The Apple Watch Ultra isn’t like any Apple Watch you’ve seen before. But it is perhaps like some of the best sports watches you might’ve heard of, with a design and feature collection curated for rugged activities. Think: hiking, trail running, mountain climbing and diving.
As Apple’s largest and longest-lasting smartwatch yet, the $799 (AU$1,299) Apple Watch Ultra promises the ultimate companionship for any kind of adventure. In addition to an especially durable design, the Apple Watch Ultra offers an additional action button, more substantial digital crown, a safety siren and a special selection of watch bands. Some of the experience is supported by a redesigned compass app, which is also available for Apple Watch 8.
So don’t be mistaken — the Apple Watch Ultra is still an Apple Watch. It runs watchOS 9, has all sorts of health tracking and can be used to communicate. But if you want know how the Apple Watch 8 vs. Apple Watch Ultra compare, this Apple Watch Ultra hands-on goes over the key differences.
The Apple Watch Ultra costs $799 (AU$1,299). It’s a singular model, outfitted with cellular support. In other words, cellular connectivity isn’t optional the way it is for the Apple Watch 8, which starts at $399 (AU$649) for the GPS-only version.
As for availability, the Apple Watch Ultra can be pre-ordered now before its September 23 release. You probably won’t find any Apple Watch deals on this new smartwatch, but if you know how to trade in your Apple Watch, you might be able to get credit on an older device and put it toward the Apple Watch Ultra.
Apple Watch Ultra hands-on: Design
The Apple Watch Ultra design is something we haven’t seen from Apple before — sorry if I’m being repetitive, but it’s truly as if an imaginative render came to life. The device’s size is obviously striking, debuting a 49-millimeter titanium case. It felt substantial on my wrist during a brief demo, dwarfing the 45-millimeter Apple Watch Series 7 I’ve been using the part year.
I don’t know whether I’d be able get comfortable with something so large strapped to my wrist at all times. I struggled with the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro for this reason. Still, size is an undeniable advantage for seeing metrics mid-workout, plus it makes space for the battery. More on that below.
The sapphire crystal glass screen on the Apple Watch Ultra is flat and flush with the edge of the chassis, another significant change. The display is supposedly two times brighter than any Apple Watch display before, which isn’t something I could gauge on the spot but will be interesting to see in direct sunlight.
The digital crown is grown and given deeper groves, melded with the side button in a protruding ledge on the right side of the device. This supposedly makes the buttons easier to use while wearing gloves.
On the left side of the Apple Watch Ultra is an added action button, which can be programmed as a quick-launch for an assigned purpose. Above the new button is a visible speaker grille, which serves two purposes: 1) it improves sound quality on phone calls, even in windy conditions and 2) it blasts an emergency siren of 86 decibels, letting your alert be heard up to 180 meters away. The siren would give me some peace of mind, and not just in remote locations.
The last thing to note with the Apple Watch Ultra design are the special watch straps. Unlike the best Apple Watch bands, the Ultra offers a choice of three straps suited to your preferred outdoor activity.
The Alpine Loop features a G-hook that fits into reinforced top loops. The Ocean Band has tubular geometry and is designed to fit over a wet suit while staying secure during high-speed water sports. The Trail Loop, meanwhile, is the thinnest Apple Watch band yet, promising increased elasticity and a handy tab for making quick-fit adjustments without taking off the watch.
Apple Watch Ultra hands-on: Features
The standout Apple Watch Ultra features should definitely be tested in the situations they’re intended for, not in an air-conditioned demo area, but I’ll run through them regardless.
First, looking at the revamped compass app, the Apple Watch Ultra becomes a more capable navigation accessory. It lets you save waypoints, or specific markers when you’re somewhere you want flag. There’s also a track back feature that helps you retrace your steps, say, if you’re lost.
The Apple Watch Ultra’s GPS is supercharged with the latest L5 frequency, which should result in the most accurate GPS system of any Apple Watch. The standard Apple Watch’s GPS has always been good, but not quite a precise as many of the best Garmin watches that serve a similar audience to the Apple Watch Ultra.
Along with all the watchOS 9 features coming to watchOS 9 supported devices, the Apple Watch Ultra has an exclusive Wayfinder watch face that packs all the outdoor sports-adjacent complications into a single face. When I rotated the crown, a spy-like red interface optimized the display for for evening conditions.
A final thing I had no way of testing (and probably never will, truthfully) is the Apple Watch Ultra diving features. The watch has a new depth app that can automatically measure your dive while swimming, and you can go twice as deep in water as you can with the standard Apple Watch (rating = WR100).
Apple is working with Huish Outdoors to turn the Apple Watch Ultra into an on-wrist diving computer. This is an extremely niche area for Apple to dive into (sorry) but I’m interested to see how it pans out. Any divers out there wanna work with me on some anecdotes for a full review?
Apple Watch Ultra hands-on: Battery life
The 18-hour Apple Watch battery life is something I’ve long lamented even if I’ve grown used to it. So the Apple Watch Ultra’s 36-hour rated battery life sounds pretty spectacular. Apparently the Apple Watch Ultra can last up to 60 hours, leveraging a new low power mode coming to Apple Watch 4 and newer, including the new Apple Watch SE (2022).
Low power mode disables battery-draining features like the Always On Display and automatic working tracking, extending the Apple Watch’s stamina until you can get to a charger.
I must note that even at 60 hours, the Apple Watch Ultra battery life does pale to the 80 hours promised by the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, and the week-long (or longer) stamina’s of Garmin watches. For example, the Garmin Fenix 7 lasts 38 days with normal use.
Apple Watch Ultra hands-on: Outlook
The Apple Watch Ultra shakes up what I know of the Apple Watch, and I’m not sure yet whether that’s a good or bad thing. On one hand, the expansive display, added button, safety siren and battery life are things I’d probably shell out $799 for. On the other, the watch has several features only those who call themselves adventurers will benefit from.
I’ve been known to dabble in outdoor sports for testing devices like the Apple Watch Ultra. I hope I’ll get to put this watch to the test where it’s meant to be taken, and see if it’s a successful step for Apple into a new market.
