The Apple Watch Series 12 came out today, and we picked one up to get a look at the new feature set. There are no major external changes, but Apple updated the device's internals and health sensors. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. The Apple Watch Series 12 has the same design as the Series 11, but it does come in different colors. The aluminum models are available in a light gold shade that's distinct from the rose gold Apple used last year, as well as dark bronze, black, and space gray. There are also ceramic models in pearl white and night blue, and polished titanium models in radiant gold and natural. On the aluminum models, Apple is now using Ceramic Shield 2 instead of Ion-X glass, and the new material is 60 percent tougher. You might not be able to tell a Series 11 apart from a Series 12 when looking at the front, but the back has been updated. Apple says the upgraded sensors make the Apple Watch Series 12 the most accurate wearable for heart rate sensing. The Series 12 has a Health Sensing System that pairs the new sensors with an S11 chip that's faster than the S10 in the prior-generation model. It takes heart rate readings every five seconds now and measures heart rate variability as often as every five minutes. It's early, but so far we haven't seen the higher sampling rates cause excessive battery drain. The Apple Watch Series 12 is still rated for all-day battery life, and charging is faster this year. You can get up to 12 hours of normal usage from a 15-minute charge, but you need to use the Apple Watch charger that comes with the Series 12. Older chargers won't give you the faster charging rate. The Health Sensing System powers a readiness score that lets you know whether to go all-out on activity or take a rest day. It's based on metrics such as recent activity, vitals, and sleep, and will adjust as the day continues. It takes about a week of data collection from the Series 12 before you start getting a readiness score. The S11 chip will power Live Rewind and Siri Recap features, but those won't be available until later this year. Even though the Apple Watch hasn't seen a design refresh, the health features make this a decent update. You may not want to upgrade if you have the Series 10 or Series 11, but anything older is worth upgrading from. The Series 12 comes in 42mm and 46mm size options with pricing starting at $399. Related Roundup: Apple Watch 12 Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Buy Now) Related Forum: Apple Watch This article, " Hands-On With the Apple Watch Series 12 " first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums
TechInsights has published an iPhone 18 Pro Max teardown that confirms the U.S. version of the device is equipped with Qualcomm's Snapdragon X80 modem. The device's modem firmware had already pointed towards the Snapdragon X80 modem. The smaller iPhone 18 Pro and the iPhone Duo use Apple's custom-designed C2 modem worldwide, and the iPhone 18 Pro Max uses the C2 modem in every other country, so the U.S. version of the iPhone 18 Pro Max having a Qualcomm modem is unique . iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max models have the same Snapdragon X80 modem worldwide, although TechInsights noted that the U.S. version of the iPhone 18 Pro Max has a newly-identified mmWave 5G antenna module from Apple. We will have to wait for C2 vs. Snapdragon X80 performance tests. Apple has yet to explain why only the U.S. version of the iPhone 18 Pro Max still has a Qualcomm modem, so we can only speculate for now. In 2023, Qualcomm announced that it would supply Apple with smartphone modems through 2026, so perhaps Apple is ensuring that it complies with its contractual obligations in a minimal way. Apple's C2 modem supports ultra-fast mmWave 5G in the U.S., unlike its previous-generation C1 and C1X modems. Qualcomm modems in the iPhone 12 and newer already supported mmWave 5G in the U.S., so Apple played catch up here. Apple said the C2 delivers "meaningfully faster uploads" compared to the C1X while consuming 15% less energy. Related Roundup: iPhone 18 Pro Tags: Qualcomm , Teardown , TechInsights Buyer's Guide: iPhone 18 Pro (Buy Now) Related Forum: iPhone This article, " iPhone 18 Pro Max in U.S. Has Qualcomm's Snapdragon X80 Modem " first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums
