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Apple Watch Series 12 vs Apple Watch Series 9

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

Better figure, where one is clearly better

AppleWatch Series 12AppleWatch Series 9
Overview
ReleasedSeptember 2026September 2023
Display
Case sizes42 mm or 46 mm41 mm or 45 mm
PanelLTPO OLEDLTPO OLED
Peak brightness2,000 nits2,000 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 brightnessAlways-On Retina LTPO OLED display, edge to edge; 326 ppi; up to 2,000 nits maximum and 1 nit minimum brightness
Screen protectionCeramic Shield 2 (aluminium cases); sapphire front crystal (titanium and ceramic cases)Ion-X front glass (aluminium cases); sapphire front crystal (stainless steel cases)
Health and fitness
ECGYesYes
Blood oxygenYesYes
Skin temperatureYesYes
Sleep apnoea alertsYesYes
High blood pressure alertsYesYes
Body compositionNoNo
Fall detectionYesYes
Crash detectionYesYes
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 heart sensor; third-generation optical heart sensor; temperature sensing; compass; always-on altimeter; high-g accelerometer; high dynamic range gyroscope; 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 app; Blood Oxygen app; sleep apnoea notifications and hypertension notifications (added in later watchOS updates); irregular rhythm notifications; high and low heart rate notifications; sleep stages; Cycle Tracking with retrospective ovulation estimates; Medications; Mindfulness; Noise
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; GymKitCustom interval workouts; Heart Rate Zones; Race Route; stride length, ground contact time and vertical oscillation; automatic track detection; multisport workouts; Backtrack; pool and open-water swimming with SWOLF and automatic stroke detection; cycling Functional Threshold Power, power zones and cadence with Bluetooth accessories; GymKit
Safety featuresEmergency SOS; international emergency calling; Fall Detection; Crash Detection; Check In; Backtrack; Last Emergency Call Availability Waypoint; torch; noise monitoringEmergency SOS; international emergency calling; Crash Detection; Fall Detection
Battery and connections
Battery life (maker's claim)Up to 24 hoursUp to 18 hours
In low-power modeUp to 38 hoursUp to 36 hours
Mobile data optionYesYes
Works withiPhoneiPhone
ChipS11S9
Storage64 GB64 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 trackingFast charging to 80% in about 45 minutes
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 LTEL1 GPS, GNSS, Galileo and BeiDou; 4G LTE and UMTS (GPS + Cellular models); Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n); Bluetooth 5.3; second-generation Ultra Wideband chip with Precision Finding for iPhone 15 and later; Apple Pay
Design
Weight (lightest version)31.5 g31.9 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; water resistant to 50 m (swimproof); IP6X dust resistant
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 is 41 x 35 x 10.7 mm, 31.9 g (aluminium, GPS), 32.1 g (aluminium, GPS + Cellular) or 42.3 g (stainless steel); 45mm is 45 x 38 x 10.7 mm, 38.7 g (aluminium, GPS), 39.0 g (aluminium, GPS + Cellular) or 51.5 g (stainless steel); lightest is the 41mm aluminium GPS
BandsFits 130–200 mm wrists (42mm) or 140–245 mm wrists (46mm)Fits 130–200 mm wrists (41mm) or 140–245 mm wrists (45mm)
ColoursAluminium in Dark Bronze, Light Gold, Black and Space Grey; titanium in Radiant Gold and Natural; ceramic in Pearl White and Night BlueAluminium in Pink, Midnight, Starlight, Silver and (PRODUCT)RED; stainless steel in Gold, Silver and Graphite
In the boxApple Watch Series 12, strap, Apple Watch Magnetic Fast Charger to USB-C Cable (1 m)Apple Watch Series 9, strap, Apple Watch Magnetic Fast Charger to USB-C Cable (1 m)

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