Updated
Updated · MacRumors · Jul 26
Apple Watch Series 12, Ultra 4 Keep Designs Largely Unchanged as SE 4 Skips 2026
Updated
Updated · MacRumors · Jul 26

Apple Watch Series 12, Ultra 4 Keep Designs Largely Unchanged as SE 4 Skips 2026

3 articles · Updated · MacRumors · Jul 26

Summary

  • Bloomberg's Mark Gurman expects Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 to bring few visible changes this year, with no major redesign versus the current Series 11 and Ultra 3.
  • Performance is still due to improve: both current models use the S10 chip, so a likely S11 or newer processor would deliver the first meaningful Apple Watch speed gains in years.
  • Health upgrades appear incremental rather than radical, with Gurman citing unspecified fitness and tracking improvements while casting doubt on rumored Touch ID and a band-embedded health sensor.
  • 2026 will also lack an Apple Watch SE 4, while Gurman says bigger watch changes are more likely in the next 1 to 2 years.
  • Further out, Apple is still developing blood sugar detection for the Apple Watch, targeting a release by 2030.

Insights

If Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 barely change, what could actually make this year’s upgrade cycle worth watching?
With no Apple Watch SE 4 expected this year, should buyers wait for a redesign or accept Apple’s new era of small upgrades?