Apple Watch Series 12 vs Amazfit Balance 3 specs comparison
The Watch Series 12 is the better choice for iPhone users who want deeper smartwatch features, apps and tighter phone integration. Amazfit Balance 3 wins comfortably on battery life and outdoor features, making it the stronger option if charging every day is a deal-breaker.
Full comparison
The full record
80 specifications across 7 areas, with 37 genuine differences.
1. Design & display Mixed
Fact
Apple Watch Series 12
Amazfit Balance 3
Release date
2026-09-18
2026-06
Physical size
Aluminum/titanium: 46 x 40 x 9.7 mm or 42 x 37 x 9.7 mm; ceramic: 47 x 41 x 9.85 mm or 43 x 37 x 9.85 mm
51.4 x 51.4 x 14.6 mm including heart-rate sensor; 12.5 mm excluding sensor
Weight
46 mm: 39.5 g (aluminum GPS), 38.6 g (aluminum GPS + Cellular), 44.9 g (titanium), 51.3 g (Pearl White ceramic), 52.9 g (Night Blue ceramic); 42 mm: 32.2 g, 31.5 g, 36.5 g, 41.7 g and 42.8 g respectively
62 g stainless steel / 55 g titanium, without strap
Material
Aluminum, titanium or ceramic case, 60% tougher than Series 11
Stainless steel or Grade 5 titanium frame/case; fiber-reinforced polymer shell
Water resistance
5 ATM; IP6X; depth gauge to 6 m
10 ATM; 45 m freediving; recreational scuba diving
Display type
Always-On Retina LTPO3 wide-angle OLED
AMOLED
Display size
42 mm or 46 mm case (ceramic cases are 43 mm or 47 mm tall)
1.5 inch
Display resolution
42 mm: 374 x 446 pixels; 46 mm: 416 x 496 pixels
480 x 480 pixels (323 ppi)
Display brightness
Up to 2,000 nits
Up to 3,000 nits
Display protection
Ceramic Shield 2 on aluminum cases; sapphire front crystal on titanium and ceramic cases
Sapphire glass
2. Battery & charging Amazfit Balance 3
Fact
Apple Watch Series 12
Amazfit Balance 3
Battery
Rechargeable lithium-ion battery
Rechargeable battery; 658 mAh
Battery life
Up to 24 hours; up to 38 hours in Low Power Mode
Up to 21 days typical; 10 days heavy use; 7 days AOD; 41 hours accurate GPS; 84 hours power-saving GPS
Charging
USB-C magnetic fast charging
Magnetic charging head
3. Hardware & software No clear edge
Fact
Apple Watch Series 12
Amazfit Balance 3
Product status
Current
Current
Battery life - smartwatch mode
Up to 24 hours; up to 38 hours in Low Power Mode
Up to 21 days typical
4. Sensors & positioning Mixed
Fact
Apple Watch Series 12
Amazfit Balance 3
GNSS type
Built-in GNSS
Built-in dual-band GNSS
Multi-band GPS
No
Yes
GPS
Yes
Yes
GALILEO
Yes
Yes
GLONASS
Yes
Yes
QZSS
Yes
Yes
Beidou
Yes
Yes
Accelerometer
Yes
Yes
Gyroscope
Yes
Yes
Barometric altimeter
Yes
Yes
Compass
Yes
No
Ambient light sensor
Yes
Yes
Optical heart rate
Yes (always-on optical heart sensor; high-frequency background tracking)
Yes
Electrical heart rate
Yes
No
SpO2
Yes
Yes
Temperature
Yes
Yes
Galvanic skin response
No
No
Microphone
Yes
Yes
Speakers
Yes
Yes
Vibration motor
Yes
Yes
5. Health & activity Mixed
Fact
Apple Watch Series 12
Amazfit Balance 3
Steps
Yes
Yes
Distance
Yes
Yes
Calories burned
Yes
Yes
Floors
Yes
Yes
Sports tracking
Yes
180+ sports modes
Sleep
Yes
Yes
Heart rate
Yes
Yes (alerts for arrhythmia and atrial fibrillation)
HRV
Yes (Up to 24x more frequent than Series 11)
Yes
Stress
No
Yes
Blood oxygen
Yes
Yes (all day)
Respiration rate
Yes
Yes
Skin temperature
Yes
Yes
ECG
Yes
No
Blood pressure
Hypertension notifications (no direct blood-pressure measurement)
No
Body composition
No
No
Glucose
No
No
Hydration level
No
No
UV exposure
No
No
Calorie intake
No
No
Hyperglycemia risk assessment
No
No
Arterial stiffness detection
No
No
Pulse wave arrhythmia analysis
Yes
Yes
6. Smart features No clear edge
Fact
Apple Watch Series 12
Amazfit Balance 3
Smartphone compatibility
iPhone 11 or later or iPhone SE (2nd generation or later) with iOS 27 or later
Android 8.0+ and iOS 17.0+
Operating system at launch
watchOS 27
Zepp OS 6
Storage
64 GB
64 GB
Subscription required
No
No
Bluetooth
Yes (5.3)
Yes (5.2)
Wi-Fi
Yes (Wi-Fi 4 / 802.11n, 2.4/5 GHz)
Yes (2.4 GHz)
NFC / connected pay
Yes (Apple Pay)
Yes (Zepp Pay, region-dependent)
UWB
Yes (2nd-generation UWB)
No
Cellular
Optional (5G RedCap and LTE on supported regional models)
No
Smartphone notifications
Yes
Yes
Bluetooth calling
Yes (standalone on cellular models; via paired iPhone otherwise)
Yes
Smartphone music control
Yes
Yes
On-board music storage
Yes
Yes (64 GB storage space)
Voice assistant
Siri AI powered by Apple Intelligence
Zepp Flow
7. Navigation & safety Mixed
Fact
Apple Watch Series 12
Amazfit Balance 3
Maps
Yes
Yes (base, contour and ski-resort maps)
Offline maps
Yes
Yes
Navigation
Yes
Yes (turn-by-turn, POI search, route planning, round-trip routes and auto-rerouting)
Route navigation
Yes
Yes
Emergency SOS
Yes
No
Satellite SOS
No
No
Fall detection
Yes
No
LED flashlight
No
Yes
Diving
No
Yes (45 m freediving; recreational scuba diving)