- AirPods 5 now feature active noise cancellation, enhancing the listening experience.
- Apple Watch Series 12 offers the most accurate heart rate sensing and increases health monitoring frequency.
- The new health sensing system can sample heart rate every five seconds, improving data accuracy.
- Apple's Health app will be redesigned to provide analysis of long-term health trends.
Apple is making significant hardware updates to its wearable lineup, launching new AirPods and making notable changes to its smartwatch platform. The AirPods 5 now bring active noise cancellation to Apple's more affordable open-ear headphone series, while the Apple Watch Series 12 and Watch Ultra 4 introduce a new health sensing system. All three products also heavily rely on on-device intelligence and more frequent health measurements.
Apple says these new watches offer the most accurate heart rate sensing in its wearable lineup.
AirPods 5 Noise Cancellation Technology Enhanced
AirPods 5 have received an upgrade in open-air active noise cancellation. Apple claims the redesigned AirPods 5 acoustic system can reduce external noise by up to 50% compared to the active noise cancellation technology in AirPods 4. The new design employs a multi-port acoustic architecture combined with updated computational audio processing. The adaptive equalizer also adjusts the listening experience to better account for differences in ear shapes. The Transparency mode has been updated to make nearby sounds and ambient audio sound more natural when active noise cancellation is turned off.
Adaptive Audio automatically balances noise cancellation and transparency, while Conversation Awareness reduces media volume when the wearer starts speaking. The AirPods 5 have an initial retail price of US$129 (approximately HK$1,005) in the US, with a version priced at US$149 (approximately HK$1,164) that adds wireless charging and stem-based volume control. The active noise cancellation playback time for this model has been extended to five hours per charge, with the charging case providing a total of 22 hours of active noise cancellation listening time.
Apple Watch Health Monitoring System
The Apple Watch has further enhanced its sensing capabilities. The Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 introduce a health sensing system that combines new optical and electrical sensors with Apple's S11 chip. These watches can now sample heart rate every five seconds throughout the day. Apple states that studies involving over 1,000 participants have shown its new system to have the highest accuracy among tested wearables. Heart rate variability measurements have also become more frequent, with Apple claiming the watch can capture heart rate variability up to 24 times more frequently.
The new Readiness Score converts recent activity, training load, sleep, and vital signs into a daily score ranging from 0 to 10, with the system then suggesting whether users should recover, take it easy, or continue pushing forward. The Series 12 offers a battery life of up to 24 hours for daily use, extendable to 10 hours for outdoor workouts. The Ultra 4 further improves durability, providing up to 50 hours of normal use and up to 84 hours in low-power mode, with its extended workout mode supporting outdoor activities for up to 45 hours. Apple also states that the watch can maintain GPS readings every second in its longest tracking mode.
The role of health data has also become more extensive. Apple is redesigning the iPhone's Health app to provide users with a new way to view long-term trends. The new Longevity section will include a Health Age feature that compares selected health metrics with the user's actual age. The app will also organize health information through a new insights experience. Apple plans to connect these features with Apple Intelligence. The Siri AI will support requests across applications based on personal context, while new audio intelligence features will be introduced to the watch later this year.
These updates collectively push Apple's wearables towards more continuous sensing and personalized feedback. The bigger shift is not just in more measurements, but in Apple's aim to translate these measurements into useful guidance.
Item Specifications AirPods 5 Price US$129 (approximately HK$1,005) AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging US$149 (approximately HK$1,164) Apple Watch Series 12 Battery Life 24 hours Apple Watch Ultra 4 Battery Life 50 hours
Apple's Health Revolution in Wearables
Apple's latest releases of the AirPods 5 and Apple Watch Series 12 represent significant advancements in health monitoring and audio technology for wearable devices. The introduction of active noise cancellation not only enhances the sound quality experience for users but also demonstrates Apple's ongoing innovation in audio technology. On the other hand, the new health sensing system in the Apple Watch enables more frequent heart rate measurements, which is crucial for users' health management. These changes not only improve the functionality of the products but also emphasize Apple's efforts in personalized health data analysis, providing users with deeper health insights.