Versus Engine
Apple Watch Series 12 vs Apple Watch Ultra 3
Specs, price and the one trade-off that actually decides it — Apple Watch Series 12 against Apple Watch Ultra 3, side by side.
Cheaper to start
Tie
Both start at a similar price.
Rated higher
Apple Watch Ultra 3
9.3 vs 0.0 on our design scale.
Standout
Apple Watch Series 12
S11 chip with 64GB capacity
Apple Watch Series 12
Apple Watch Series 12 with S11 chip and Always-On Retina display
Where it wins, where it doesn't
Pros
- Advanced health and wellness tracking with multiple sensors and apps
- Robust connectivity options including 5G and LTE
- Always-On Retina display with high pixel density and brightness
Cons
- Limited cellular model options may restrict user choice
- High-end features come at a premium price point
Specifications
- AudioSpeaker, Microphone, Media playback
- ChipS11 chip with 64-bit dual-core processor, 4-core Neural Engine, 64GB capacity
- DisplayAlways‑On Retina display with wide‑angle OLEDs and LTPO3, 1Hz refresh, Active area (42mm): 374 by 446 pixels, 326 pixels per inch, Active area (46mm): 416 by 496 pixels, 326 pixels per inch, Ceramic Shield 2 (aluminum cases), Sapphire front crystal (titanium and ceramic cases), 2000 nits peak brightness, 1 nit minimum brightness
- Fits wrists130–200mm
- Operating SystemwatchOS
- Power and Battery LifeAll‑day battery life, up to 24 hours of normal use, Up to 38 hours in Low Power Mode, Up to 10 hours outdoor workout, Built‑in rechargeable lithium‑ion battery, Fast‑charge capable, Up to 80% charge in about 30 minutes, 15 minutes for up to 12 hours of normal use, 5 minutes for up to 10 hours of sleep tracking
- Always-on altimeter—
- Antennas (GPS, cellular/satellite)—
- Black—
- Blood Oxygen app—
- Built-in accessibility features—
- Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery—
- Charge time—
- ConnectivitySupport for 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi‑Fi networks, Wi‑Fi 4 (802.11n), Bluetooth 5.3, Precision L1 GPS (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, and BeiDou), Second‑generation Ultra Wideband chip, Apple Pay, GymKit, FDD‑5G NR (Bands n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n8, n12, n14, n20, n25, n26, n28, n66, n71), TDD‑5G NR (Bands n38, n40, n41), FDD‑LTE (Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 66, 71), TDD‑LTE (Bands 38, 39, 40, 41), Supports RedCap for 5G, LTE, International roaming
- Connectivity / 5G—
- Connectivity / Apple Pay—
- Connectivity / Apple Watch For Your Kids—
- Connectivity / Bluetooth—
- Connectivity / GPS—
- Connectivity / GymKit—
- Connectivity / International roaming—
- Connectivity / LTE—
- Connectivity / Ultra Wideband—
- Connectivity / Wi-Fi—
- Controls—
- Customizable Action button—
- Cycle Tracking app with retrospective ovulation estimates—
- Dust resistance—
- ECG app—
- EN13319 recreational scuba diving—
- Environmental RequirementsOperating temperature: 32° to 95° F (0° to 35° C), Nonoperating storage temperature: –4° to 113° F (–20° to 45° C), Relative humidity: 5% to 90% noncondensing, Operating altitude: 0 feet to 10,000 feet (0m to 3000m)
- Environmental Requirements / Dive operating temperature—
- Environmental Requirements / Non-operating storage temperature—
- Environmental Requirements / On-wrist operating temperature—
- Environmental Requirements / Operating altitude—
- Environmental Requirements / Operating temperature—
- Environmental Requirements / Relative humidity—
- Fast-charge capable—
- FDD–5G NR—
- FDD–LTE—
- Features include—
- Hardware and ButtonsDigital Crown, Microphone with Voice Isolation, Side button, Band release button, Speaker
- Hardware and Buttons / Action button—
- Hardware and Buttons / Digital Crown—
- Hardware and Buttons / Microphone—
- Hardware and Buttons / Side button—
- Hardware and Buttons / Speaker—
- Health and WellnessReadiness app, Vitals app with heart rate, respiratory rate, wrist temperature, sleep duration, and heart rate variability (HRV), Blood Oxygen app, ECG app, Heart Rate app, High and low heart rate notifications, Recovery HRV, High‑frequency background heart rate tracking, Irregular rhythm notifications, Advanced Cycle Tracking app with fertile window estimates, retrospective ovulation estimates, and perimenopause and menopause support, Medications app, Mindfulness app with state of mind tracking, Noise app, Sleep app including sleep stages, Sleep score, Sleep apnea notifications, Hypertension notifications
- Heart Rate app—
- High and low heart rate notifications—
- High dynamic range gyroscope—
- High-g accelerometer—
- Hypertension notifications—
- Irregular rhythm notifications—
- key_features—
- L1 and L5 precision dual-frequency GPS—
- Low Power Mode—
- Material and Finish—
- Mindfulness app with state of mind tracking—
- Multiday battery life—
- Noise app—
- Resolution—
- Safety—
- Second-generation Ultra Wideband chip—
- Sensorssecond‑generation electrical heart sensor, always‑on optical heart sensor, blood oxygen sensor, temperature sensor, Compass, Always‑on altimeter, High‑g accelerometer, High dynamic range gyroscope, Ambient light sensor, Depth gauge to 6 meters, Water temperature sensor
- Sensors / Accelerometer—
- Sensors / Altimeter—
- Sensors / Ambient light sensor—
- Sensors / Blood oxygen sensor—
- Sensors / Compass—
- Sensors / Depth gauge—
- Sensors / Electrical heart sensor—
- Sensors / Gyroscope—
- Sensors / Optical heart sensor—
- Sensors / Temperature sensor—
- Sensors / Water temperature sensor—
- Siri with on‐device processing—
- Size and Weight / Depth—
- Size and Weight / Display Area—
- Size and Weight / Height—
- Size and Weight / Weight (black)—
- Size and Weight / Weight (natural)—
- Size and Weight / Width—
- Size and Weight / Wrist Size—
- Sleep apnea notifications—
- Sleep app including sleep stages—
- Sleep score—
- Support for 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi networks—
- Support for Apple Watch For Your Kids—
- Supports RedCap for 5G—
- TDD–5G NR—
- TDD–LTE—
- Tested to MIL-STD 810H—
- Third-generation optical heart sensor—
- watchOS—
- Water resistance—
- Weight (aluminum, GPS + Cellular)31.5 grams
- Weight (aluminum, GPS)32.2 grams
- Weight (Night Blue ceramic)42.8 grams
- Weight (Pearl White ceramic)41.7 grams
- Weight (titanium)36.5 grams
- Workouts and ActivityRunning, Custom workouts, Customizable Workout Views, Training Load, Heart Rate Zones (customizable), Postworkout heart rate, VO 2 max, Race Route, Pacer, Cadence, Stride Length, Ground Contact Time, Vertical Oscillation, and Running Power, Automatic track detection, Multisport workout, Heart Rate Zone, pace, and target alerts, Hiking, Compass with bearing, incline, elevation, and coordinates, Custom waypoints, Automatically generated waypoints to cellular connectivity, Backtrack GPS data, Offline maps with custom route creation, Topographic maps for thousands of national and regional parks (U.S. only), Hundreds of curated hikes across all 63 U.S. national parks, Cycling
- Year introduced—
Apple Watch Ultra 3
Apple's rugged watch at $799 — the outdoor answer, refined rather than reinvented.
Where it wins, where it doesn't
Pros
- Brightest, most durable Apple Watch
- Excellent multi-day battery life
- Deep integration with iOS
- Dual-frequency GPS
- High dynamic range gyroscope
- Customizable Action button
- Second-generation Ultra Wideband chip
- Support for Apple Watch For Your Kids
Cons
- Too large for smaller wrists
- Only works with iPhones
- Expensive compared to standard series
- Limited accessibility for non-iPhone users
Specifications
- AudioThree-microphone array with beamforming and wind noise mitigation Dual speakers
- ChipS10 chip with 64-bit dual-core processor 4-core Neural Engine 64GB capacity
- DisplayAlways-On Retina display with wide-angle OLEDs and LTPO3 1Hz refresh Active area (422 by 514 pixels, 326 pixels per inch) Flat sapphire crystal display Up to 3000 nits peak brightness 1 nit minimum brightness Night Mode for Apple Watch Ultra faces (Modular Ultra, Wayfinder, Orienteering)
- Fits wrists130–210mm
- Operating SystemwatchOS
- Power and Battery LifeMultiday battery life, up to 42 hours of normal use Up to 72 hours in Low Power Mode Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery Fast-charge capable Up to 80% charge in about 45 minutes 15 minutes for up to 12 hours of normal use 5 minutes for up to 8 hours of sleep tracking
- Always-on altimeterAlways-on altimeter
- Antennas (GPS, cellular/satellite)L1 and L5 precision dual-frequency GPS (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, and BeiDou)
- BlackBlack
- Blood Oxygen appBlood Oxygen app
- Built-in accessibility featuresBuilt-in accessibility features supporting vision, mobility, hearing, and cognitive disabilities
- Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion batteryBuilt-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery
- Charge timeUp to 80% charge in about 45 minutes
- Connectivity—
- Connectivity / 5GSupports RedCap for 5G FDD-5G NR (Bands n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n8, n12, n14, n20, n25, n26, n28, n66, n71) TDD-5G NR (Bands n38, n40, n41, n53)
- Connectivity / Apple PayApple Pay
- Connectivity / Apple Watch For Your KidsSupport for Apple Watch For Your Kids
- Connectivity / BluetoothBluetooth 5.3
- Connectivity / GPSL1 and L5 precision dual-frequency GPS (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, and BeiDou)
- Connectivity / GymKitGymKit
- Connectivity / International roamingInternational roaming
- Connectivity / LTEFDD-LTE (Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 66, 71) TDD-LTE (Bands 38, 39, 40, 41, 53)
- Connectivity / Ultra WidebandSecond-generation Ultra Wideband chip
- Connectivity / Wi-FiSupport for 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi networks Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n)
- ControlsCustomizable Action button, Digital Crown with haptic feedback, Side button, Double tap and wrist flick gestures
- Customizable Action buttonCustomizable Action button
- Cycle Tracking app with retrospective ovulation estimatesCycle Tracking app with retrospective ovulation estimates
- Dust resistanceDust resistance IP6X under IEC 60529
- ECG appECG app
- EN13319 recreational scuba divingEN13319 recreational scuba diving to 40m (±1m accuracy)
- Environmental Requirements—
- Environmental Requirements / Dive operating temperature32° to 104° F (0° to 40° C)
- Environmental Requirements / Non-operating storage temperature−4° to 113° F (−20° to 45° C)
- Environmental Requirements / On-wrist operating temperature−4° to 130° F (−20° to 55° C)
- Environmental Requirements / Operating altitude−1600 feet to 29,500 feet (−500m to 9000m)
- Environmental Requirements / Operating temperature32° to 95° F (0° to 35° C)
- Environmental Requirements / Relative humidity5% to 90% noncondensing
- Fast-charge capableFast-charge capable
- FDD–5G NRFDD–5G NR (Bands n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n8, n12, n14, n20, n25, n26, n28, n66, n71)
- FDD–LTEFDD–LTE (Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 66, 71)
- Features includeVoiceOver, Zoom, On/Off Labels, Reduce Transparency, Increase Contrast, Color Filters, Text Size, Bold Text, Reduce Motion, Hourly Chimes, AssistiveTouch, Button Click Speed, Touch Accommodations, Auto-Answer Calls, Type to Siri, RTT Support, Audio Volume Balance, Audio Transcription, Live Speech, Accessibility Shortcut, Mono Audio, Taptic Time, Personal Voice, Live Listen
- Hardware and Buttons—
- Hardware and Buttons / Action buttonCustomizable Action button
- Hardware and Buttons / Digital CrownDigital Crown with haptic feedback
- Hardware and Buttons / MicrophoneThree-microphone array with beamforming and wind noise mitigation
- Hardware and Buttons / Side buttonSide button
- Hardware and Buttons / SpeakerDual speakers
- Health and Wellness—
- Heart Rate appHeart Rate app
- High and low heart rate notificationsHigh and low heart rate notifications
- High dynamic range gyroscopeHigh dynamic range gyroscope
- High-g accelerometerHigh-g accelerometer
- Hypertension notificationsHypertension notifications
- Irregular rhythm notificationsIrregular rhythm notifications
- key_features49mm Titanium case, Always-On Retina display (3000 nits), S10 SiP, Dual-frequency GPS
- L1 and L5 precision dual-frequency GPSL1 and L5 precision dual-frequency GPS (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, and BeiDou)
- Low Power ModeUp to 72 hours in Low Power Mode
- Material and FinishTitanium case, Grade 5 Natural, Black
- Mindfulness app with state of mind trackingMindfulness app with state of mind tracking
- Multiday battery lifeMultiday battery life, up to 42 hours of normal use
- Noise appNoise app
- Resolution422 by 514 pixels
- SafetySatellite connectivity (Emergency SOS, Messages, Find My) Emergency SOS International emergency calling Siren Flashlight Crash Detection Fall Detection Last Emergency Call Availability Waypoint Noise monitoring Backtrack
- Second-generation Ultra Wideband chipSecond-generation Ultra Wideband chip
- Sensors—
- Sensors / AccelerometerHigh-g accelerometer
- Sensors / AltimeterAlways-on altimeter
- Sensors / Ambient light sensorAmbient light sensor
- Sensors / Blood oxygen sensorBlood oxygen sensor
- Sensors / CompassCompass
- Sensors / Depth gaugeDepth gauge
- Sensors / Electrical heart sensorElectrical heart sensor
- Sensors / GyroscopeHigh dynamic range gyroscope
- Sensors / Optical heart sensorThird-generation optical heart sensor
- Sensors / Temperature sensorTemperature sensor
- Sensors / Water temperature sensorWater temperature sensor
- Siri with on‐device processingSiri with on‐device processing
- Size and Weight / Depth12mm
- Size and Weight / Display Area422 by 514 pixels 1245 sq mm display area
- Size and Weight / Height49mm
- Size and Weight / Weight (black)61.8 grams
- Size and Weight / Weight (natural)61.6 grams
- Size and Weight / Width44mm
- Size and Weight / Wrist Size130–210mm wrists
- Sleep apnea notificationsSleep apnea notifications
- Sleep app including sleep stagesSleep app including sleep stages
- Sleep scoreSleep score
- Support for 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi networksSupport for 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi networks
- Support for Apple Watch For Your KidsSupport for Apple Watch For Your Kids
- Supports RedCap for 5GSupports RedCap for 5G
- TDD–5G NRTDD–5G NR (Bands n38, n40, n41, n53)
- TDD–LTETDD–LTE (Bands 38, 39, 40, 41, 53)
- Tested to MIL-STD 810HTested to MIL-STD 810H against subsections for altitude, high temperature, low temperature, temperature shock, immersion, freeze with thaw, ice and freezing rain, and shock and vibration
- Third-generation optical heart sensorThird-generation optical heart sensor
- watchOSwatchOS is the world’s most advanced wearable operating system, with apps and features designed to keep you active, healthy, safe, and connected.
- Water resistanceWater resistance 100m (swim, snorkel, scuba, high-speed water sports) under ISO standard 22810:2010
- Weight (aluminum, GPS + Cellular)—
- Weight (aluminum, GPS)—
- Weight (Night Blue ceramic)—
- Weight (Pearl White ceramic)—
- Weight (titanium)—
- Workouts and Activity—
- Year introduced2025