Apple Watch Ultra 3 vs Apple Watch Series 12 42mm
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Apple Watch Ultra 2KSh 103,500.00
Apple Watch Series 8 Price range: KSh 50,000.00 through KSh 53,000.00
Apple Watch SE 2 Price range: KSh 28,500.00 through KSh 32,000.00
Apple Watch UltraKSh 90,000.00
At a glance
Key specifications and important differences. Full details follow below.
| Feature |  Apple Watch Ultra 3 |  Apple Watch Series 12 42mm |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Price range: KSh 96,000.00 through KSh 115,000.00 | — |
| Display | Always-On Retina display with wide-angle LTPO3 OLED | Always-On Retina LTPO3 wide-angle OLED |
| Water resistance | 100 m under ISO 22810:2010 | 50 m swimproof under ISO 22810:2010 |
| Processor | Apple S10 chip | Apple S11 chip; 4-core Neural Engine |
| Storage | 64 GB | 64 GB |
| Operating system | watchOS | watchOS 27 |
| Network / cellular | 5G RedCap and LTE on supported model A3281; availability varies by country and carrier | 5G RedCap and LTE on GPS + Cellular models; international roaming supported |
| Positioning / GNSS | Built-in L1 + L5 precision dual-frequency GPS; GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS and BeiDou | Precision L1 GPS; GLONASS; Galileo; QZSS; BeiDou |
| Health & wellness features | Blood Oxygen, ECG, Cycle Tracking, heart-rate notifications, irregular-rhythm notifications, medications, mindfulness and noise features; availability varies by region | Heart rate and HRV; Blood Oxygen; ECG; respiratory rate; wrist temperature; Readiness and Vitals; high/low heart-rate and irregular-rhythm notifications; cycle tracking; hypertension notifications |
Full specifications
2 of 4 products
| Specification | Apple Watch Ultra 3 | Apple Watch Series 12 42mm |
|---|---|---|
| Identity & design | ||
| Brand | Apple | Apple |
| Model | Apple Watch Ultra 3 | Apple Watch Series 12 42mm |
| Announced | 2025 | 9 September 2026 |
| Dimensions | 49 × 44 × 12 mm | Aluminum or titanium: 42 × 37 × 9.7 mm; ceramic: 43 × 37 × 9.85 mm |
| Weight | Natural titanium: 61.6 g Black titanium: 61.8 g | Aluminum GPS: 32.2 g; aluminum GPS + Cellular: 31.5 g; titanium: 36.5 g; Pearl White ceramic: 41.7 g; Night Blue ceramic: 42.8 g |
| Build materials | Grade 5 titanium case; flat sapphire crystal display | Aluminum, titanium or ceramic case, depending on configuration |
| Wrist size | Fits 130–210 mm wrists | 130–200 mm |
| Controls / buttons | Digital Crown with haptic feedback, side button, customizable Action button, double-tap and wrist-flick gestures, touchscreen | Digital Crown with haptic feedback; side button; band-release button; single tap, double tap and wrist flick gestures |
| Display | ||
| Display | Always-On Retina display with wide-angle LTPO3 OLED | Always-On Retina LTPO3 wide-angle OLED |
| Screen resolution | 422 × 514 pixels (326 ppi); 1,245 mm² display area | 374 × 446 pixels, 326 ppi; 970 mm² display area |
| Display protection | Flat sapphire crystal | Ceramic Shield 2 on aluminum cases; sapphire front crystal on titanium and ceramic cases |
| Display features | 1 Hz refresh; up to 3,000 nits peak brightness; 1 nit minimum brightness; Night Mode | 1 Hz refresh; up to 2,000 nits peak brightness; 1 nit minimum brightness |
| Performance & software | ||
| Processor | Apple S10 chip | Apple S11 chip; 4-core Neural Engine |
| CPU | 64-bit dual-core processor; 4-core Neural Engine | 64-bit dual-core |
| GPU | — | PowerVR |
| Storage | 64 GB | 64 GB |
| Operating system | watchOS | watchOS 27 |
| Connectivity | ||
| Network / cellular | 5G RedCap and LTE on supported model A3281; availability varies by country and carrier | 5G RedCap and LTE on GPS + Cellular models; international roaming supported |
| SIM / eSIM | Cellular model uses eSIM | eSIM on GPS + Cellular models |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n), 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz | Wi‑Fi 4 (802.11n), 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5.3 | Bluetooth 5.3 |
| NFC | Apple Pay and GymKit support | Supported; Apple Pay |
| Positioning / GNSS | Built-in L1 + L5 precision dual-frequency GPS; GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS and BeiDou | Precision L1 GPS; GLONASS; Galileo; QZSS; BeiDou |
| Ultra Wideband (UWB) | Second-generation Ultra Wideband chip; availability varies by region | Second-generation Ultra Wideband chip |
| Satellite features | Satellite connectivity for Emergency SOS and Find My; availability varies by region | — |
| Audio & communication | ||
| Speaker | Built-in speaker and siren | Speaker with media playback |
| Microphone | Three-microphone array with beamforming and wind-noise mitigation | Microphone with Voice Isolation |
| Calling | Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and cellular calling where supported | Bluetooth calling; cellular calling on GPS + Cellular models; international emergency calling |
| Sensors, health & fitness | ||
| Sensors | Electrical heart sensor, third-generation optical heart sensor, blood oxygen sensor, temperature sensor, depth gauge, water-temperature sensor, compass, always-on altimeter, high-g accelerometer, high-dynamic-range gyroscope and ambient-light sensor | High-g accelerometer; high dynamic-range gyroscope; compass; always-on altimeter; ambient-light sensor; third-generation electrical heart sensor; always-on optical heart sensor; blood-oxygen sensor; temperature sensor; depth gauge; water-temperature sensor |
| Health & wellness features | Blood Oxygen, ECG, Cycle Tracking, heart-rate notifications, irregular-rhythm notifications, medications, mindfulness and noise features; availability varies by region | Heart rate and HRV; Blood Oxygen; ECG; respiratory rate; wrist temperature; Readiness and Vitals; high/low heart-rate and irregular-rhythm notifications; cycle tracking; hypertension notifications |
| Sleep tracking | Sleep stages, Sleep Score and sleep-apnoea notifications where available | Sleep duration and stages; sleep score; sleep-apnea notifications |
| Sports / workout modes | — | Running; hiking; cycling; pool and open-water swimming; skiing; snowboarding; rowing; paddling; golf; walking; HIIT; yoga; strength; dance; Pilates; Tai Chi; kickboxing; multisport and more |
| Training & outdoor features | — | Custom workouts and views; Training Load; heart-rate zones; VO₂ max; Race Route; Pacer; running dynamics; automatic track detection; offline maps, routes, waypoints and Backtrack |
| Safety & emergency features | Satellite Emergency SOS and Find My, Emergency SOS, international emergency calling, siren, Crash Detection, Fall Detection, noise monitoring and Backtrack; availability varies by region | Emergency SOS; international emergency calling; Fall Detection; Crash Detection; flashlight; Check In; noise monitoring; emergency waypoints |
| Diving / depth features | Depth gauge and water-temperature sensor; EN13319 recreational scuba diving to 40 m | Depth gauge to 6 m; water-temperature sensor |
| Battery & durability | ||
| Battery life | — | Up to 24 hours normal use; up to 38 hours Low Power Mode; up to 10 hours outdoor workout |
| Charging | — | Fast-charge capable; up to 80% in about 30 minutes; 15 minutes for up to 12 hours normal use; 5 minutes for up to 10 hours sleep tracking |
| Water resistance | 100 m under ISO 22810:2010 | 50 m swimproof under ISO 22810:2010 |
| Durability / certifications | IP6X dust resistance; EN13319; tested to MIL-STD-810H | IP6X dust resistance |
| Compatibility | ||
| Phone compatibility | Requires a compatible iPhone; feature and regional requirements vary | iPhone 11 or later, including iPhone SE (2nd generation or later), with iOS 27 or later |
| Companion app | Apple Watch app and Apple Health | — |
| Colors | Natural titanium and Black titanium | Aluminum: Dark Bronze, Light Gold, Black, Space Gray; titanium: Radiant Gold, Natural; ceramic: Pearl White, Night Blue |
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