# AppleInsider rates the Apple Watch Series 12 4 out of 5 and says Series 11 owners should wait

Source: https://idevice.com/appleinsider-rates-the-apple-watch-series-12-4-out-of-5-and-says-series-11-owner
Published: 2026-10-07

> AppleInsider calls the $399 Series 12 the best non-Ultra Apple Watch yet, thanks to a new health sensor and tougher glass. Its reviewer tells Series 11 owners to wait for Audio Intelligence.

AppleInsider's Oliver Haslam gave the [Apple Watch Series 12](https://idevice.com/smart-watches/apple-watch/roadmap) four out of five stars in a review published October 7, and called it the best non-Ultra Apple Watch yet. His verdict on the upgrade is split by what you own today. New buyers should buy the latest model. Series 11 owners should wait.

The Series 12 looks the same as the Series 11 from the front. It comes in 42mm and 46mm, in aluminum, titanium and ceramic, and ceramic is back. The aluminum model comes in dark bronze, light gold, black and Space Gray. Titanium comes in gold and natural, and ceramic in pearl white and night blue. Pricing starts at $399.

The aluminum model gets Ceramic Shield 2 for the first time, which Apple says is 60% tougher than the Ion-X glass it replaces. Haslam notes it's too early to know how that holds up to daily wear. On the back, a new Health Sensing System puts larger electrodes around the photodiodes that read the wrist.

That sensor array measures heart rate every five seconds and heart rate variability every five minutes. A new Recovery HRV feature analyzes HRV overnight for the first time, and that data feeds the Readiness score Apple has added to its health suite. The score is recalculated each morning and updated through the day, and it tells you whether to push or rest. Smart rings have had a version of this for years. This is Apple's first.

Battery life is unchanged at 24 hours, or 38 hours in Low Power Mode. Charging is quicker at the start: Apple says 15 minutes gives you 12 hours of use, and five minutes covers 10 hours of sleep tracking. It still reaches 80% in about 30 minutes. Haslam says he's a little concerned about how that holds up once the battery starts to age.

Audio Intelligence, the biggest set of new features, arrives in mid-to-late October, and Haslam hasn't been able to test two of its four parts. Live Rewind turns the last 15 seconds of captured audio into text when you double-press the Digital Crown. Siri Recap keeps a running summary of the day's conversations. Apple says it only runs when you ask, doesn't record or save audio, doesn't name who said what, and deletes its summaries after seven days. Sound Recognition and Music Recognition, the other two, aren't new.

If you're shopping for a first or replacement watch, the Series 12 is the easy pick, unless you spend your weekends outdoors, in which case Haslam points to the Ultra 4. If you own a Series 11, the sensor and the glass are welcome but incremental, and Audio Intelligence is the reason to upgrade or not.