Apple Watch Series 12 Review One Week Later: Battery, Speed and Readiness Stand Out

Apple's website does not list additional battery life for the Apple Watch Series 12 compared with the Series 11, according to the review, but the reviewer said the battery feels longer. The reviewer had used a WHOOP before the Apple Watch Series 12 and had kept an Apple Watch but never used it for sleep tracking. After Apple's keynote, the reviewer decided to try Apple Watch sleep tracking.

On the Series 11, the reviewer said juggling sleep tracking and charging was a pain. After using the watch throughout the day, the reviewer had to charge it a little before going to sleep and then charge it again after waking up. On the Series 12, that is not the case. The watch has enough battery to last through a day and overnight, and the reviewer now charges it when waking up. The review also said the Series 12 charges significantly faster, citing Apple's claim that 15 minutes of charging gets up to 12 hours of use.

The reviewer speculated that the new S11 chip, derived from the A20 Pro's 2nm design, is a large part of the reason battery life feels much longer. The reviewer also said the Series 12 feels much faster, especially with Siri. The review did not say Apple has officially attributed the battery improvement to the chip.

On software, the review said Apple finally includes a proper step counter as a complication on the Series 12, which the reviewer likes checking in the smart stack. The reviewer said the feature could probably come to older Apple Watches and that Apple should add the complication because the data already exists. The reviewer added that the Series 12 counts steps more accurately.

Another new feature is the Readiness app, which gives users an idea of how they are doing based on last night's sleep, the previous day's activity and their vitals, according to the review. The reviewer compared it with a recovery score on WHOOP and said it was good to see Apple add it. The app is exclusive to the Series 12. The reviewer called that a bit of a bummer but said it was understandable that Apple is not willing to calculate it with less accurate data.

The review concluded that the Apple Watch Series 12 is a rather nice upgrade. The reviewer called it a total S year but said that for users who care about the Apple Watch doing more rather than just looking different, it may be one of the most substantial year-over-year upgrades since Apple Watch Series 4. The review also noted that the bezels are slightly thicker than on the Series 10 and Series 11. The reviewer, who uses a watch face with a black background, said this has not been very noticeable but hoped Apple improves it in the next iteration.

The review added that the Apple Watch Series 12 offers Ceramic Shield 2 on aluminum models, making them hold up to scratches better than older Apple Watch models. The reviewer said the watch had not been owned long enough to truly test that claim, but it still looked perfect so far.