Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 are launching next month , and rumors indicate they’ll pack a big upgrade—a new, more powerful chip—that will arrive at just the right time.
But rumors indicate we’re getting a truly meaningful chip upgrade this year. Mark Gurman recently wrote that this year’s new models will get a “long-awaited bump in chips and speed. Last year was even worse: Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Series 11 had the exact same S10 chip as their predecessors. Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 will debut a brand new chip , probably named S11 or S12. The last time an Apple Watch chip brought performance gains was the S9 in 2023.
But watchOS 27 launches next month , and its tentpole addition is Siri AI—a feature that could truly benefit from a more powerful chip. Throughout the watchOS 27 beta, Siri has been a bit less responsive than I’d hope. And I suspect that’s in part due to the older chip, which far predates any AI version of Siri.
