all of the best Apple watches.

Tip #1 — tap the time to jump to the top

If you’ve ever found yourself down at the bottom of a very long Apple Watch menu, knowing that you now need to scroll all the way back to the top to find the setting you need, this tip’s for you.

Simply tap the time in any native Apple Watch app, and it will teleport you back to the top of the menu instantly.

This works in apps like Mail, Workout and Settings, and I find it saves me time every day when I’m working my way around the various menus and options in those apps.

If you just want to head back to your watch face from wherever you are in an app, you can also cover the Apple Watch with your palm for a second, and it will transport you there.

Tip #2 — create one-tap shortcuts to your favorite workouts

I’m a keen runner and often use the Apple Watch Ultra 3 instead of the Series 11, partly because the Action button is a handy way to start a run quickly.

With this feature, you can create a similar feature on any Series Apple Watch, adding a shortcut to starting a run or any workout to your Control Center.

Here’s how to do it:

1. In the Shortcuts app on your iPhone, create a new shortcut to start a run (or any workout type)
2. Long-press this shortcut and tick "show on Apple Watch"
3. You can also customize the icon for the shortcut in the iPhone app and rename it
4. Press the side button on your Apple Watch to open the Control Center
5. Scroll down to edit, then hit the "+" icon to add your shortcut
6. Find your new shortcut and position it where you want in your Control Center

Now when you hit that shortcut in the Control Center, it will immediately open the Workout app and start your chosen training session, almost as quickly as if you’d used the Action button on an Ultra.

You can also add your shortcut directly to a watch face if you have one with complications, meaning you don’t even need to open the Control Center.

I have shortcuts for outdoor run and functional strength training workouts set up on my watch, so I can fire them up with just one or two taps.

Follow Tom's Guide fitness on Instagram for more workouts, routines, tips, and tricks.

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I test a lot of smartwatches and fitness trackers here at Tom’s Guide. I mean A LOT. If the device was released in the past three years, there’s a very good chance I’ve not only helped to review it but also tested it head-to-head against the competition.

The vast majority of name-brand wearables track heart rate, distance, and step count — assuming you're going for a walk or hike — with impressive consistency, in my experience. For example, I’ve performed dozens of walk tests where I wear a device on either wrist and manually count my steps to see which comes closer.

Not only do most modern wearables come within a few hundred steps of my actual count — an impressive accomplishment when we're talking 5,000 or more steps per walk — but most also report similar distance data, down to a few tenths of a mile, and broadly the same heart rate data, give or take a handful of beats per minute.

That said, there are three workout stats that are consistently, well... inconsistent. And it's not just wallet-friendly models that struggle; even some of the best smartwatches and best fitness trackers occasionally have hiccups tracking these metrics.

The three fitness tracking stats I trust the least

1. Elevation gain

As an avid mountain sports enthusiast and someone who enjoys urban hiking and biking in a particularly hilly part of the U.S. (Seattle, WA), inconsistent elevation tracking seriously irks me. For example, it’s not unusual for a standard midday, two-mile walk to involve several hundred feet of climb.

Unfortunately, a lot of wearables come up short when it comes to assessing upward effort.

Not only that, some popular wearables don’t even offer a metric for elevation gain in the post-workout report, like the Fitbit Inspire 3. Others, like the newer Fitbit Air — a wearable I otherwise really like — measure elevation about as accurately as a newborn shooting pool.

Even the best Apple Watch models occasionally report inaccurate climb data. From my experience, the Ultra 3 is rock-solid, but both the Series 11 and SE 3 have been known to log slightly inflated elevation stats from time to time.

For what it’s worth, the brand I’ve found most consistent with elevation tracking is Garmin, that is, assuming you purchase one of the best Garmin watches, specifically, one with an onboard barometric altimeter. The new Forerunner 70, for example, lacks one.

2. Pace

Speaking of Garmin, it’s one of the few smartwatch brands that provides two pace metrics for outdoor activities like walks, hikes, runs, and bike rides: an average moving pace and an average elapsed (total) pace.

For most of us, the former is the more valuable metric, as it ignores long pauses — like waiting at a traffic light or stopping for a sip of water — thereby providing a more accurate measure of your actual moving effort.

Unfortunately, brands like Apple and Google only offer one pace metric in their respective workout reports. And though they don’t specify which pace metric it is, it's almost always slower than the competition’s moving pace stat, suggesting both are reporting elapsed pace, the less valuable one.

3. Calories

Post-workout calorie counts are perhaps the most all over the place in my testing. For example, it’s not uncommon for one device to log one hundred or more calories burned than another after the exact same workout.

In fact, this metric tends to be so inconsistent that I mostly ignore it completely. Not only are most manufacturers opaque about how the calorie counts are even calculated in the first place, but key factors like a user's metabolism or muscle mass are rarely taken into account when generating them.

Which fitness tracking stats do you think are bupkis? Let me know in the poll below.

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• Can the $99 Fitbit Air beat the $799 Apple Watch Ultra 3 at fitness tracking? I manually counted 4,500 steps to find out
• I walked 5,500 steps with the Apple Watch SE 3 vs Garmin Forerunner 70 — and the results surprised me
• I ran a 5K with the Garmin Forerunner 570 vs Apple Watch Ultra 3, and although the pace data matched up perfectly across both devices, the Garmin’s exercise load metric and detailed vertical ratio analysis made it the clear winner