Screen size
Watch Series 12Winner: 2.0"+3.1%
Watch Series 8 Aluminum1.9"
Quick verdict
Watch Series 12 leads the measured specs 8-4.
Measured wins
Watch Series 12
8
spec wins
Overall winner
Ties
3
equal specs
Watch Series 8 Aluminum
4
spec wins
Screen size
Technology
Watch Series 12
GSM / HSPA / LTE / 5G
Watch Series 8 Aluminum
GSM / HSPA / LTE
2G bands
Watch Series 12
GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
Watch Series 8 Aluminum
GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
3G bands
Watch Series 12
HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100
Watch Series 8 Aluminum
HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 - International, China, HK, HSDPA 850 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 - USA, LATAM, Canada
4G bands
Watch Series 12
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
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 38, 39, 40, 41, 66, 71
Watch Series 8 Aluminum
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 39, 40, 41, 66 - International, China, HK, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 25, 26, 39, 40, 41, 66 - USA, LATAM, Canada
5G bands
Watch Series 12
1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 14, 20, 25, 26, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 71 SA/NSA
Watch Series 8 Aluminum
-
Speed
Watch Series 12
HSPA, LTE, 5G
Watch Series 8 Aluminum
HSPA, LTE
Announced
Watch Series 12
2026, September 09
Watch Series 8 Aluminum
2022, September 07
Status
Watch Series 12
Available. Released 2026, September 18
Watch Series 8 Aluminum
Available. Released 2022, September 16
Dimensions
Watch Series 12
46 x 40 x 9.7 mm - titanium47 x 41 x 9.9 mm - ceramic
Watch Series 8 Aluminum
45 x 38 x 10.7 mm (1.77 x 1.50 x 0.42 in)
Weight
Watch Series 12
36.5/41.7/42.8/44.9/51.3/52.9 g (1.31 oz)
Watch Series 8 Aluminum
32 g (41mm), 38.8 g (45mm) (1.13 oz)
Build
Watch Series 12
Sapphire crystal front, zirconia back, titanium case (grade 5) or ceramic case
Watch Series 8 Aluminum
Glass front, ceramic/sapphire crystal back, aluminum frame
SIM
Watch Series 12
eSIM
Watch Series 8 Aluminum
eSIM
Other
Watch Series 12
IP6X certified 50m water resistant ECG certified (region dependent SW application; HW available on all models) Depth gauge to 6m
Watch Series 8 Aluminum
IP6X certified 50m water resistant ECG certified (region dependent SW application; HW available on all models)
Type
Watch Series 12
Retina LTPO3 OLED, 2000 nits (peak)
Watch Series 8 Aluminum
Retina LTPO OLED, 1000 nits (peak)
Size
Watch Series 12
1.96 inches
Watch Series 8 Aluminum
1.9 inches
Resolution
Watch Series 12
496 x 416 pixels (~326 ppi density)
Watch Series 8 Aluminum
484 x 396 pixels (~326 ppi density)
Protection
Watch Series 12
Sapphire crystal
Watch Series 8 Aluminum
Ion-X strengthened glass
Other
Watch Series 12
Wide-angle OLED
Watch Series 8 Aluminum
-
OS
Watch Series 12
watchOS 27
Watch Series 8 Aluminum
watchOS 9.0, upgradable to watchOS 26.2.1
Chipset
Watch Series 12
Apple S11
Watch Series 8 Aluminum
Apple S8
CPU
Watch Series 12
Dual-core
Watch Series 8 Aluminum
Dual-core
GPU
Watch Series 12
PowerVR
Watch Series 8 Aluminum
PowerVR
Card slot
Watch Series 12
No
Watch Series 8 Aluminum
No
Internal
Watch Series 12
64GB
Watch Series 8 Aluminum
32GB 1GB RAM
Other
Watch Series 12
-
Watch Series 8 Aluminum
eMMC 5.1
Other
Watch Series 12
No
Watch Series 8 Aluminum
No
Loudspeaker
Watch Series 12
Yes
Watch Series 8 Aluminum
Yes
3.5mm jack
Watch Series 12
No
Watch Series 8 Aluminum
No
WLAN
Watch Series 12
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, dual-band
Watch Series 8 Aluminum
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, dual-band
Bluetooth
Watch Series 12
5.3, A2DP, LE
Watch Series 8 Aluminum
5.3, A2DP, LE
Positioning
Watch Series 12
GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS, BDS
Watch Series 8 Aluminum
GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS, BDS
NFC
Watch Series 12
Yes
Watch Series 8 Aluminum
Yes
Radio
Watch Series 12
No
Watch Series 8 Aluminum
No
USB
Watch Series 12
No
Watch Series 8 Aluminum
No
Sensors
Watch Series 12
Accelerometer, gyro, always-on heart rate, barometer, always-on altimeter, compass, SpO2, VO2max, temperature (body), temperature (water)
Watch Series 8 Aluminum
Accelerometer, gyro, heart rate, barometer, always-on altimeter, compass, SpO2, VO2max, temperature (body)
Other
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
Watch Series 8 Aluminum
Temperature sensing (0.01˚ accuracy) Ultra Wideband (UWB) support
Type
Watch Series 12
Li-Ion
Watch Series 8 Aluminum
Li-Ion 308 mAh
Charging
Watch Series 12
Wireless, 0-80% in 30 min
Watch Series 8 Aluminum
Wireless, 0-80% in 45 min
Colors
Watch Series 12
Radiant Gold Titanium, Natural Titanium, Silver Titanium (Hermès only), Pearl White Ceramic, Night Blue Ceramic
Watch Series 8 Aluminum
Midnight, Starlight, Silver, Red
Models
Watch Series 12
A3582, A3587
Watch Series 8 Aluminum
A2773, A2775, A2772, A2774, A2857, A2858, A2770, A2771, watch6,14, watch6,15, watch6,16, watch6,17
Price
Watch Series 12
€ 439.00
Watch Series 8 Aluminum
About 340 EUR
SAR
Watch Series 12
-
Watch Series 8 Aluminum
0.31 W/kg (head) 0.55 W/kg (body)
SAR EU
Watch Series 12
-
Watch Series 8 Aluminum
0.31 W/kg (head) 0.55 W/kg (body)