Apple Watch Series 12 Ships With Thicker Bezels That Apple Didn't Mention, Report Says
Apple Watch Series 12, on sale Friday, has wider cases with unchanged display sizes, producing thicker bezels Apple did not mention, 9to5Mac reports.
Apple's website lists the 42mm Series 12 case at 42mm by 37mm, compared with 42mm by 36mm for both the Series 11 and the Series 10. The 46mm version measures 46mm by 40mm, up from 46mm by 39mm on the two earlier generations. Case height is unchanged across all three models.
Display sizes are identical. The 42mm model keeps a 374 by 446 pixel display with 970 square millimeters of display area, and the 46mm model keeps a 416 by 496 pixel display measuring 1,196 square millimeters. Because the case grew while the screen did not, the display occupies a slightly smaller share of the front face, leaving more visible bezel than on the previous two generations.
The change runs against Apple's recent design history. The company has generally narrowed the borders around screens on the iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch.
9to5Mac reported that the Series 12 carries a number of internal upgrades, including a new Health Sensing System and the S11 chip, which could account for the altered case dimensions. The report said buyers upgrading from a recent Apple Watch might find the new model looks like a small step backwards rather than a continuation of the trend toward thinner bezels.
Pre-orders for the Series 12 are open ahead of Friday's release.