Apple is expected to launch Apple Watch Series 12, in two case sizes, and the Apple Watch Ultra 4 at its fall special event on Wednesday, Sept. 9 which will also see the unveiling of the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max and the first foldable iPhone — full details of the schedule here . It looks like the watches could have a significant improvement to hypertension monitoring.

Apple Watch Series 12 Launch Details

“The device is expected to have upgraded internal sensors. Even more exciting, if DigiTimes is correct, "the number of sensor components will double,” Phone Arena said.

The report also noted that Mark Gurman from Bloomberg has predicted that “the FDA has reviewed an upgraded version of the Apple Watch hypertension risk screening alert,” as it put it.

Apple Watch Series 12 Blood Pressure Tracking

Right now, several Apple Watch models can be set to monitor your blood pressure, with the companion iPhone reporting if there is a concerning increase in pressure.

It doesn’t give figures for how your blood pressure is doing, unlike rival devices such as the Huawei Watch D2 or the Hilo blood pressure wristband .

It looks like this absence of detail will continue. “While this won't show a user's actual systolic and diastolic numbers, it will give a warning when the heartbeat of the person wearing the watch displays a pattern indicative of hypertension while also checking their vessels by shining certain lights on them,” the report added.

Apple Watch Series 12 Processor And Hardware Changes

It’s thought the new watches will have their first significantly upgraded CPU for several years — though there have been changes in chips every year.

It may be that this increased power is what will enable the new hypertension feature. If not, you can expect the improved feature to be made available to earlier models of Apple Watch as well. The current feature was introduced on the Apple Watch Series 11 in 2025 but was also made available to Apple Watch Series 9 and later, apart from the SE models.

However, if the new feature depends on the predicted improved sensors, this may not be possible and only the Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 will have it.

To improve a feature a year after it has been introduced is very Apple, so it seems likely to me that this could happen.

It’s thought that the readings will be made, as now, by the sensors using green and infrared LED lights, rather than an inflatable solution such as on a standalone blood pressure cuff or the Huawei D2 watch, which has a band that inflates.

There will be other changes to the next Apple Watches, but it’s not clear if there will be a new design or not — there have been reports saying there will but also there won’t.

Bloomberg ’s Mark Gurman believes the design will stay the same as on the current models. Other sources believe there could be a ceramic-finish Apple Watch Series 12 for the first time in years.