Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 now have official Philippine prices: the Series 12 starts at ₱28,990 and the Ultra 4 at ₱59,990 on Apple's Philippine online store, which lists both as “check back later for availability.” Apple announced the two watches at its September 9 event alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and the foldable iPhone Duo. Both run on the new S11 chip and share what Apple calls the Health Sensing System, a redesigned set of heart sensors that reads your pulse every five seconds.
What the Health Sensing System changes
The headline upgrade is in the sensors, not the design. Apple says the new optical and electrical heart sensors deliver the most accurate heart rate sensing in a wearable. In practice that means:
- Background heart-rate readings every five seconds, all day.
- Heart rate variability (HRV, the small changes in timing between heartbeats that reflect recovery and stress) measured up to 24 times more often than before, with separate Recovery HRV and overall HRV figures.
- A daily readiness score from 0 to 10 that combines recent activity, vitals and sleep, paired with one of four recommendations: Recover, Pace Yourself, Ready, or Go For It.
- A new Health Age view in the redesigned iPhone Health app, which compares metrics such as VO2 max and sleep against your actual age.
TechCrunch's report adds the hardware detail behind the claim: larger electrode surfaces for ECG readings, photodiodes arranged in a ring, and more efficient green LEDs for tracking heart rate during movement.
Series 12 vs Ultra 4 at a glance
| Apple Watch Series 12 | Apple Watch Ultra 4 |
|---|
| Philippine price | From ₱28,990 | From ₱59,990 |
| US price | $399 (around ₱25,000) | $799 (around ₱50,000) |
| Chip | S11 | S11 |
| Sizes | 42mm and 46mm | 49mm |
| Case options | Aluminum, titanium, ceramic | Natural or black titanium |
| Battery (normal use) | Up to 24 hours | Up to 50 hours |
| Low Power Mode | Up to 38 hours | Up to 84 hours |
| Outdoor workout tracking | Up to 10 hours | Up to 45 hours (Max Extended Workout) |
| Fast charge (15 minutes) | Up to 12 hours of use | Up to 18 hours of use |
| US store availability | September 18 | September 18 |
The Series 12 46mm starts at ₱31,990 in the Philippines. Apple's PH store shows more than 20 configurations across GPS and GPS + Cellular models, but only the starting price is displayed while ordering is closed.
Ceramic returns as a Series 12 case material in pearl white and night blue, next to aluminum (dark bronze, black, light gold, space gray) and titanium (radiant gold, natural), according to Apple's release; Macworld's launch guide puts the Series 12 at up to 38 hours in Low Power Mode. Aluminum models get Ceramic Shield 2 glass, which Apple rates as 60 percent tougher than the Ion-X glass it replaces.
The Ultra 4 keeps the 49mm titanium case and adds the biggest battery numbers Apple has quoted for a watch: 50 hours of normal use, 84 hours in Low Power Mode, 25 hours in Extended Workout mode with full GPS and heart-rate tracking, and 45 hours in Max Extended Workout mode, according to Apple's Ultra 4 announcement. It is built from 100 percent recycled titanium and its battery uses 100 percent recycled cobalt. New band colors include Trail Loop in dark umber, sand and burgundy, Alpine Loop in desert, dark olive and burgundy, and a translucent Ocean Band in gray, kelp and black.
Audio Intelligence: Live Rewind and Siri Recap
Both watches add a set of features Apple groups under Audio Intelligence. Live Rewind shows the previous 15 seconds of a conversation as text when you double-press the Digital Crown. Siri Recap listens to a meeting and generates a title and key points in the Siri app; Apple lists it as a beta arriving late in 2026. Sound Recognition alerts users to sirens, alarms, doorbells and crying babies, and Shazam song detection now runs from the Smart Stack. Apple states that these features do not create or store audio recordings.
Philippine prices and when you can buy one
Apple has confirmed prices for the Philippines but not a local date. Pre-orders opened September 9 in the US, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, Japan, the UAE and the UK, with in-store availability on September 18 in those markets and more than 50 others. The Philippines is not on Apple's first-wave list, and the PH store's “check back later” notice means no order date has been set. Local coverage says the watches will arrive in Philippine stores soon, without a specific date.
Two price points are worth noting for buyers here. The ₱28,990 starting price is about ₱4,000 above a direct conversion of the $399 US price, while the Ultra 4's ₱59,990 is roughly ₱10,000 above a conversion of $799 — the usual gap that import duties, VAT and distribution add to Apple products sold in the Philippines. If you plan to use a cellular model, Smart already sells Apple Watch plans from ₱692 a month, which is the first local carrier route for a GPS + Cellular Series 12 or Ultra 4.
watchOS 27 arrives September 14
Both watches ship with watchOS 27, which Apple will release to existing watches on Monday, September 14 (US time). Siri AI on the watch rolls out in beta with that update, in English first. Existing Apple Watch owners will get the software features that do not depend on the new sensors, but the five-second heart-rate readings, the readiness score and the extended battery figures require the new hardware.
