Verified / All-round smartwatch · Updated 17 Oct 2026
Sqwod Verified · All-round smartwatch
Apple Watch Series 12
The new Health Sensing System is the real upgrade: heart rate every five seconds, far more frequent HRV and a daily Readiness score, with testers finding it close to a chest strap. Battery is still rated at 24 hours and the design is unchanged, so Series 11 owners can skip it.
Tracked low €425
Not an affiliate link · live price shown at the retailer
The read
Should you buy it?
Buy it if…
You're on a Series 9 or older and want the most accurate wrist heart rate Apple has made, plus a readiness score you can use to steer clients' training, with no subscription.
Skip it if…
You own a Series 11, use Android, or need multi-day battery: the hardware barely moved and a Garmin or COROS lasts far longer.
How the score breaks down
Crowd Signal
14 reviews · 4 platforms
Sqwod Assessment
Value / Deal
Crowd & price figures from public sources, as of 17 Oct 2026. Live aggregation is rolling out, so figures may change.
The Apple Watch Series 12 (announced 9 September 2026, on sale since 18 September) keeps the Series 11 shape and brings a new Health Sensing System: redesigned optical and electrical heart sensors that read heart rate every five seconds, HRV up to 24 times more often, and a new 0-10 Readiness score. Tom’s Guide found it “pretty much spot on” against a Garmin chest strap, and German testers at netzwelt.de rated it 1,6 (gut). Faster charging, 10-hour outdoor workouts and tougher Ceramic Shield 2 glass on the aluminium models round it out.
The limits are familiar. Battery is still rated at up to 24 hours, the design and display are unchanged, and some of the new Audio Intelligence and Siri features are missing in the EU for now. Macworld also logged occasional sluggishness and inconsistent charging. For coaches, the Readiness score and denser HRV data are the reason to care; for anyone on a Series 11, there is little reason to move.
Compared with our Apple Watch Series 11 review, accuracy and coach fit move up, while value stays flat because the price and the battery rating did not change.
In the guides
All buyer's guides 2026Every product in the category, ranked on the same scorecard.See the rankings →How we score
Crowd 45 · Assessment 40 · Value 15Brands cannot pay for a score. Affiliate links are labelled and never move a number.Read the methodology →For coaches in Berlin
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