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All-new Apple Watch Series 12 or the Ultra 4?

It's now late 2026 and Apple has just announced the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 — both powered by the new S11 chip and featuring a redesigned Health Sensing System. I'm still wearing the second-hand Ultra 2 I bought from CeX back in September 2024. The battery hasn't degraded noticeably, the case is still in excellent condition, and although I've worn through two straps I consider they really are just consumables. So the question I'm asking myself right now is the same one I asked two years ago, just updated: is there a compelling reason to upgrade? My honest answer, after looking carefully at what's new, is not yet — but the landscape has shifted enough that the comparison is worth revisiting properly, especially if you're coming to this fresh and trying to decide between the current lineup.

TL;DR — Apple's September 2026 event brought genuinely new technology to the Watch lineup for the first time in a while, with the S11 chip, higher-frequency heart rate and HRV sensing, a new readiness score feature, and a redesigned Health app arriving later in 2026. The Ultra 4 now claims up to 45 hours of outdoor workout battery life. These are real improvements, not just colour refreshes. But if you already own an Ultra 2 in good condition, the core experience — long battery life, rugged titanium case, full WatchOS feature set — remains entirely competitive. If you're buying new today, the Ultra 4 and Series 12 are the ones to consider. If you're buying smart on a budget, the Ultra 2 and Series 10 have dropped significantly in price on the second-hand market and remain excellent watches.

Cast your mind back to September 2024. I'd just sold my Apple Watch Series 5 to CeX for £76 in vouchers and was looking for a replacement that could actually last more than a day on a charge. The Glowtime – September 2024 event was, frankly, underwhelming, with a lot of new colours and thinner bezels and not much else. The Ultra 2 was essentially unchanged from 2023, and the Series 10 in titanium was priced so close to the Ultra 2 that Apple might as well have been nudging you toward it. I ended up buying a Grade A second-hand Ultra 2 from CeX, paid mostly in trade-in vouchers, and walked out feeling quietly pleased with myself. Two years on, that decision still looks sound. But Apple's 2026 lineup is the most meaningfully updated Watch range in several years, and it deserves a proper look.

What's new in 2026: Series 12, Ultra 4, and SE 3

Apple announced three new models on September 9th 2026: the Apple Watch Series 12, the Apple Watch Ultra 4, and the Apple Watch SE 3. All three represent a more substantive generational step than we saw in 2024, largely because of the S11 chip and a new Health Sensing System shared across the range.

The Series 12 is the headline consumer model. It's powered by the S11 chip — described by Apple as the most powerful wearable chip they've made — and introduces a new optical heart rate sensor that Apple claims is the most accurate in any wearable. Heart rate is now tracked every five seconds throughout the day, and HRV readings can be taken as frequently as every five minutes. There's a new personal readiness score feature aimed at helping you understand recovery and training load. The display on aluminium models is now protected by Ceramic Shield 2, which Apple says is 60% tougher than the Ion-X glass used previously. The Series 12 is available in an unusually wide range of finishes: dark bronze, light gold, black, space gray, and radiant gold in aluminium and titanium, plus pearl white and night blue ceramic options. Battery life is quoted at up to 24 hours normal use, with fast charging capable of adding up to 12 hours in just 15 minutes. A redesigned Health app with a new Longevity tab and Health Age feature is coming later in 2026.

The Ultra 4 takes all of that and adds the endurance credentials the Ultra line is known for. Battery life has jumped to up to 45 hours for outdoor workout tracking, and Apple claims the most accurate on-device GPS in any sports watch. The new Health Sensing System is present here too, along with Apple Intelligence powering Siri AI directly on the watch via watchOS 27. Satellite communications are now supported. The Ultra 4 remains in a 49mm titanium case and is available in natural and black finishes. Audio Intelligence features are arriving later in 2026.

The SE 3 continues as the accessible entry point, available in midnight and starlight, and remains the on-ramp for new Apple Watch users who don't need the full health sensing suite.

A look at the current Apple Watch lineup for 2026

The comparison that follows covers the current new models alongside the recent predecessors that are now available at reduced prices on the second-hand and refurbished market. My own criteria haven't changed much: I want blood oxygen monitoring, sleep apnoea notifications, multi-day battery life, and the full WatchOS feature set. I want whatever I buy to be under some form of guarantee. Here's how the range stacks up.

Entry level: Apple Watch SE 3

The Apple Watch SE 3 is the sensible starting point for anyone new to Apple Watch. It covers the essentials — heart rate, crash detection, fall detection, emergency SOS, sleep tracking, GPS and cellular options — at the lowest price in the range. It doesn't have the Blood Oxygen app or sleep apnoea notifications, which rules it out for me, but as an on-ramp it does exactly what it needs to. Available in midnight and starlight aluminium.

Apple Watch Series 11 and Series 12

The Series 11, which launched in 2025, added longer battery life over the Series 10 and brought 5G cellular support without a price increase — making it a smart second-hand buy right now that prices have eased. It has the full health feature set including blood oxygen and sleep apnoea detection.

The Series 12 is the current model and the most capable standard Apple Watch Apple has ever made. The new Health Sensing System with five-second heart rate tracking and frequent HRV readings is a genuine step forward, not a marketing exercise. If you're buying new at the standard tier, the Series 12 is the obvious choice. Once you spec it up to a titanium case with comparable finish to the Ultra 4, the price gap between the two narrows considerably — Apple's pricing logic at work again.

Apple Watch Ultra 2, Ultra 3, and Ultra 4

The Ultra 3 launched in 2025 as an incremental update to the Ultra 2, and the Ultra 4 is the current top-tier model as of September 2026. The Ultra 4's 45-hour outdoor workout battery life is a meaningful improvement over the Ultra 2's 36-hour normal use and 72-hour low power mode figures, particularly for endurance athletes. The S11 chip, new Health Sensing System, Apple Intelligence, and satellite communications round out a genuinely upgraded package.

The original Ultra 2 — the one I bought in 2024 — is now available second-hand at prices that make it an exceptional value proposition for anyone who wants the Ultra experience without the Ultra 4 price tag. It still runs the latest watchOS, still has blood oxygen, sleep apnoea detection, dual-frequency GPS, the siren, 40m depth rating, and that multi-day battery. Nothing about the core experience has become obsolete.

Comparing features across the current and recent Apple Watch range

Apple Watch SE 3

The entry-level Apple Watch SE 3 covers the essentials at the lowest price in the current lineup. Available in midnight and starlight aluminium. Functionality includes:

High and low heart rate notifications
Irregular rhythm notifications
Low cardio fitness notifications
Sleep Tracking
Vitals app (heart rate, respiratory rate, sleep duration)
Cycle tracking
Emergency SOS and International Emergency Calling
Fall Detection and Crash Detection
Water resistant, swimproof
GPS
Cellular and Wi-Fi only options
Siri
Find iPhone
Up to 18 hours normal use
Aluminium finish in midnight and starlight

Current entry-level model — check Apple and Amazon for current pricing

Apple Watch Series 12

The current standard Apple Watch, announced September 2026, powered by the S11 chip with a new Health Sensing System. Available in 46mm or 42mm aluminium, titanium, or ceramic. Functionality (additions over Series 10 in bold) includes:

ECG app
High and low heart rate notifications
Irregular rhythm notifications
Low cardio fitness notifications
Blood Oxygen app
Sleep Tracking
Sleep apnoea notifications
Vitals app featuring heart rate, respiratory rate, wrist temperature, blood oxygen and sleep duration
Temperature sensing
Cycle tracking with retrospective ovulation estimates
Emergency SOS and International Emergency Calling
Fall Detection and Crash Detection
Water resistant WR 50M and IP6X
Swimproof
Depth gauge to 6m
Water temperature sensor
GPS
Cellular and Wi-Fi only options
S11 SiP
New Health Sensing System — heart rate every 5 seconds, HRV up to every 5 minutes
Personal readiness score
Double tap gesture
Apple Intelligence — Siri AI on device via watchOS 27
Precision Finding for iPhone
Up to 24 hours normal use
Up to 36 hours in Low Power Mode
Fast charging — up to 12 hours added in 15 minutes
Ceramic Shield 2 on aluminium models (60% tougher than Ion-X)
Aluminium in dark bronze, light gold, black, space gray; Titanium in radiant gold, natural; Ceramic in pearl white, night blue
Health Age feature and Longevity tab in redesigned Health app (coming late 2026)

Current standard model — check Apple, Amazon and CeX for current pricing (2026)

Apple Watch Ultra 4

The current top-tier Apple Watch, announced September 2026, powered by the S11 chip in a 49mm titanium case. Functionality (additions over Ultra 2 in bold) includes:

ECG app
High and low heart rate notifications
Irregular rhythm notifications
Low cardio fitness notifications
Blood Oxygen app
Sleep Tracking
Sleep apnoea notifications
Vitals app featuring heart rate, respiratory rate, wrist temperature, blood oxygen and sleep duration
Temperature sensing
Cycle tracking with retrospective ovulation estimates
Emergency SOS and International Emergency Calling
Fall Detection and Crash Detection
Siren
Water resistant 100m
Swimproof
Depth gauge to 40m
Water temperature sensor
High-speed water sports
Recreational scuba to 40m
Precision dual-frequency GPS
Most accurate on-device GPS claimed for a sports watch
Cellular connectivity
S11 SiP
New Health Sensing System — heart rate every 5 seconds, HRV up to every 5 minutes
Personal readiness score
Double tap gesture
Apple Intelligence — Siri AI on device via watchOS 27
Precision Finding for iPhone
Up to 45 hours outdoor workout battery life
Up to 72 hours in Low Power Mode
Fast charging
Satellite communications
Audio Intelligence features (arriving later 2026)
Titanium finish in natural and black

Current top-tier model — check Apple, Amazon and CeX for current pricing (2026)

Comparing the recent predecessors — still excellent value on the second-hand market

The same logic that led me to buy a second-hand Ultra 2 in 2024 applies today for buyers on a tighter budget. The Ultra 2, Ultra 3, Series 10, and Series 11 have all dropped meaningfully in price since their respective launches and remain fully supported on the latest watchOS. Here's a reminder of what those watches offer.

Apple Watch Series 10

Launched September 2024, the Series 10 was the first standard Apple Watch with a depth gauge and water temperature sensor. It has an Always-On LTPO3 OLED display up to 2,000 nits and fast charging (0–80% in about 30 minutes). Full health feature set including blood oxygen and sleep apnoea. Available second-hand at significantly reduced prices. Functionality includes:

ECG app
Blood Oxygen app
Sleep apnoea notifications
High and low heart rate notifications
Irregular rhythm notifications
Temperature sensing
Vitals app
Cycle tracking with retrospective ovulation estimates
Emergency SOS and International Emergency Calling
Fall Detection and Crash Detection
Depth gauge to 6m, water temperature sensor
GPS, Cellular and Wi-Fi options
S10 SiP
Double tap gesture
Precision Finding for iPhone
Up to 18 hours normal use; up to 36 hours Low Power Mode
Aluminium in jet black, rose gold, silver; Titanium in slate, gold, natural

Now available second-hand and refurbished at reduced prices — check CeX, Amazon Renewed, Apple Certified Refurbished (2026)

Apple Watch Ultra 2

Launched September 2023, relaunched with black titanium finish in September 2024. 49mm titanium case, LTPO2 OLED Always-On Retina display up to 3,000 nits. Full health feature set, multi-day battery, precision dual-frequency GPS, 40m depth rating. Still fully supported on the latest watchOS. The author's own watch, purchased second-hand in 2024, remains in daily use with no appreciable battery degradation. Functionality includes:

ECG app
Blood Oxygen app
Sleep apnoea notifications
High and low heart rate notifications
Irregular rhythm notifications
Temperature sensing
Vitals app
Cycle tracking with retrospective ovulation estimates
Emergency SOS and International Emergency Calling
Fall Detection and Crash Detection
Siren
Water resistant 100m; depth gauge to 40m; water temperature sensor
High-speed water sports; recreational scuba to 40m
Precision dual-frequency GPS
Cellular connectivity
S9 SiP
Double tap gesture
Precision Finding for iPhone
Up to 36 hours normal use; up to 72 hours Low Power Mode
Titanium in natural and black

Now available second-hand at significantly reduced prices — check CeX, Amazon Renewed, Apple Certified Refurbished (2026)

Two years on — is there a reason to upgrade from the Ultra 2?

I've been wearing my Ultra 2 every day since September 2024. I've been through two straps — the braided Solo Loop is perfectly serviceable but does eventually get grubby worn and looser and at that point you replace it rather than clean it. I replaced mine with an Alpine Loop in Green which is perfoct for me and still avaliable cheaply from Computer Exchange. The case itself shows no meaningful wear. The battery still lasts around three days in normal use, which remains the single most liberating thing about this watch.

Details: Written by: Angus Fox; Last Updated: 27 September 2026

iPhone 18 Pro Max: Which Features Actually Justify an Upgrade

iPhone 18 Pro Max: A Flagship Built for Selective Upgraders

Apple's iPhone 18 Pro Max arrives as one of the most specification-dense handsets the company has produced, yet its headline advances are unlikely to resonate equally for every iPhone model user. For industry professionals evaluating device refresh cycles and fleet investment decisions, the central question is not whether the hardware is impressive, but whether the improvements are substantive enough to justify the cost relative to the iPhone users already carry.

Details: Written by: Angus Fox; Last Updated: 22 September 2026

Working headless RDP with GNOME Remote Desktop on Ubuntu 25.10

Headless Remote Desktop on Ubuntu - working reliable

Setting up GNOME Remote Desktop for headless multi-user RDP access on Ubuntu 25.10 (Questing Quokka) is trickier than it should be. This guide documents a working approach using only the software shipped with Ubuntu Desktop — no extra packages required — and uses openssl to generate TLS certificates. It covers common errors and how to resolve them, and reflects what actually works in 2026.

TL:DR – Getting this right on Ubuntu 25.04 was a frustrating experience. After several hours of digging, headless multi-user RDP on 25.10 finally works reliably, and the approach below is the result of that effort.

Details: Written by: Angus Fox; Last Updated: 22 September 2026

Use an Apple Magic Mouse on Windows 11 PC

Use and scroll with Apple Magic Mouse on Windows 11 PC

You do not have to abandon Windows just to enjoy the precision, build quality, and touch-surface elegance of the Apple Magic Mouse. I run a dedicated Windows 11 machine for client work and I like my desk accessories to be consistent across every setup, so I set about making the Magic Mouse work properly on Windows. In this guide I will walk you through connecting and fully enabling the Magic Mouse on your Windows 11 PC — including scrolling. Pick up an Apple Magic Mouse in Black or White from Amazon UK and let's get into it.

TL:DR – I resisted the Magic Mouse for years, then got one with a Mac and slowly came round to the feel and the freedom. Now I have that same experience on Windows too.

Details: Written by: Angus Fox; Last Updated: 22 September 2026

New Cassette deck in 2026

Do you need a new cassette recorder, in 2025?

Can I finally digitise my old analog Compact Cassette tapes to Digital audio?

Last year during the holidays, while unpacking boxes, I found my collection of cassette tapes from the 20th century! I never threw them away it seems, even though I haven't had a cassette player connected to my home audio system for decades. Handling and looking through my tapes evoked many memories of recording and playing them, whether they were concert bootlegs, band practices, or taped off the radio. I remembered too the important process of writing out the track listing and decorating the cassette tape labels and covers.

Vintage cassette players and recorders, are expensive and full of compromises on eBay but seem to have a devoted following among collectors, vinyl enthusiasts, and music lovers who perhaps are nostalgic for the warm sound of analog audio and the hiss of tape. Professional and semi professional restoration shops sell them too, often with warranties. I looked up my old long lost Sony Walkman DC2 and the prices are in the stratosphere for this, the king of the Walkman players and much loved by me. So much so that it made me wonder if anyone makes new cassette players and recorders these days. Even Phillips the inventor of the format has no Cassette players or decks in it's current line up. This to me seems both sad and wrong.

But, there are a couple of decent pro audio and HiFi decks around and this is a little bit of a rabbit hole!

TL:DR — Compact cassettes are making a comeback due to their nostalgic appeal, unique sound quality, and resurgence of interest in physical media. If you have the means theres still one Pro Audio and one HiFi consumer cassette deck available in new condition with USB out. Both have the exact same mechanism with a few styling differences, chiefly rack mount capability and one additional playback function on the Pro Audio version. Both are expensive so shop around. If you're looking for a second hand professional level Cassette Deck in 2024 read my other article Tascam 302 Cassette recorder.

Details: Written by: me; Last Updated: 22 September 2026

Building for One, Part one: a calm iPad display for someone

This is the first part of a build-in-public series about an app we have been thinking about for a year or more, finally started work on, and are still building. It is called Daysome, although the icon reads My Day. It shows one person, on one iPad, what day it is, what is happening now, what is coming next, and what is for tea. That is the whole thing.

We are writing this up as we go rather than after the fact, partly because the interesting decisions are the ones that get forgotten once a product looks finished, and partly because we are looking for a small number of families and care professionals to test it on real hardware. If that might be you, there is a note at the end.

Daysome - a calm iPad display for someone living with dementia

TL;DR – Part one covers the first few days: where the idea came from, why we chose the stack we did, how the requirements arrived, one small development tool that saved more time than anything else we built, and the point at which we put it under version control and pointed it at TestFlight, Apple's app testing system for the App Store.

Details: Written by: Angus Fox; Last Updated: 15 September 2026

Building for One, Part two: what it costs to buy one command

Building for One, Part one: a calm iPad display for someone living with dementia ended with an app that ran. A calm iPad display for someone in the early stages of dementia — what day it is, what is happening now, what is next, and what is for tea. Tested, documented, and living entirely on one laptop. If you are less interested in the tooling feel free to skip to Building for One, Part three: what a real iPad changed

TL;DR – Part two is about the two days spent turning that into this:

git push origin v0.1.0-beta1

One command. It runs the audit, builds both platforms, archives and signs iOS against a pinned certificate, signs Android with its own upload key, and delivers to TestFlight and Google Play internal testing. Both stores, from one tag.

Details: Written by: Angus Fox; Last Updated: 15 September 2026

Building for One, Part three: what a real iPad changed

Building for One, Part one: a calm iPad display for someone living with dementia built a calm daily display for someone in the early stages of dementia. Building for One, Part two: what it costs to buy one command spent two days turning it into one command that ships to both stores. This part is about the afternoon it finally ran on a real iPad, and how much of the design turned out to be wrong.

Not broken, just wrong in the way things are wrong when you have only ever seen them on a desktop display.

TL;DR – A simulator tells you whether something fits. Only a device tells you whether it reads. And only a person tells you whether any of it was the right idea.

Details: Written by: Angus Fox; Last Updated: 15 September 2026

Building for One, Part four: the £200 tablet that just worked

Building for One, Part four: £200 tablet just worked

Building for One, Part one: a calm iPad display for someone living with dementia built a calm daily display for someone in the early stages of dementia. Building for One, Part two: what it costs to buy one command spent two days turning it into one command that ships to TestFlight and Play. Building for One, Part three: what a real iPad changeddiscovered, on a real device, how much of the design had been wrong.

This part is shorter and cheaper, and it starts with something that is meant to be a treat in build-in-public writing: a thing that worked first time.

TL;DR – A £200 Amazon Fire Max 11 tablet ran the build with no changes at all. Then we read the real screen numbers off the device, which proved a careful hedge wrong and uncovered a live layout bug in about ninety seconds. The lesson is about the guess, not the bug.

Details: Written by: Angus Fox; Last Updated: 15 September 2026

Building for One, Part six: four names for one app

Building for One, Part one: a calm iPad display for someone living with dementia built a calm daily tablet display for someone in the early stages of dementia, and Building for One, Part five: everybody reads it before she does got it into three app stores. This part is a coda, written while we wait for feedback rather than build anything.

It is about the names. There are four of them, and that is not an accident or an oversight.

TL;DR – A name is not a brand, it is an answer to a question, and four different people ask four different questions.

Details: Written by: me; Last Updated: 15 September 2026

Building for One, Part five: everybody reads it before she does

Building for One, Part five: everybody read it before her

Building for One, Part one: a calm iPad display for someone living with dementia built a calm daily display for someone in the early stages of dementia, and Building for One, Part four: the £200 tablet that just worked put it on a £200 tablet. In between, two parts on turning it into one command that ships to both stores and on how much of the design real tablets proved wrong. This part covers the week after that: twenty-five beta builds, and the same app sitting in three review queues at once.

Almost none of that week was spent on the thing the app does. It was spent on the fact that three different people read this app before the person it is for ever sees it (an app reviewer, a tester, and the family member doing the installing), and each of them needs different words.

TL;DR – Getting those words wrong does not produce a bug report. It produces a rejection, or worse, a person reading something about themselves that nobody meant them to read.

Details: Written by: Angus Fox; Last Updated: 15 September 2026

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