Apple Watch Series 12: Code leak reveals two major upgrades

The Apple Watch Series 11, which is set to be officially unveiled in September, is rumored to have few new features. Apple is said to be adopting both the design and processor directly from the Apple Watch Series 10, but the company may at least introduce a new feature that will warn users about high blood pressure. A more extensive upgrade is not expected until next year's Apple Watch Series 12.

A recent report suggested that Apple's next-generation smartwatch will get a revised design and additional sensors that, among other things, should enable more precise and efficient measurements, which could result in slightly longer battery life. Macworld has now discovered a reference in Apple's internal code to an Apple Watch with support for "AppleMesa", or Touch ID.

At the very least, this suggests that Apple is developing a prototype of a smartwatch with a fingerprint sensor, but whether this feature will be ready for market next year remains to be seen. Touch ID could be integrated into the side button or invisibly beneath the display. A fingerprint sensor could more securely authenticate payments via Apple Pay and replace the four-digit PIN code that is requested every time the Apple Watch is removed from the wrist.

This code also hints at a new processor. While the Apple Watch Series 9, 10, and 11 are all listed under the codename "Watch7" and share the same processor, the Apple Watch Series 12 is codenamed "Watch8". The processor codename of the new model is "T8320" instead of "T8310" as in the three previous generations.