Before Apple announced the Ultra (and we thought it would be called “Apple Watch Pro”), I wrote about the features it would need to succeed: better durability and physical controls, improved battery life, and more recovery metrics. Early attempts at new form factors are a mixed bag — promising features with a number of annoying omissions or kinks that will be ironed out later. That’s the case with the Ultra, but Apple has proven that it’s at least done its job by adding the Action button, beefing up durability including multi-band GPS, and improving battery life to the point where you don’t need to charge every day. It falls short of the Garmin faithful, but I think it’s enough to make some of them curious.
The good
Comfortable for the size The best battery life of any Apple Watch Comprehensive security features Action button! The large screen is good for readability Improved durability All models are available with cellular
The bad
There are no recovery metrics No offline maps or detailed navigation More ambitious than die-hard The size may be too large for very small fruits
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I like big screens and I can’t lie
I usually don’t like big smartwatches. I have petite wrists and anything larger than 45mm is generally too uncomfortable for all-day wear, looks ridiculous in my hand and leads to inaccurate activity tracking. But I’ve found that some watches “wear small” – the Polar Grit X Pro, Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro and Suunto 7 all feel smaller than they look. To my surprise, the Apple Watch Ultra 49mm is one of them. The Apple Watch Ultra (right) doesn’t look much bigger than the 45mm Series 8. You can also use 44mm or 45mm bands on the Ultra and vice versa. Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge and Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge This is one of those things that is hard to convey through pictures alone. In the photos, the Watch Ultra dwarfs my wrist. Personally, it feels smaller than some of the 45mm to 47mm round watches I’ve tried. I was starting to think I had gotten Ultra-pilled, so I bought digital calipers so I could confirm the size for myself. It’s indeed 49mm tall, 44mm wide and just over 14mm thick — over 3mm thicker than the Series 8. The extra thickness isn’t a problem in the summer, but it does catch on the cuffs of my leather jacket. With the Alpine Loop strap in place, it’s about 57mm lug to lug. This is justifiably wider than my wrist, which is 46mm in diameter. The watch is big, but believe me when I say it somehow doesn’t feel that big in person. On the one hand, the larger screen is great for readability. I have poor eyesight and the large screen means I can increase the font size so it’s easier to read. (Though with a screen this big, uncaring friends might be able to read your texts from a decent distance.) It also makes texting via the wrist much easier, especially compared to the typo city I have get used to scanning to type on the 41mm Apple Watch I usually wear. If these are important features to you, or if you like the look of an oversized watch, then the Ultra will be right up your alley. With the Alpine Loop on, it’s slightly wider than my wrist. For people with extremely petite wrists (under 130mm around), the Ultra may just not be physically possible – and even some people with larger wrists don’t want a huge honking watch. My issue with large smartwatches has always been comfort. Many are just too heavy for me, so when I received a demo of the Ultra after Apple’s launch event, I was pleasantly surprised by how light it felt for its size. Now that I’ve worn it for a full week, my theory that a 49mm rectangular watch wears like a 50–51mm round watch has been confirmed. Thanks to its titanium body, it weighs 61.3g without the strap, which is not far from the 61g of the Fenix 7X 51mm. I do notice the weight when running compared to the Series 8, but like the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, it’s not outrageous, and the lighter-than-expected weight helps offset the large dimensions. The thin gray stripe actually enables multi-band GPS. Later this fall, the Ultra will also be able to more accurately record track runs.
Specialized for performance
The Series 8 is a great watch. It’s fast enough and durable enough for almost everyone. Ultra says, “Hold my beer.” Like the Series 8, the Ultra features an S8 chip, new temperature sensors, a new high-speed accelerometer, and an improved gyroscope for collision detection. The Ultra takes it a step further by adding a water temperature sensor for swimmers and divers, and increases the maximum brightness of the always-on display up to 2,000 nits for better visibility in direct sunlight. It has a three-microphone array for better voice call quality on the elements and a second speaker that can sound an emergency siren and increase the volume of phone calls and Siri responses. Here’s a closer look at the button protector, digital crown, side button, water temperature sensor and one of the three microphones. Meanwhile, the other side has the Action button, speakers and more microphones. The back of the watch is made of ceramic and has the same sensors as the 8 series. It won’t replace a dive watch for serious divers, but the Ultra is WR100 water resistant and EN13319 certified, so you can go diving (up to 40 meters recommended by Apple) and participate in high-speed water sports. The battery is also 76 percent longer than the 45mm Series 8, with an estimated 36 hours of regular use on a single charge. You can increase this to 60 hours with low battery settings. Finally, Apple also added multi-band GPS for better accuracy in difficult environments. Several design tweaks make the Ultra visually different from the 8 Series and SE. The digital crown is larger, with deeper grooves that make it easier to rotate mid-workout, and a raised guard to prevent accidental pressure. It also has an additional physical control in the form of the customizable Action button. Like the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, the Ultra has a raised lip to protect the screen — though it’s much shallower than Samsung’s. Unlike every other Apple Watch, the Ultra’s face display is completely flat, making it less likely to scratch if you knock it against something. (It also makes the Ultra really feel like a mini iPhone on your wrist.) Beautiful. I got about two days without low power enabled and about an hour or two of GPS activity.
The first Apple Watch with a multi-day battery (if two is “a lot”)
Apple has always been conservative with battery life estimates for the Watch, sticking to 18 hours of battery life in recent years — even if you’re likely to get a bit more in practice. The Ultra’s 36-hour battery estimate is also a bit conservative. If you’re not in a triathlon, you’re likely closer to 48 hours. And this without the low power mode being activated. Here are some real examples, all without low power enabled:
This past weekend, I charged the Ultra to 100 percent. I then hiked for two hours and 15 minutes, used the compass and GPS extensively, and tracked my sleep that night. I woke up the next morning with 50 percent battery. Another day, I went for a 30-minute GPS run and did another 20-minute rowing workout. I also got a short call on the watch and ended the day with 84% battery. Nilay, our editor-in-chief, managed to get 56 hours on a single charge and still had 14 percent left. She mostly stayed at home, so she didn’t use cell data or GPS. However, this should give you an idea of what you’re getting if you need a few days off or don’t care about the Ultra’s fitness capabilities.
It’s only been a week, but I regularly beat the 36 hour estimate. And with its fast charging capability, the Ultra is definitely the best Apple Watch for sleep tracking. I never felt like I had to turn on low power mode with my daily workout routine. Enabling low power mode and the upcoming battery optimization setting will give you around 60 hours on a single charge. Low power mode disables the always-on display and background health sensors, and limits Wi-Fi and cellular connectivity, stopping most push notifications. Heart rate and GPS remain on. Apple says that using this feature, you should be able to swim 2.4 miles, a 112-mile bike race, and a full 26.2-mile marathon in one go—an Ironman triathlon. The Ironman takes about 14 hours, depending on your individual speed, so that’s about what you can expect. There’s also an additional battery optimization setting coming later this year that will extend battery savings even further. Not every endurance athlete needs the Ultra’s battery life. I ran a half marathon with a Series 7 and still had 50 percent battery, with no battery saver options enabled. If you’re running around a five-hour marathon, the regular 8 Series will be fine. The Ultra’s longer battery life is more neat if you want to track sleep or participate in large events. The Ultra will handle a weekend trip, but it’s not going to last longer than a Garmin or Polar if you want to go on a week-long backpacking trip. Of course, you don’t have to justify wanting better battery life. It’s just something to consider when…
