Screen size
Watch 42mm (1st gen)1.7"
Watch Series 12Winner: 2.0"+16%
Quick verdict
Watch Series 12 leads the measured specs 9-2.
Measured wins
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
2
spec wins
Ties
3
equal specs
Watch Series 12
9
spec wins
Overall winner
Screen size
Technology
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
No cellular connectivity
Watch Series 12
GSM / HSPA / LTE / 5G
2G bands
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
N/A
Watch Series 12
GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
GPRS
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
No
Watch Series 12
-
EDGE
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
No
Resolution
Refresh rate
Peak brightness
Pixel density
CPU speed
RAM
Storage
Main camera
Front camera
Battery
Wired charging
Weight
Thickness
IP rating
Wi‑Fi
Bluetooth
USB
5G support
NFC
equal specs3.5mm jack
equal specsSD card
equal specsStereo speakers
Watch Series 12
-
3G bands
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
-
Watch Series 12
HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100
4G bands
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
-
Watch Series 12
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 38, 39, 40, 41, 66, 71
5G bands
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
-
Watch Series 12
1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 14, 20, 25, 26, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 71 SA/NSA
Speed
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
-
Watch Series 12
HSPA, LTE, 5G
Announced
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
2014, September. Released 2015, April
Watch Series 12
2026, September 09
Status
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
Discontinued
Watch Series 12
Available. Released 2026, September 18
Dimensions
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
42 x 35.9 x 10.5 mm (1.65 x 1.41 x 0.41 in)
Watch Series 12
46 x 40 x 9.7 mm - titanium47 x 41 x 9.9 mm - ceramic
Weight
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
50 g body (2.82 oz)
Watch Series 12
36.5/41.7/42.8/44.9/51.3/52.9 g (1.31 oz)
Build
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
Glass front (Sapphire crystal), ceramic/sapphire crystal back, stainless steel frame
Watch Series 12
Sapphire crystal front, zirconia back, titanium case (grade 5) or ceramic case
SIM
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
No
Watch Series 12
eSIM
Other
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
IPX7 water resistant up to 1 meter and 30 minutes
Watch Series 12
IP6X certified 50m water resistant ECG certified (region dependent SW application; HW available on all models) Depth gauge to 6m
Type
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
Retina OLED, 450 nits (peak)
Watch Series 12
Retina LTPO3 OLED, 2000 nits (peak)
Size
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
1.65 inches
Watch Series 12
1.96 inches
Resolution
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
390 x 312 pixels (~303 ppi density)
Watch Series 12
496 x 416 pixels (~326 ppi density)
Protection
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
Sapphire crystal glass
Watch Series 12
Sapphire crystal
Other
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
3D Touch display
Watch Series 12
Wide-angle OLED
OS
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
watchOS 1.0, upgradable to watchOS 4.3.2
Watch Series 12
watchOS 27
Chipset
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
Apple S1 (28 nm)
Watch Series 12
Apple S11
CPU
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
520 MHz Cortex-A7
Watch Series 12
Dual-core
GPU
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
PowerVR SGX543
Watch Series 12
PowerVR
Card slot
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
No
Watch Series 12
No
Internal
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
8GB 512MB RAM
Watch Series 12
64GB
Other
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
No
Watch Series 12
No
Loudspeaker
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
Yes
Watch Series 12
Yes
3.5mm jack
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
No
Watch Series 12
No
WLAN
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
Watch Series 12
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, dual-band
Bluetooth
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
4.0, LE
Watch Series 12
5.3, A2DP, LE
Positioning
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
No
Watch Series 12
GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS, BDS
NFC
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
Yes
Watch Series 12
Yes
Radio
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
No
Watch Series 12
No
USB
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
No
Watch Series 12
No
Sensors
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
Accelerometer, gyro, heart rate
Watch Series 12
Accelerometer, gyro, always-on heart rate, barometer, always-on altimeter, compass, SpO2, VO2max, temperature (body), temperature (water)
Other
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
Natural language commands and dictation
Watch Series 12
Health Sensing System: third‑generation electrical heart sensor, always‑on optical heart sensor, blood oxygen sensor, temperature sensor Temperature sensing (0.01˚ accuracy) Ultra Wideband (UWB) support (gen2 chip) Media playback
Type
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
Li-Ion 250 mAh (0.94 Wh), non-removable
Watch Series 12
Li-Ion
Charging
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
Wireless
Watch Series 12
Wireless, 0-80% in 30 min
Colors
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
Stainless Steel/Red, White, Brown/Black/Blue/Marine Blue Buckle, Blue/Stone/White/Storm Gray Leather Loop, Silver/Space Black Milanese Loop, Link Bracelet, Space Black Stainless Steel/Black, Black Link Bracelet, Pearl Woven Nylon
Watch Series 12
Radiant Gold Titanium, Natural Titanium, Silver Titanium (Hermès only), Pearl White Ceramic, Night Blue Ceramic
Models
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
A1554
Watch Series 12
A3582, A3587
Price
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
About 700 EUR
Watch Series 12
€ 439.00