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Apple Watch Series 12 vs Apple Watch Series 4

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

Better figure, where one is clearly better

AppleWatch Series 12AppleWatch Series 4
Overview
ReleasedSeptember 2026September 2018
Display
Case sizes42 mm or 46 mm40 mm or 44 mm
PanelLTPO OLEDLTPO OLED
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 LTPO OLED with Force Touch; 40mm 324 x 394 pixels and 759 sq mm; 44mm 368 x 448 pixels and 977 sq mm; display wakes by wrist raise (PhoneArena)
Screen protectionCeramic Shield 2 (aluminium cases); sapphire front crystal (titanium and ceramic cases)–
Health and fitness
ECGYesYes
Blood oxygenYesNo
Skin temperatureYesNo
Sleep apnoea alertsYesNo
High blood pressure alertsYesNo
Body compositionNoNo
Fall detectionYesYes
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 sensorElectrical and optical heart sensors; barometric altimeter; accelerometer up to 32 g-forces, improved 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; NoiseECG capability, high and low heart-rate alerts and irregular-rhythm notifications; ECG app was not available at hardware launch and reached the UK in March 2019
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; swimming, yoga and hiking workouts, automatic workout reminders, cadence, pace alerts and rolling mile pace in watchOS 5; GymKit
Safety featuresEmergency SOS; international emergency calling; Fall Detection; Crash Detection; Check In; Backtrack; Last Emergency Call Availability Waypoint; torch; noise monitoringHard-fall detection can call emergency services after immobility and notify emergency contacts; Emergency 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
ChipS11S4
Storage64 GB16 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
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 trackingMagnetic charging cable and USB power adapter
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 LTEW3 wireless chip; Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n at 2.4GHz; Bluetooth 5.0; cellular versions add LTE and UMTS with a compatible plan; GPS requires iPhone 5s, cellular iPhone 6, both with iOS 12 at launch
Design
Weight (lightest version)31.5 g30.1 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 or stainless steel case; ceramic and sapphire crystal back; 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 g40mm 40 x 34 x 10.7 mm, 30.1 g aluminium or 39.8 g steel; 44mm 44 x 38 x 10.7 mm, 36.7 g aluminium or 47.9 g steel; weights exclude bands
BandsFits 130–200 mm wrists (42mm) or 140–245 mm wrists (46mm)Compatible with earlier Apple Watch bands of the corresponding size; Nike+ includes Nike bands and watch faces; Hermès includes leather bands and exclusive faces. Nike+ became available 5 October 2018
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, Space Black (DLC) and Gold (PVD) stainless steel; Nike+ Silver or Space Grey; Hermès polished stainless steel
In the boxApple Watch Series 12, strap, Apple Watch Magnetic Fast Charger to USB-C Cable (1 m)Watch and band, magnetic charging cable and USB power adapter

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