Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman today outlined what to expect from the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 this year. Spoiler: not very much. While rumors suggested Touch ID might arrive on Series 12, Gurman said he does not foresee major design changes compared to Series 11 and Ultra 3, making the Touch ID claim increasingly unlikely. Another sketchy rumor about a band with an embedded health sensor was not mentioned.

Instead, Gurman expects ordinary updates, including faster performance and unspecified improvements to health and fitness tracking. Series 11 and Ultra 3 both use the S10 chip that debuted in Series 10 and Ultra 2, so an S11 chip or newer should provide the first Apple Watch performance gains in years. He also confirmed there will not be an Apple Watch SE 4 this year.

Significant changes are in the works but are unlikely to arrive for another year or two. Apple continues to develop a blood‑sugar detection feature, aiming for release by 2030.

These modest upgrades reflect Apple’s focus on incremental refinement rather than radical redesign. Users can expect the same familiar interface, improved battery life, and tighter integration with HealthKit. While some speculate about new band materials, Apple has yet to confirm any changes in that area.