iPhone 17’s Bluetooth 6.0: The Best Reason to Wait for Apple Watch Series 12?

[Woodcrest64]

I’m still on an iPhone 16 Pro, but I’ve been following the iPhone 17 launch closely. It’s the first iPhone with Apple’s new N1 networking chip — which means Bluetooth 6.0 support (plus Wi-Fi 7 and Thread).

• Series 11 and Ultra 3 still use the S10 SiP. That means the wireless hardware hasn’t changed since last year, and you’re still getting Bluetooth 5.3, not 6.0.
• Bluetooth 6.0 brings real-world benefits: smarter filtering that saves power, better reliability when you leave your phone in another room, smoother streaming of health data and notifications, and potentially improved battery life on both devices.
• Apple usually upgrades Watch wireless tech a generation after the iPhone. So Series 12 (and likely Ultra 4) should finally get Bluetooth 6.0, making them the perfect match for iPhone 17 owners.

There are definitely some benefits to holding off until Series 12 if you want to future proof your watch even more.

 

[jz0309]

I’m still on an iPhone 16 Pro, but I’ve been following the iPhone 17 launch closely. It’s the first iPhone with Apple’s new N1 networking chip — which means Bluetooth 6.0 support (plus Wi-Fi 7 and Thread).

• Series 11 and Ultra 3 still use the S10 SiP. That means the wireless hardware hasn’t changed since last year, and you’re still getting Bluetooth 5.3, not 6.0.
• Bluetooth 6.0 brings real-world benefits: smarter filtering that saves power, better reliability when you leave your phone in another room, smoother streaming of health data and notifications, and potentially improved battery life on both devices.
• Apple usually upgrades Watch wireless tech a generation after the iPhone. So Series 12 (and likely Ultra 4) should finally get Bluetooth 6.0, making them the perfect match for iPhone 17 owners.

There are definitely some benefits to holding off until Series 12 if you want to future proof your watch even more.

if you really want to "future proof" any computing device, you should never buy one in the first place.

Watch still uses wifi 4 (11n), maybe, maybe not Apple will do its own wifi/BT for the phone next year but the focus will be on power needs, not the latest specs, Other than downloading OS updates - do you have any connectivity issues with the watch today? I don't ...

 

[Woodcrest64]

that is a very valid statement and I agree with you 100% that you can literally wait forever. I do get the odd dropout with my Series 6 when I’m at home even though it’s connected via Wifi to my home network. So I’m interested to see what benefits Bluetooth 6.0 brings and Wifi 7 to the Apple Watch.