Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 launch in UAE with major health upgrades

Both watches add new heart sensing and readiness scores, with sales from September 18

Last updated: September 09, 2026 | 22:13

Nivetha Dayanand, Assistant Business Editor

4 MIN READ

Using the higher-frequency heart rate and HRV measurements offered by Apple Watch Ultra 4, a new daytime vitals view lets users toggle between overnight and daytime metrics, and can potentially spot shifts in their metrics before they show up overnight.

Dubai: Apple has introduced the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4, with UAE prices starting at Dh1,599 and Dh3,199 respectively, bringing new heart-rate sensing, daily readiness scores and faster charging across its latest smartwatch lineup.

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Both models are available for pre-order now and will reach stores on Friday, September 18.

The Series 12 is offered in 42mm and 46mm sizes, while the Ultra 4 comes in natural and black titanium. Both use Apple’s new S11 chip and Health Sensing System, which the company says delivers its most accurate heart-rate sensing in a wearable.

Heart rate checked every five seconds

The new optical heart sensor uses larger, power-efficient green LEDs to measure heart rate every five seconds throughout the day on both models.

Heart rate variability, or HRV, is measured up to 24 times more often, with users able to see recovery HRV and overall HRV separately in the Heart Rate app.

Recovery HRV is intended to provide daily information on stress and recovery, while overall HRV provides a broader view that includes cardiovascular health.

Overnight vitals now incorporates recovery HRV measurements against a user’s personal baseline, while a daytime vitals view allows users to switch between daytime and overnight readings.

Apple said a study involving more than 1,000 participants compared its new heart-rate sensing system with leading wearables and found Apple Watch delivered the highest accuracy across the devices tested.

New readiness score looks at the day ahead

Series 12 and Ultra 4 also introduce readiness, which combines recent activity, training load, vitals and sleep scores into a daily score between zero and 10.

Users receive one of four recommendations based on that score, ranging from Recover and Pace Yourself to Ready and Go For It.

The score can change during the day when new information is recorded, including an intense workout or changes in daytime vitals.

Ultra 4 extends battery life to 50 hours

Battery life marks one of the biggest differences between the two models.

Apple Watch Ultra 4 provides up to 50 hours of everyday battery life and up to 84 hours in Low Power Mode. A 15-minute charge can add up to 18 hours of battery life.

Its Extended Workout mode provides up to 25 hours of outdoor workout tracking with full GPS and heart-rate readings, which Apple said is 25% more than the previous model.

Max Extended Workout mode stretches outdoor run, walk and hike tracking to as much as 45 hours while continuing to take GPS readings every second.

Apple said that duration is typically sufficient to complete a 100-mile race.

Series 12 retains up to 24 hours of everyday battery life and now provides up to 10 hours during an outdoor workout, a 25% increase from the previous model.

A 15-minute charge on Series 12 adds up to 12 hours of battery life, which Apple said is 50% more than its predecessor.

Step tracking gets redesigned

Apple has also redesigned its pedometer model using new machine-learning algorithms, with the S11 chip handling more accurate step counts throughout the day.

The company says Series 12 and Ultra 4 now provide the most accurate step tracking of any smartwatch.

A new Steps complication allows users to see their step count directly on the watch face.

Watches can listen for important sounds

The S11 chip also enables Sound Recognition, a feature designed to alert deaf or hard of hearing users when the watch detects sounds including sirens, alarms, doorbells or a baby crying.

Apple said the feature processes audio through a hardware-isolated Secure Exclave and does not create or store audio recordings. Raw audio used for processing is deleted after processing and is inaccessible to the operating system, apps, users and Apple.

Shazam is also integrated into the watches, allowing music playing nearby to be identified and displayed through the Music Recognition widget in the Smart Stack.

Series 12 gets new materials

Apple Watch Series 12 is available in dark bronze, black, light gold and space gray aluminium, alongside radiant gold and natural titanium.

A ceramic version is offered in pearl white and night blue.

Aluminium models use Ceramic Shield 2, which Apple says is 60% tougher than the Ion-X glass used on previous aluminium models.

Ultra 4 continues with a titanium design and is available in natural and black finishes.

watchOS 27 arrives September 14

Both watches support watchOS 27, which will be available on Monday, September 14, for Apple Watch Series 9 or later, Apple Watch SE 3 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 or later.

The software adds a dynamic app grid with five Siri-suggested apps, a new single-handed tap gesture, Smart Stack suggestions and support for perimenopause and menopause in Cycle Tracking.

Workout Buddy can also operate without an iPhone nearby and will support Spanish in addition to English.

Apple Intelligence will become available with watchOS 27 on September 14 for supported devices and languages, while Siri AI will begin rolling out in beta on the same day for supported devices set to English.

Nivetha DayanandAssistant Business Editor

Nivetha Dayanand is Assistant Business Editor at Gulf News, covering aviation, financial markets and commodities. A business and financial journalist with a strong interest in multimedia storytelling, she regularly takes complex financial and economic subjects beyond the written word, producing explainer videos that make them easier for a wider audience to understand. Nivetha has interviewed senior policymakers, business leaders and global financial figures both on and off camera. Her past guests include UAE Minister of Economy and Tourism Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, Khaled bin Alwaleed Al Saud, a member of the House of Saud and the founder and CEO of KBW Ventures, Jihad Azour, Director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department at the International Monetary Fund and Indian ministers Hardeep Singh Puri and N. Chandrababu Naidu. She has also hosted and moderated panels, conferences and awards shows, bringing her newsroom experience to live conversations on business, finance and the economy. An Erasmus Mundus journalism alum, Nivetha is drawn to stories that affect people directly and to reporting that gives a platform to voices that might otherwise go unheard. She was among the first journalists to speak to Petrofac employees in the UAE about unpaid salaries, broke the news of the planned demolition of Dubai’s well-known “Toyota Building”, and helped set the record straight on widely circulated claims that a giant replica of the Moon was coming to Dubai. More recently, her exclusive interview with EDGE Group CEO Hamad Al Marar revealed how the UAE-based defence group deployed its systems along the country’s shore border and established a geofence around the UAE within 48 hours of the February 28 escalation. Prior to joining Gulf News, Nivetha worked at ITP Media, where she helped launch Finance Middle East, a new publication covering the region’s financial sector. Her role spanned reporting and editing, video production, interviews and events. Across print, digital, and video, she focuses on finding the people behind business stories and explaining why those stories matter to the audience reading or watching them.