Apple Watch Chipsets Faced Years Of Neglect With Subpar Improvements, But The A20 Pro Helped Pave The Way For The S11’s Generational Upgrade This Year

Key Points:

• The Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 feature the new S11 SiP, which is derived from the A20 Pro chip used in the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo, marking a significant upgrade over previous iterations.
• The S11 includes memory improvements, a 4-core Neural Engine with a 50% larger Last-Level Cache, and increased memory bandwidth, enhancing the on-device AI experience and overall performance.
• The architectural design of the S11 is based on Apple’s flagship iPhone SoC, with two efficiency cores, a single-core GPU, and a dedicated Neural Engine aimed at handling demanding AI operations.
• The new Apple Watch models now feature the same amount of memory as the iPhone 13 from 2021, representing a major leap in specifications compared to the previous S10 SiP, which was two generations old.
• With these upgrades, the Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 will receive longer software support and exclusive AI features, with prices starting at $399 for the Series 12 and $799 for the Ultra 4.