Macworld iconMacworldSep 9, 2026

Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4: Their 7 biggest surprises

Macworld At the Surprise and Shine press event today, Apple announced a raft of new products including the iPhone 18 Pro, AirPods 5, and iPhone Duo … and thanks to pre-launch rumors, surprises were in short supply. One product that did manage to spring a few small surprises was the Apple Watch Series 12.

Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4: Their 7 biggest surprises

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Macworld At the Surprise and Shine press event today, Apple announced a raft of new products including the iPhone 18 Pro, AirPods 5, and iPhone Duo … and thanks to pre-launch rumors, surprises were in short...

One product that did manage to spring a few small surprises was the Apple Watch Series 12.

Ahead of launch, we were led to expect a tedious iterative update with a new processor, identical design, and maybe a few new health features.

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Macworld At the Surprise and Shine press event today, Apple announced a raft of new products including the iPhone 18 Pro, AirPods 5, and iPhone Duo … and thanks to pre-launch rumors, surprises were in short supply. One product that did manage to spring a few small surprises was the Apple Watch Series 12. Ahead of launch, we were led to expect a tedious iterative update with a new processor, identical design, and maybe a few new health features.

Details worth keeping

Nearly everything was leaked accurately ahead of time. Some of that was true, but there were unexpected pleasures as well.

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