Expert’s Rating
Pros
Cons
Our Verdict
With so few user - detectable upgrades over the original , it is n’t worth upgrading to the Ultra 2 . However , for everyone else , it ’s a phenomenal smartwatch with very seemly battery life history .
Best Prices Today: Apple Watch Ultra 2
The Apple Watch Ultra is forthrightly aimed at adventurers : divers , tramper , and other jock who want a rugged , long - lasting smartwatch that can cope with endurance events and extreme weather .
But in exactly the same room that people buy 4x4s with absolutely no design of ever force them off - route , the Ultra has also test democratic with ordinary folk that are never going to prove its piddle resistance to a depth of 100 m or bank on following waypoints out in the wilderness . They just enjoy its looks and the fact it go twice as long between guardianship compared to a regular Apple Watch .
It has almost become a status symbol because of its high price , although not quite to the extent that the original Edition models did . The fact it ’s so distinct from a Watch Series 7 , 8 , or 9 means it ’s prosperous to stand out , unlike if you corrupt an iPhone 15 ; almost no one will know you have the latest model .
So the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is a great way accoutrement , but is it a good smartwatch ? as luck would have it , it is .
Apple Watch History
This Apple Watch is shortly to be replace with a novel model . Do note that we ’re expect to seeApple Watch Series 10 , Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch SE third generation , runningwatchOS 11 , launch in September 2024 at the company’sGlowtime event(seehow to watch the September event ) . If you ’re in the market for a novel Apple Watch , see ourApple find out purchasing guide , round of drinks - up of thebest Apple Watch pile , and advice on whether you shouldbuy Apple Watch now or waitress . You might also be concerned in what othernew Apple productsare come this year , and when is thenext Apple event . you’re able to find links to all our Apple Watch reviews below .
Design & display
If you ’re unfamiliar with the Watch Ultra , it ’s like a regular Apple Watch on steroids . It has a larger 49 millimetre display , a bigger crown that ’s easier to use while wearing mitt , and an extra button – the Action button – which can be customize to do various things , alongside activate the built - in 86 - dB siren .
Jim Martin / Foundry
Instead of arc cover charge glass , which normal Apple Watches have , the Watch Ultra 2 has a flat sky-blue crystal that ’s extend a little additional protection by the alloy case which sit down just proud of it .
That type is made from 95 percent recycled titanium but is n’t offer in a pick of finishes like the iPhone 15 professional . If you grease one’s palms a Watch Ultra 2 , it ’s bare titanium or nothing . I ’m sure the reason behind this is that it ’s the most durable option when it stimulate scuffed or scratched as it wo n’t lose its colouring material .
To serve preclude inadvertent pressing of the crown and side button as well as to protect them , there ’s a raised crown sentry duty .
Without a shoulder strap , the Watch Ultra 2 weighs about 62 gigabyte , around 10 g more than the 45 mm Watch Series 9 . It ’s over 14 mm midst so does n’t easily slip under shirt cuffs , but it ’s not designed to do that and it ’s mostly just as comfortable to wear all day ( and night ) as a steady Apple Watch .
Three microphone help to reduce wind and other scope noise so anyone you mouth to on a call can hear what you ’re saying . There ’s also an ambient light sensing element ( an addition to the original Watch Ultra ) that allows the display to flip to night musical mode automatically and it ’s able to dip to just 1 nit , so it ’s never daze at night .
In terms of hardness , the Ultra 2 pop the question the same specification as theoriginal Watch Ultra : IP6X water and debris impedance , which allows it to be take as mysterious as 100 m in body of water .
New is a 2nd - gen ultrawideband chip which cause it easier to find your lose iPhone . So long as that ’s an iPhone 15 ( or any other model with the same chip ) you ’ll see how far away it is as well as , crucially , in which direction to move towards it .
Another upgrade is brightness . The screen can now get 3000 nits , which is phenomenally bright , but also arguably unnecessary when the Ultra ’s 2000 - nit display was already easy to read in direct sunlight . Where you ’ll notice the difference is when you need a torch : you may twist the crownwork to temporarily rage up to flower brightness .
It ’s the size of it of the sieve that makes the bighearted difference if you ’re follow from an old Apple Watch . It enables you to see much more data in one go , and the radical - specific watch faces are a great demonstration of that .
I ’m a fan of the Modular face anyway , and Modular Ultra bundle in seven complications and display elevation in both foot and meters at the edges . There ’s also Wayfinder which offers eight complication and is based around a traditional analog clock .
Although the Ultra 2 is compatible with 44 mm and 45 millimeter straps , Apple recommends you fit a 49 millimeter shoulder strap for anything other than free-and-easy use . There are three style : Alpine , Ocean , and Trail .
Apple sent the Modern orange / beige Trail stria for this review , and it comes in two sizes : S / M and M / L. The low one fit out wrists from 130 - 180 mm , and the large 145 - 220 mm . It ’s stretchable , but I found it a spot of a challenge to get the S / M band over my hand , and I ’m a small guy .
Apple
Both the Trail and Alpine Loop are carbon paper neutral , which is overnice , and the Ocean band ( above , right ) is made from pliable silicone polymer for dive and body of water sports .
Health & fitness tracking
Sitting behind the 49 mm display is Apple ’s belated S9 chipset . It ’s exactly the same one used in theWatch Series 9and along with the same set of sensors , it means the Ultra 2 does on the nose the same wellness and fitness trailing .
Much of it is exactly what you ’d ask from any fitness tracker : steps , distance , calorie burn , escape climbed . That ’s all packaged up in a slick arrangement of ‘ rings ’ which lets you see at a coup d’oeil how much progress you ’ve made towards your everyday move , exercise , and stand up goals .
There ’s loads more data point useable in the Health app on your phone from your strong-arm effort in METs to the f number you walk up steps and your walking stair duration .
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
by nature , you could also track your activity when you exercise : it ’s one of the Apple Watch ’s strengths . Apple has broaden the variety of sportsman , and it ’s potential to customise each one with the particular goals you desire to achieve . And you’re able to start a workout quickly by pressing the Action clitoris if you ’ve set it to do that .
It all work brilliantly , specially for track , walking and cycling . The only criticism , really , is that not every kind of physical exertion records your route using the built - in GPS . So if you piece skiing , for example , you wo n’t be able to see where you pass . Hopefully , this will be addressed over the next year or so .
For bicyclist , there are a couple of newfangled features including the ability to employ your iPhone as a bicycle figurer , mirror the contingent from the Ultra to the larger cover . It ’s also now possible to pair the vigil with Bluetooth accessories such as power meters , allowing you to get even more datum in the Workouts app . These were added in watchOS 10 , however , and are n’t sole to the Ultra 2 .
I did n’t test it , but there ’s a specific Depth app for divers that will exhibit your springy astuteness down to 40 one thousand , show the current water temperature , the maximal astuteness you ’ve shoot , and the distance of time you ’ve been under .
hike is a particular focus , just as it was on the original Ultra . Again , the Action push can be fix to record waypoints , and when you entreat and give it you may choose the Compass Backtrack alternative to retrace your steps , even if you do n’t have a cellular signal , either to your phone or directly to the Ultra 2 itself .
The Compass app is a more useful puppet these days with a variety of views that you could switch between by rotating the crownwork . Tapping the elevation readout toggle it between 2D and 3D views , showing any waypoints you ’ve tag .
The system is design for point in time - to - point hikes , though , so is n’t massively utilitarian for round routes .
When hiking , you may now zoom in using the Maps app to see topographical info such as lead and contour lines as well as point of interestingness . These are uncommitted only in the U.S. at the moment so U.K. walkers in the Lake District , say , wo n’t see anything utile when rise Scafell Pike , which is thwarting . Hopefully , it wo n’t be too long before these maps expand to cover the U.K. and other nation .
Strangely , given the Ultra 2 ’s 64 GB of onboard storage , map are n’t cache topically : They ’re stored on your phone . This means there ’s a bit of a delay when you move to a different field and start zooming in .
Another new feature is mechanically find when you ’re at a running data track which will show a route function and let you choose which lane you ’re tend in .
Beyond fittingness and activity trailing , the Watch Ultra 2 can also supervise various aspects of your wellness from the quality of your sleep to your heart rate , and plenty more . Most of the mensuration are n’t think of to be used for aesculapian purposes , but the data is often very exact , for heart charge per unit in particular .
Just like the Series 9 , the Ultra 2 can be set up to warn you if an irregular eye regular recurrence is detected , as well as remarkably high or blue heart charge per unit . It can also detect a toilsome fall or severe automobile fortuity and , if set up and there ’s a operable data connection , it will notify your emergency brake contact lens and can mechanically call emergency services if you do n’t move or answer after the effect .
A skin temperature detector monitor for change and is primarily used for female cycle trailing . Anyone can see historical datum ( again in the Health app ) but there ’s not a lot we can do with it .
Yet another sensor can mensurate blood line O ( for now ) , and you could take an ECG ( which is also say to be very accurate by aesculapian pro ) .
Right now , it ’s up to you to look at the information and do something with it : neither the Watch Ultra 2 nor the Health app attack to interpret it and , say , warn you that you might be coming down with a virus , or even lifestyle change you might want to make to be sizable .
Smart features & watchOS
As I said in my review of the Watch Series 9 , watchOS 10 introduces some fairly radical changes . One is that rotating the crown upwards exhibit the new Smart Stack , a series of informational cards that you could customize .
They ’re things such as a weather forecast , next calendar event , news newspaper headline , and activity data , but pretty much every default app has a card . you may promote through the card using the digital diadem , but it ’s also potential to use doubled hydrant – one of the single features of the Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2 .
It is , true , hard to interpret the dispute between this and the Double Pinch accessibility motion that has been in watchOS for a few years now . Apple certainly has n’t done a great problem of excuse it , saying that the S9 chipset enables it . What it seems to have in mind by this is that three-fold spigot is ‘ always on ’ so you’re able to use it at any moment .
The thought is that you do n’t need your other paw to tip on the screen to answer a call , dismiss a timer or even bug out a workout when the Ultra 2 detects that ’s what you ’re doing . It ’s for sure utilitarian , but not a compelling enough reason to bribe the Ultra 2 alternatively of the Ultra .
One of the fully grown advantages Apple has over other smartwatch makers is that it makes both the iPhone and Watch , so they are the perfect companions for each other . You get rich notifications from apps , you may reply to messages , see centering for pilotage , music playback controls , and much more .
It ’s also a tangible disadvantage if you do n’t own an iPhone because you ca n’t utilise the Watch Ultra 2 in even a modified direction with an Android phone . To be open , you may use an Apple Watch without any phone at all thanks to Family Setup , but someone in the family must have an iPhone for the initial setup , and that still does n’t help oneself much if you want it to cultivate with an Android phone .
One feature the Ultra 2 holds – or will hold – over the original Ultra is the power to process Siri commands without an net connection thanks to the S9 bit ’s neural engine . But allow me clarify that : you may say only a small excerpt of things . Plus , any head or command that would involve an net connexion wo n’t make for .
This entail you could get Siri to fructify timers , change setting , and call contacts . A data point connection is needed for things like unit rebirth , weather forecasts , and , well , everything else .
The neural engine also does a few other thing such as race up Siri ’s reply metre while the always - on mics mean there ’s two seconds of buffering , so audio is conquer before you kick upstairs your carpus which can also help zip up those responses .
Battery life
One of the main attractions of the Watch Ultra 2 ( and its predecessor ) is its assault and battery lifetime . Where the regular Watch lasts 18 hour , the Ultra 2 double that to 36 hours , then double it again in low - power fashion .
If your mental arithmetic is anything like mine , it wo n’t be obvious that this intend you’re able to go a full three day between charges – long than the 60 hours of low - power mode you get from the first Watch Ultra .
Importantly , low - baron mode does n’t remove any essential features : it ’s eminently usable . It turns off the always - on display , does n’t monitor heart rate and other things as frequently and set mobile data and Wi - Fi so they ’re not frivolously cut through the power reserves .
The right news is that those numbers are easily manageable , too . So long as you ’re not hammer the battery by using the GPS for hour on end ( about 17 minute is the maximum in that typeface ) you could enjoy not get to pop the Ultra 2 on its charger every day .
I find that , on a normal working day with an minute - longsighted physical exercise that used the GPS to show a route , I ’d terminate up with pretty much exactly 50 % stay by bedtime ( having commence it with 100 % ) . It then used about 5 % overnight and told me to charge before bed the following eve .
Price & availability
The Watch Ultra 2 costs $ 799 / £ 799 . That ’s the same price as before in the U.S. , but £ 50 less in the U.K.
The obvious situation to buy one isdirectly from Apple , but little discounts can be retrieve if you shop around .
There ’s one price because , unlike the steady Apple Watch , every Ultra has built - in LTE . you could choose any of the three shoulder strap when buying an Ultra 2 , and extra strap cost a faintly ludicrous $ 99 / £ 99 . Third - party strap are widely available and much chinchy .
It ’s a lot of money for a smartwatch , but it ’s by no means the only expensive one . Garmin ’s Fenix 7 Sapphire Solar ( Amazon U.S./Amazon U.K. ) is another rugged watch point at explorer and costs around $ 800 / £ 700 . The Solar Edition is so identify because of its power to recharge using sunlight . Another benefit is that it has pre - loaded TopoActive mathematical function that cover the area in which it was buy . Plus , it ’s compatible with Android as well as iPhone .
For more choice , see Tech Advisor ’s roundup of thebest smartwatches .
Should you buy the Apple Watch Ultra 2?
If money is no objective and you plainly want the practiced Apple Watch , yes , purchase an Ultra 2 . However , with fairly significant discounts now usable on the first - generation Ultra , a sensible move would be to grease one’s palms one and save money .
You ’ll miss out on machine - shift to night mode , but you ’re improbable to notice the other differences in day - to - day use , such as the extra sieve smartness . The quad - magnetic core neural engine might be put to habituate in the future but , right now , it really is n’t doing a lot .
The extra half a day of bombardment life in low - magnate modality is an reward , but not if you ’re paying $ 200 / £ 200 more . Precision Finding is great too , but only if you have an up - to - appointment iPhone .
And if you do n’t need the extra shelling life-time and are n’t an venturer , the Watch Series 9 has essentially the same features for around half the cost .
Ultimately , the Watch Ultra 2 is the good smartwatch Apple has made yet . It ’s just not all that much better than the Ultra .
