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Apple Watch Series 12 vs Apple Watch Series 7

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

Better figure, where one is clearly better

AppleWatch Series 12AppleWatch Series 7
Overview
ReleasedSeptember 2026October 2021
Display
Case sizes42 mm or 46 mm41 mm or 45 mm
PanelLTPO OLEDLTPO OLED
Peak brightness2,000 nits1,000 nits
Always-on displayYesYes
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 brightness41mm 352 x 430 pixels, 904 sq mm; 45mm 396 x 484 pixels, 1143 sq mm; 1.7 mm borders; QWERTY keyboard with QuickPath; wrist-down brightness indoors up to 70% higher than Series 6
Screen protectionCeramic Shield 2 (aluminium cases); sapphire front crystal (titanium and ceramic cases)Redesigned front crystal over 50% thicker than Series 6, according to Apple's launch announcement
Health and fitness
ECGYesYes
Blood oxygenYesYes
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 third-generation optical heart sensors, blood oxygen sensor, compass, always-on altimeter, accelerometer up to 32 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; NoiseECG and Blood Oxygen apps; watchOS 8 adds sleeping respiratory rate and Mindfulness; oxygen measurements are for general wellness rather than medical use
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, QZSS and BeiDou; GymKit; Tai Chi and Pilates workouts; cycling start reminders and auto-pause
Safety featuresEmergency SOS; international emergency calling; Fall Detection; Crash Detection; Check In; Backtrack; Last Emergency Call Availability Waypoint; torch; noise monitoringFall detection and Emergency SOS; international emergency calling on cellular versions in supported regions
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
ChipS11S7
Storage64 GB32 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 tracking1 m Magnetic Fast Charger to USB-C Cable; up to 33% faster charging than Series 6; USB-C power adapter required
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 and U1 Ultra Wideband; Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n at 2.4GHz and 5GHz; Bluetooth 5.0; cellular versions add LTE and UMTS; iPhone 6s or later with iOS 15 at launch
Design
Weight (lightest version)31.5 g32 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, stainless steel or titanium; ceramic and sapphire crystal back; IP6X dust resistance; WR50 water resistance 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 g41mm 41 x 35 x 10.7 mm, aluminium 32 g, steel 42.3 g or titanium 37 g; 45mm 45 x 38 x 10.7 mm, aluminium 38.8 g, steel 51.5 g or titanium 45.1 g; case weights exclude bands
BandsFits 130–200 mm wrists (42mm) or 140–245 mm wrists (46mm)Apple Watch Studio case and band combinations; Solo Loop and Braided Solo Loop; Nike and Hermès editions with exclusive bands and faces; compatible with earlier Apple Watch bands
ColoursAluminium in Dark Bronze, Light Gold, Black and Space Grey; titanium in Radiant Gold and Natural; ceramic in Pearl White and Night BlueMidnight, Starlight, Green, Blue or (PRODUCT)RED aluminium; Silver, Graphite (PVD) or Gold (PVD) steel; natural or Space Black (DLC) titanium; Nike Midnight or Starlight; Hermès Silver or Space Black (DLC) steel
In the boxApple Watch Series 12, strap, Apple Watch Magnetic Fast Charger to USB-C Cable (1 m)Watch, band or loop and 1 m Magnetic Fast Charger to USB-C Cable

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