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Apple Watch Series 12 vs Apple Watch Series 3

Every spec side by side, from each maker's published figures.

Better figure, where one is clearly better

AppleWatch Series 12AppleWatch Series 3
Overview
ReleasedSeptember 2026September 2017
Display
Case sizes42 mm or 46 mm38 mm or 42 mm
PanelLTPO OLEDOLED
Peak brightness2,000 nits1,000 nits
Always-on displayYesNo
Display detailAlways-On Retina display with wide-angle OLEDs and LTPO3; 1Hz refresh; 374 x 446 pixels (42mm) or 416 x 496 pixels (46mm) at 326 ppi; 970 or 1,196 sq mm display area; 1 nit minimum brightnessRetina OLED with Force Touch; 38mm 272 x 340 pixels and 563 sq mm; 42mm 312 x 390 pixels and 740 sq mm; wake by wrist raise or tap (Wareable)
Screen protectionCeramic Shield 2 (aluminium cases); sapphire front crystal (titanium and ceramic cases)Ion-X glass on aluminium; sapphire crystal on stainless steel and ceramic (PhoneArena)
Health and fitness
ECGYesNo
Blood oxygenYesNo
Skin temperatureYesNo
Sleep apnoea alertsYesNo
High blood pressure alertsYesNo
Body compositionNoNo
Fall detectionYesNo
Crash detectionYesNo
GPSSingle-bandSingle-band
Water resistance50 m50 m
SensorsHealth Sensing System with third-generation electrical heart sensor, always-on optical heart sensor, blood oxygen sensor and temperature sensor; compass; always-on altimeter; high-g accelerometer; high dynamic range gyroscope; ambient light sensor; depth gauge to 6 m; water temperature sensorOptical heart sensor, barometric altimeter, accelerometer up to 16 g-forces, gyroscope and ambient light sensor
Health featuresReadiness app; Vitals app (heart rate, respiratory rate, wrist temperature, blood oxygen, sleep duration and HRV); Recovery HRV; high-frequency background heart rate tracking; ECG app; Blood Oxygen app; irregular rhythm notifications; high and low heart rate notifications; hypertension notifications; sleep apnoea notifications; sleep stages and sleep score; Cycle Tracking with fertile window and retrospective ovulation estimates, perimenopause and menopause support; Medications; Mindfulness; NoiseHeart-rate monitoring including resting and recovery measurements; alerts for elevated heart rate while inactive in watchOS 4
Fitness featuresCustom workouts; Training Load; customisable heart rate zones; VO2 max; Race Route; Pacer; cadence, stride length, ground contact time, vertical oscillation and running power; automatic track detection; multisport workouts; offline maps with custom route creation; Backtrack; pool and open-water swimming with SWOLF; cycling power zones with Bluetooth accessories; GymKitGPS, GLONASS, Galileo and QZSS; elevation gain and flights climbed; pool and open-water swimming, HIIT workouts and GymKit
Safety featuresEmergency SOS; international emergency calling; Fall Detection; Crash Detection; Check In; Backtrack; Last Emergency Call Availability Waypoint; torch; noise monitoringEmergency SOS
Battery and connections
Battery life (maker's claim)Up to 24 hoursUp to 18 hours
In low-power modeUp to 38 hours–
Mobile data optionYesYes
Works withiPhoneiPhone
ChipS11S3
Storage64 GB8 GB
Battery life detailUp to 24 hours of normal use; up to 38 hours in Low Power Mode; up to 10 hours of outdoor workoutBuilt-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery; cellular performance depends on coverage and usage
ChargingFast charging to 80% in about 30 minutes; 15 minutes for up to 12 hours of normal use; 5 minutes for up to 10 hours of sleep trackingUSB-A magnetic charging cable; Apple lists a USB power adapter for the cellular model only
ConnectivityWi-Fi 4 (802.11n) at 2.4GHz and 5GHz; Bluetooth 5.3; second-generation Ultra Wideband chip; NFC for Apple Pay; Precision L1 GPS (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS and BeiDou); GPS + Cellular models (A3582, A3587) with 5G RedCap and LTEW2 wireless chip; Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n at 2.4GHz; Bluetooth 4.2; cellular versions add LTE, UMTS and eSIM with a compatible carrier plan. At launch GPS required iPhone 5s and cellular iPhone 6, both with iOS 11; updated Apple support requires iPhone 6s
Storage–8 GB on GPS models; 16 GB on GPS + Cellular models
Design
Weight (lightest version)31.5 g26.7 g
SoftwarewatchOSwatchOS
Case materials100% recycled aluminium or 3D-printed 100% recycled titanium case with zirconia back, or ceramic case; water resistant to 50 m (ISO 22810:2010); IP6X dust resistantAluminium GPS models have a composite back; cellular models have ceramic and sapphire crystal back; steel and ceramic cases sold with cellular only; water resistance under ISO 22810:2010 for shallow-water swimming
Size42mm is 42 x 37 x 9.7 mm (ceramic 43 x 37 x 9.85 mm); 46mm is 46 x 40 x 9.7 mm (ceramic 47 x 41 x 9.85 mm); lightest is the 42mm aluminium GPS + Cellular at 31.5 g, heaviest the 46mm Night Blue ceramic at 52.9 gAluminium 38mm 38.6 x 33.3 x 11.4 mm, GPS 26.7 g or cellular 28.7 g; 42mm 42.5 x 36.4 x 11.4 mm, GPS 32.3 g or cellular 34.9 g. Steel uses the same dimensions at 42.4 g and 52.8 g. White ceramic 38mm 39.2 x 34.0 x 11.8 mm, 40.1 g; 42mm 42.6 x 36.5 x 11.4 mm, 46.4 g. Weights exclude bands
BandsFits 130–200 mm wrists (42mm) or 140–245 mm wrists (46mm)Sport Band or Sport Loop on aluminium; Sport Band or Milanese Loop on steel; Nike Sport Band or Nike Sport Loop on Nike+; leather and additional Sport Band on Hermès; Sport Band on Edition. Nike+ reached limited availability 5 October 2017
ColoursAluminium in Dark Bronze, Light Gold, Black and Space Grey; titanium in Radiant Gold and Natural; ceramic in Pearl White and Night BlueSilver, Space Grey and Gold aluminium; Silver or Space Black stainless steel; White or Grey ceramic
In the boxApple Watch Series 12, strap, Apple Watch Magnetic Fast Charger to USB-C Cable (1 m)Watch and band, USB-A magnetic charging cable; cellular models include USB power adapter and Hermès includes an additional Sport Band

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