The Apple Watch Ultra will begin reaching customers and launch in stores on Friday, September 23 Ahead of time, the first reviews of the high-end watch have now been shared by select media publications and YouTube channels
Inspired by “the most extreme activities” like hiking and scuba diving, the Apple Watch Ultra features a rugged design with a 49mm titanium case, a large display with a flat sapphire crystal cover, a new band designed for the outdoors, water resistance up to 100 meters. depth, a customizable bright orange “action” button, up to 60 hours of battery life with an upcoming low power setting, and more.
We’ve collected both written and video reviews of the Apple Watch Ultra below.
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The VergeVictoria’s song shared its overall impact:
The Apple Watch Ultra is big, small, and hard at work on features that the average Joe doesn’t need in their daily lives. And at $799, it’s the most expensive watch in the current Apple Watch lineup (excluding the Hermès edition). After a week of testing, I don’t think it will beat the Garmin, Polar, or Koros watches for the Ironman, thru-hiker, or deep-sea diving crowd, at least not yet. But it’s legitimately good for weekend warriors and intermediate athletes — and those who aspire to that status are very tempting to the many people who can only afford the biggest, baddest Apple Watch.
A week into testing the Apple Watch Ultra, Song said, he’s “routinely blowing past” advertising the device’s 36-hour battery life in standard mode:
– 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. Woke up the next morning with 50 percent battery left.
– Another day, I did a 30-minute GPS run and another 20-minute rowing workout. I also took a short call on the watch and ended the day with 84 percent battery.
– Niloy, our editor-in-chief, managed to get 56 hours on a single charge and still had 14 percent left. He was mostly at home, so he wasn’t using cellular data or GPS. Still, if you need some rest days or aren’t interested in the Ultra’s fitness features, it should give you an idea of what you’ll get.
CNETLexy Savvides Pricing vs. Series 8 and Garmin Smartwatches:
Priced around the same as the $749 45mm Apple Watch Series 8 in stainless steel, I think the Ultra is a better overall value, as you get extra hardware features like an action button (which I liked), an emergency siren, and extra microphone to enhance call quality.
It’s priced competitively with other sports watches that have similar titanium construction and OLED screens, like the $999 Garmin Epix 2 . The Apple Watch Ultra’s battery doesn’t last as long and it doesn’t have anywhere near as many navigation features Epix 2. But it’s easy to use, has heart features like an electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) app, cellular connectivity and seamless integration with the iPhone.
If you’re someone who wants a true hybrid smartwatch and sports watch, the Ultra is the one to beat.
Savvides points out the Apple Watch Ultra’s inability to download offline maps:
I also miss this on the Ultra compared to other sports and outdoor watches — being able to download offline maps to the watch when I’m away from a cellular signal, or having the option of topographic maps without downloading a third-party app.
The Wall Street JournalIts Nicole Nguyen says the Apple Watch Ultra is “exciting,” but “no Garmin killer” because it lacks features like recovery metrics:
So, should you get an Ultra? This is an exciting update for current Apple Watch wearers who need more—especially battery life. But it’s no Garmin killer. In addition to navigation, Garmin watches support other features important to serious athletes missing on the Apple Watch, such as recovery metrics and the ability to broadcast heart rate to workout equipment via Bluetooth.
CNBCSophia Peet of Apple Watch Ultra says the larger speaker is worth noting:
Aside from the larger battery, I really appreciate the bigger speakers on the Ultra. The watch has two speakers that work together, making the Ultra 40% louder than the Series 8, according to Apple.
I often use my watch to make phone calls, especially when I’m cooking. I can hear the difference when using the Ultra compared to my Series 7. While this feature is really meant for outdoor types to excel in extreme conditions, I also appreciate it for regular use.
TechRadarIts Gareth Beavis praises the new “Action” button on the Apple Watch Ultra, but wishes it was more customizable:
One of the things we really like is that the action button makes pausing a workout so much easier – you can either swipe the screen before (harder with sweaty or wet hands) or press the side button and digital crown together… which can be a bit of a deformity
Now, you can code it so that the action button starts a workout (yes, finally – something that seems so obvious but took so long…) and then pressing it with the side button on the opposite side of the Watch Ultra will pause. It is simple, effective and a beautiful natural movement.
We’d like it if the action button was a bit more customizable: you can set it to just open a workout, start a dive, open [flashlight]Start a stopwatch or use the compass features – you can use this to start a shortcut (a set of pre-defined actions using apps on your iPhone or watch) but they’re very limited, while they can be very rich.
Men’s JournalIts Michael Frank says that the Apple Watch Ultra’s bright display of up to 2000 nits makes information easy to read:
That larger, more brightly lit screen can show six lines of data compared to five when using Apple’s Workout app. But the real key here is clarity. Regardless of the app you’re using or the watch face you choose, the sharp display is much easier to read on the fly, whether you’re eyeing an incoming text or trying to parse your mile split time for a 5K.
Men’s HealthBrett Williams on wearing the Apple Watch Ultra:
There are times when I wear the standard Apple Watch and wish it had more oomph. I actually like that feeling—it takes me back to a classy analog watch made of premium materials, designed to do just a few things (at most) and do them well. At the same time, the Ultra doesn’t feel too heavy; When I was lifting weights or running with it, I didn’t feel like I was fighting extra resistance. That said, I can see how the Ultra could be hard wearing for small wrists.
