Apple Watch Series 12 vs Watch Ultra 4: Which New Apple Watch Should You Buy?

Is Apple's latest drop of watches among the iPhones and its first foldable phone giving you the unusually difficult choice to choose between Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4?

Unveiled on September 9, Apple has introduced a range of gadgets that are tempting buys for Apple loyalists. However, with the two watches Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 introduced with similar features, you may be wondering what should you pick as the right one for you. Naturally, the choice goes beyond the prices that have been announced with the launch of Apple's new smartphones and watches which are available to pre-book.

Available in Titanium, Ceramic and Aluminium, the Apple Watch Series 12 pre-booking price ranges between ₹29,900 to ₹1,09,900 whereas, the Apple Watch Ultra 4 that features a new health sensor system is priced at ₹1,09,900 for the standard Alpine Loop, Trail Loop, and Ocean Band configurations in India. With both watches having similar features that are aimed to buddy-up on your wellness obsession, it is obvious to wonder which makes more sense to be on your wrist tracking your ECG accurately.

Here's a comparison of Apple's newly unveiled Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 for you:

For those people, the new Apple Watch Series 12 makes a surprisingly compelling case against the considerably more expensive Apple Watch Ultra 4. The Ultra 4 is undeniably the more formidable watch: titanium case, sapphire crystal, 3,000-nit display, 100-metre water resistance, precision dual-frequency GPS and up to 50 hours of normal-use battery life. It is essentially a small expedition instrument that happens to display your notifications.

The Series 12, meanwhile, asks a simpler question: Do you really need all that?

The Series 12 is already very good at the health stuff making it perhaps the biggest reason to choose it. It has the S11 chip, ECG, heart-rate monitoring, blood oxygen sensing, temperature sensing, sleep tracking, sleep-apnoea notifications, sleep score, Recovery HRV and the Readiness app. It also supports a substantial range of workouts, from running and cycling to swimming, strength training, yoga and multisport workouts. The Series 12 gets 50-metre water resistance and IP6X dust resistance.

In other words, unless your definition of fitness involves disappearing into the wilderness for three days, the Series 12 isn't exactly phoning it in.

The Ultra 4 has the same S11 platform and a broadly similar suite of everyday health features. Its advantage is what happens when your idea of exercise becomes considerably more ambitious.

You may think that having a watch with 50 hours of battery life is a little excessive. But, if you wear your smartwatch to every occasion be it a date, an office meeting, a wedding or that remote place in central Asia that's always been on your bucket list, then you know how worth it a smartwatch with 50 hours of lasting battery life can mean.

Yes, the Ultra 4 lasts up to 50 hours under Apple's normal-use estimate, compared with up to 24 hours for the Series 12. In Low Power Mode, the numbers rise to 84 and 38 hours respectively.

If you don't wear your smartwatch everyday and keep its use to occasional, then Apple Watch Series 12 is the right one for you. However, if your everyday looks a new adventure where you need your watch to be with you at all times, monitor your vitals while telling you the time and call logs, Ultra 4 is the right Apple Watch to pre-book right now.

The Ultra 4 is built for punishment. Its titanium case and sapphire crystal are designed for rugged use, it is MIL-STD-810H tested, IP6X dust resistant and rated to 100 metres of water resistance, including recreational scuba diving to 40 metres.

The Ultra 4's precision dual-frequency GPS is genuinely useful for serious outdoor navigation. Its Action button gives quick physical access to workouts and other functions, while its depth gauge and water-temperature sensor make it much better suited to diving and water sports. It also gets the brighter 3,000-nit display versus 2,000 nits on the Series 12.