Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 Announced: New Health Tracking, Apple Silicon and Prices

Apple Watch Series 12

Series 12 remains Apple’s mainstream smartwatch, but the new generation puts additional emphasis on health data and recovery. Apple introduced a redesigned sensor system that can collect heart-rate information more frequently, supporting improved fitness and wellness insights.

The new watch also benefits from updated Apple silicon. Combined with watchOS 27 and Apple’s expanding intelligence features, the hardware is designed to provide faster processing and more useful summaries without turning the Watch into a miniature iPhone.

Apple Watch Ultra 4

Ultra 4 continues as Apple’s rugged premium model for athletes, adventurers and users who want the company’s most capable watch. Apple is emphasizing improved sensors, health tracking and battery endurance while retaining the Ultra line’s outdoor-focused identity.

Health and Recovery Become More Important

One of the clearest themes of the new Watch generation is Apple’s attempt to turn the device from a passive activity tracker into a more useful interpretation layer for health and fitness data. More frequent heart-rate measurements can feed recovery and fitness features, helping users understand not only what they did but how their body is responding.

New Intelligence Features

Apple’s broader AI strategy also extends to the wrist. Launch coverage highlighted new summary and intelligence capabilities designed to surface useful information without requiring users to dig through multiple apps and metrics.

Pricing

Apple Watch Series 12 starts at $399, while Apple Watch Ultra 4 starts at $799, according to launch coverage. Those prices keep the new models in the familiar mainstream and premium positions of Apple’s Watch lineup.

Who Should Upgrade?

Series 12 will make the most sense for users with older Apple Watches who want improved health tracking and newer software capabilities. Ultra 4 is aimed at users who prioritize battery life, rugged construction, outdoor use and Apple’s most advanced Watch hardware.

Bottom Line

Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 are evolutionary upgrades, but Apple’s direction is clear: better sensors, more frequent health data, stronger on-device processing and software that turns raw measurements into information people can actually use.

SOURCES

Apple September 9, 2026 event / Apple Events
Reuters — Apple September 9 launch coverage
The Verge — Apple September 2026 event announcements
Axios — Apple event live coverage

September 9, 2026September 9, 2026

Apple September 2026 Event: Everything Announced — iPhone Duo, iPhone 18 Pro, Apple Watch and AirPods 5

official Apple iPhone Duo launch image — Source: Apple Newsroom
Apple’s September 9, 2026 event delivered one of the company’s most consequential hardware launches in years. The headline was Apple’s first foldable iPhone, the iPhone Duo, but the company also introduced iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, Apple Watch Series 12, Apple Watch Ultra 4 and a new generation of AirPods.

Here are the biggest confirmed announcements

iPhone Duo: Apple Enters the Foldable Era

The biggest surprise — and the long-awaited “one more thing” — was iPhone Duo. Apple’s first foldable iPhone opens to a 7.6-inch display and includes a 5.4-inch outer screen. It supports multitasking, adapts iOS 27 to multiple orientations and folding positions, and will support Apple Pencil.

The Duo starts at $1,999 and is scheduled for availability October 23. Apple is positioning it as both a premium smartphone and a productivity device, effectively bringing some iPad-style use cases into a pocketable iPhone.

iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max

Apple also introduced iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. The new models start at $1,199 and $1,299 respectively, with preorders beginning September 12 and availability September 18.

The Pro lineup introduces A20 Pro, stronger on-device AI capabilities and significant camera improvements. A 48-megapixel main camera with variable-aperture capability gives photographers more control over light and depth of field, while Apple is also expanding computational photography and video features.

Apple Reference Image

Apple introduced a new authenticity initiative called Apple Reference Image. The feature is designed to help prove the authenticity of images captured with supported iPhones at a time when AI-generated and manipulated photos are becoming increasingly difficult to identify. Apple also said it will support the emerging SynthID standard for identifying AI-created or edited imagery. Regional availability will vary.

Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4

Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 were also announced. Apple highlighted redesigned sensing and more frequent heart-rate measurements, alongside new Apple silicon and software features focused on health, recovery, fitness and intelligent summaries.

Series 12 starts at $399, while Ultra 4 starts at $799 according to launch coverage.

New AirPods

Apple refreshed its entry AirPods line as well. The new generation brings active noise cancellation to a lower-priced AirPods tier. Launch coverage lists a $129 starting model and a $149 version with additional features including wireless charging and on-stem volume controls.

iOS 27 and Siri AI

The hardware announcements build on iOS 27 and Apple’s next generation of Siri AI. Apple emphasized that its intelligence system runs on-device whenever possible and demonstrated deeper app integration. The larger iPhone Duo display is one of the clearest examples of hardware and iOS 27 being designed together, with side-by-side apps and adaptive layouts.

What Was the Biggest Announcement?

The iPhone Duo is easily the defining product of this event. Apple is entering a foldable market that competitors have been developing for years, but it is doing so at the very top of the price range. Whether the $1,999 Duo becomes a mainstream success or remains a premium niche product will be one of the most important Apple stories to watch over the next year.

For traditional iPhone buyers, however, the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max remain the products likely to ship at much greater scale. Their camera and AI upgrades could matter more to Apple’s overall business even if the Duo receives most of the attention.

SOURCES

Apple Events / Apple Newsroom
Reuters — Apple September 9, 2026 launch coverage
Associated Press — Apple September 9 launch coverage
The Verge — Apple event biggest announcements
Axios — Apple live event coverage

September 9, 2026September 9, 2026

Apple iPhone Duo Official: First Foldable iPhone Starts at $1,999

Apple iPhone Duo official foldable image.

Apple’s foldable iPhone is no longer a rumor. The company has officially unveiled the iPhone Duo, a passport-shaped foldable that represents one of the biggest changes to the iPhone since the removal of the Home button.

The headline feature is a 7.6-inch inner display that opens into a tablet-like workspace while the phone retains a 5.4-inch outer display for normal one-handed use. Apple says the unfolded screen is its largest-ever iPhone display while the device remains pocketable when closed.

Price and Release Date

The iPhone Duo starts at $1,999 in the United States. Apple says the device will become available October 23, placing it above the iPhone 18 Pro Max as the company’s new ultra-premium iPhone option.

Two Displays, One iPhone

Apple has designed the Duo around a wider, passport-like shape rather than an unusually tall folding display. The inner screen supports multiple apps at once, allowing users to work with split-screen layouts and take advantage of apps optimized for the larger canvas. Apple demonstrated productivity scenarios involving apps such as Zoom and Slack.

Apple Pencil Support

In another first for iPhone, the iPhone Duo supports Apple Pencil. That pushes the Duo closer to the iPad experience and could make the device especially interesting for note-taking, annotation and creative work.

Touch ID Instead of Face ID

Apple is using Touch ID integrated into the side button rather than Face ID. Users can also unlock the Duo with Apple Watch. This is one of the clearest examples of Apple adapting familiar technologies to the engineering constraints of a foldable design.

Apple Silicon and Connectivity

The Duo uses Apple’s A20-class silicon and the company’s C2 cellular modem, continuing Apple’s move toward controlling more of the critical chips inside its devices. Apple is also emphasizing on-device AI and privacy across the new iPhone generation.

Cameras

The foldable includes dual rear cameras, with launch reporting describing two 48-megapixel cameras. The emphasis appears to be on keeping the device thin while still delivering a flagship-level camera experience, rather than matching every lens available on the Pro Max.

Built for iOS 27

The hardware story is only half of the Duo. Apple adapted iOS 27 to respond to different orientations and folding positions. Users can place apps side by side, pin video while using another portion of the display, and take advantage of layouts that change as the device is folded or rotated.

Why iPhone Duo Matters

Samsung, Google and Chinese manufacturers have spent years developing the foldable category, but Apple’s entry could push foldables further into the mainstream. At $1,999, this is clearly not a mass-market iPhone. It is a premium first-generation product designed to establish Apple’s approach to the category.

Bottom Line

The iPhone Duo is the most important new iPhone form factor in years. Its combination of a 7.6-inch inner display, Apple Pencil support, multitasking, Apple silicon and iOS 27 creates something closer to a pocketable iPhone-iPad hybrid than a conventional smartphone.

SOURCES

Apple September 9, 2026 event / Apple Events
Reuters — Apple debuts $1,999 foldable iPhone Duo
Associated Press — Apple unveils iPhone Duo
TechCrunch — Apple unveils its first foldable, the iPhone Duo
9to5Mac — Apple unveils foldable iPhone Duo

VIDEO / MEDIA

Official Apple iPhone Duo launch page

Apple September 9, 2026 event video