The Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 may contain twice the storage that owners can actually use, according to a recent hardware teardown claim. Both watches are said to ship with a 128GB flash chip inside, despite being sold as 64GB models, which would leave half of the capacity locked away.
The claim originates from a Chinese hardware researcher who shared the findings in a post published on a social platform. According to the researcher, the flash chip in both watches is a 128GB part made by SK Hynix, while Apple only makes 64GB available to users. The account does not have an extensive track record, so the claim warrants some caution until fuller teardowns appear. It does, however, align with pre-launch reports that suggested these would be the first Apple Watch models to feature 128GB of storage.
Why a smartwatch might hide half of its storage
For those wearing one, this changes nothing, as 64GB is precisely what Apple advertises. The researcher’s leading theory is durability, which makes sense given how flash storage wears out. Each time data is written and erased, the storage cells take on a little wear, so chipmakers reserve spare space that is hidden from the user. The chip can rotate data into this area, swapping out worn blocks and spreading writes evenly to extend the lifespan of the component.
A watch relies on this more than most devices, because it logs health data and syncs continuously throughout the day. The researcher noted that a five-year-old Series 7, which has only 32GB of storage, has already accumulated 5.84TB of writes, roughly 3.3GB every single day.
What the hidden storage means for owners
Anyone who has already bought a Series 12 or Ultra 4 has nothing to do here, as the extra space is not something a setting or software update would unlock. The more notable point is why Apple may require that much headroom this year.
The researcher suggested heavier health tracking as one reason, with the watch reading heart rate far more often in the background, alongside running more features directly on the device. Both would mean considerably more data written each day, and a larger spare area would help the chip hold up over a longer period.
Apple rarely discusses storage or RAM on its watches, so official confirmation is unlikely. If the additional space is indeed present to keep the flash healthy, it could help the Series 12 and Ultra 4 remain on watchOS updates for longer, particularly as Apple leans on heavier on-device features. The researcher’s five-year-old Series 7 has logged 5.84TB of writes on just 32GB of storage.
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Image: phonearena.com
