Apple has just unveiled its latest line-up of Apple Watches, including the premium Apple Watch Ultra 4 and the mid-ranger Series 12.

But how do you choose between the two? Is one a better fit for you based on your health and fitness goals?

We’ve compared the specs of the Apple Watch Ultra 4 to the Watch Series 12 and noted the key differences, plus any noteworthy similarities, between the two. Just note that we haven’t reviewed either wearable yet and we’ll update this versus once we do.

Read on to see what separates the flagship Apple Watches and whether either stands a chance at making it into our best smartwatch and best fitness tracker guide.

Price and Availability

After their initial reveal at Apple’s recent annual hardware event, both the Apple Watch Ultra 4 and Series 12 are available to buy now.

The Apple Watch Series 12 is the cheaper of the two, with a starting price of £369/$399 for the smaller 42mm and GPS-only iteration. 

The Apple Watch Ultra 4 is pricier and starts at a hefty £769/$799. 

Apple Watch Ultra 4 comes as a 49mm case

While the Apple Watch Series 12 is available in two case sizes, 42mm and 46mm, the Apple Watch Ultra 4 only comes as a 49mm case. That means the Ultra 4’s display area measures at 1245 sq mm while the 46mm Series 12’s display area is 1196 sq mm. The 42mm Series 12, unsurprisingly, has a much smaller display area of 970 sq mm.

Whether you prefer the larger watchface or not generally depends on your personal preference, however do keep in mind that the Ultra 4 is designed to fit wrists between 130 and 210mm while the larger 46mm Series 12 fits up to 245mm wrists. 

Generally, both the Apple Watch Ultra 4 and Series 12 offer the same health and fitness tracking features as one another. Both are powered by Apple’s S11 chip, which is the brand’s “most powerful wearable” processor that promises the most accurate step tracking of any smartwatch. This chip enables the running of both the Ultra 4 and Series 12’s Health Sensing System which features new optical and electric heart sensors for the “most accurate heart rate sensing in a wearable” and enables better skin contact for ECGs too.

In addition, both the Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 introduce Apple’s new readiness score which analyses your recent metrics to advise you on whether to prioritise recovery or exercising. 

Otherwise, both retain previous Apple Watch tracking tools including Hypertension and Sleep Apnea notifications, cycle tracking and offer access to the optional Apple Fitness Plus subscription too.

Apple Watch Ultra 4 has an 10ATM rating

While the Apple Watch Series 12 has a 5ATM rating, which means it’s water resistant down to 50m, the Apple Watch Ultra 4 benefits from a mighty 10ATM rating. That means it can survive submersion down to a whopping 100m underwater.

In fact, if you particularly enjoy water sports then the Apple Watch Ultra 4 is likely to suit you better. Although the Series 12 supports swimming and snorkeling, the Ultra 4 allows you to track other water sports and scuba diving, with the latter thanks to its depth gauge of 40m. 

Apple Watch Ultra 4 promises up to 50 hours of battery life

Compared to the likes of Whoop MG or many of the best Garmin watches, neither the Apple Watch Series 12 nor Ultra 4 offer particularly impressive battery lives. In fact, the Apple Watch Series 12 is promised to see up to 24 hours with typical use, though that can be eked out up to 38 hours when on low power mode. 

The Ultra 4 does better, with a promise of up to 50 hours with typical use and up to 84 hours when in low power mode. However, just keep in mind that enabling low power mode will turn off lots of features that will limit your experience with your Apple Watch. 

When it comes time to recharge fortunately both promise somewhat speedy options. For example, a 15-minute top-up can see the Series 12 get a 12 hour boost while the same period of time sees the Ultra 4 receive an additional 18 hours of charge. And a 5-minute charge will see both Apple Watches get 10 hours of sleep tracking too.

Apple Watch Ultra 4 has Emergency SOS via satellite and a built-in siren

The Ultra 4 is designed for adventurers, which means it’s equipped with a few extra safety features than the Series 12. That’s not to say the Series 12 doesn’t have any safety tools, as it is fitted with Emergency SOS, Fall and Crash Detection. However, the Ultra 4 benefits from Emergency SOS via satellite, which means you’ll be able to text emergency services even if you don’t have any signal – though you will need to ensure your paired iPhone supports this too.

As we’re yet to review either the Apple Watch Series 12 or Apple Watch Ultra 4, we’ll refrain from giving too conclusive a verdict. However, although both offer similar health and fitness tracking, the Watch Ultra 4 is undoubtedly more of a rugged wearable compared to the Series 12. With that in mind, if you’re planning on doing more adventurous activities like wild camping or scuba diving, then the decision between the two is pretty easy.

On the other hand, the Apple Watch Series 12 is designed as more of an everyday smartwatch, that’ll suit most users. 

We’ll update this versus once we review both the Apple Watch Ultra 4 and Apple Watch Series 12.