On Wednesday, Apple introduced the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 at the iPhone launch event in Cupertino. While the smartwatch doesn’t get any major hardware updates, it does get some significant software updates.
In particular, Apple is targeting the growing wave of AI-powered wearables with new “Audio Intelligence” features that let you rewind moments and remember details of everyday conversations.
The smartwatch comes with “Live Rewind,” a feature that Apple describes as allowing you to go back 15 seconds. Double-tapping the Digital Crown shows the previous 15 seconds of conversation as a snippet of text. You can ask Siri about the contents of this transcript, or save it in the new Siri app to return to later.
There’s a Siri Recap feature designed to help you remember key points from your daily conversations. It uses ambient listening to take general notes on your conversations, such as insights from a team meeting or parent-teacher conference. When Siri Recap is enabled, after a conversation, Apple Intelligence automatically generates the title and key points in the new Siri app.
The new Sound Recognition feature will allow people with hearing impairments to hear sounds such as sirens, alarms, doorbells, a baby crying and more.
Apple says these audio analytics features do not create or store audio recordings.
Both new smartwatches feature a new health detection system with increased electrode surface area for better skin contact during ECG readings. To improve optical perception, redesigned photodiodes are arranged in a ring to capture light more efficiently. There are also more energy-efficient green LEDs that allow you to accurately measure your heart rate throughout the day, even while moving.
The new health measurement system continuously provides heart rate data, which is a key indicator of your overall health. Background heart rate readings are now taken every five seconds throughout the day, even when you’re on the go. This is 60 times more common than before.
Smartwatches take a page from smart rings with new readiness scores that analyze your recent activity, vital signs, and sleep each morning, combining it all into a single score that shows how prepared your body is for the day.
There’s also a new Health Age feature that allows users to see how their key health metrics compare to their actual age based on their watch data, including VO2 max, sleep and more.
The Apple Watch Series 12 starts at $399, and the Apple Watch Ultra 4 starts at $499.
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