Apple Watch Ultra Review - The Ultimate Smartwatch for Adventurers

As a standout addition to the Apple Watch lineup, the Apple Watch Ultra combines rugged durability with powerful features, offering a game-changing experience for adventure enthusiasts and those seeking the ultimate smartwatch.

Designed for active users ready to take it from mountain trails to ocean depths, the Ultra boasts a robust and stylish design. While it excels in durability and performance, its differences from models like the Apple Watch Series 7 and Series 8 may not be enough to warrant an upgrade for all users.

This article explores the features, design, and performance of the Apple Watch Ultra to help you decide if it's the right smartwatch for your needs.

Apple Watch Ultra Review - Specifications

The Cheat Sheet Of Apple Watch Ultra

• Always-On Retina Display: Clear visuals in any environment.
• Titanium Case: Durable, lightweight, and premium.
• Outdoor Features: Built-in compass for navigation.
• Siren: Loud alarm for emergencies.
• High Brightness: 2000 nits for visibility in sunlight.
• Dual-Frequency GPS: Accurate route tracking.
• Responsive Touchscreen: Smooth and intuitive.
• Ocean Band: Comfortable and secure for long wear.
• Long Battery Life: Up to 36 hours of use.
• Crash Detection: Automatic emergency alerts.
• Dust Resistance: IP6X certified for durability.

Apple Watch Ultra Review - Design

The Apple Watch Ultra stands out with its rugged design and 49mm titanium case, offering durability and a premium feel. Compared to the Apple Watch Series 8, it features a larger digital crown with deeper grooves and a raised side bezel for easy operation, even with gloves. Additionally, a new customizable action button allows quick access to functions like workouts, step tracking, or an emergency siren.

Despite its weight of 61.3g, the Apple Watch Ultra's 49mm large screen is elegantly crafted, making it suitable for users with thicker wrists while maintaining a stylish look. As a robust and practical smartwatch, its exceptional craftsmanship and performance set it apart in the market.

Apple Watch Ultra Review - Display

The Apple Watch Ultra features a significant upgrade with its flat display. Protected by scratch-resistant sapphire, it offers an ultra-bright screen, enhanced by its larger 49mm size, providing a more intuitive experience for viewing content and typing, especially with the QWERTY keyboard.

The OLED display ensures vibrant visuals and excellent viewing angles, with a 1Hz refresh rate for improved battery life. Its peak brightness reaches 2000 nits, making it highly readable even under direct sunlight. Additionally, the sapphire screen enhances durability, minimizing damage during use. The Apple Watch Ultra is available only in one color, titanium, which is elegant but leaves some users wishing for more color options.

Apple Watch Ultra Review - Bands And Materials

The Apple Watch Ultra’s rugged 49mm titanium case and flat sapphire glass make it ideal for both casual and athletic use, while the standard Apple Watch offers a more minimalist design with elegant bands.

Ultra bands cater to specific activities: the Trail Loop for athletes, the Alpine Loop for explorers, and the Ocean Band for water sports. The Alpine Loop features a dual-layer woven design with a titanium buckle, ensuring a secure fit. The Ocean Band, made of fluoroelastomer, has a titanium buckle and adjustable ring for a snug fit, even over wetsuits with the extension kit.

Apple Watch Ultra Review - Software and Features

The Apple Watch Ultra combines all the features of the Series 8 with several hardware-driven unique capabilities. It features a sapphire glass display, titanium case, cellular connectivity, GPS, and a maximum battery life of 60 hours. It also includes an emergency siren and WR100 water resistance rating. The dual-frequency GPS provides accurate tracking of outdoor activities, making it ideal for sports enthusiasts.

This watch also offers a custom watch face, night mode, compass, and siren for safety. It includes health features such as heart rate monitoring, blood oxygen measurement, ECG, cycle tracking, and more, along with safety functions like crash detection. The orange Action button can be customized for different tasks, such as switching between workout modes. Its impressive water resistance supports 40-meter recreational scuba diving, and with the depth gauge and Oceanic+ app, it can function as a dive computer, making it suitable for various water activities.

Apple Watch Ultra Review - Processor

The Apple Watch Ultra uses the same Apple S8 SiP chipset found in the Series 8 and SE models, a 1.8GHz dual-core 64-bit processor built on a 7nm node. While performance is similar to the S6 chipset with no noticeable improvements, future efficiency gains are possible through further chip downsizing.

Despite this, the S8 SiP remains one of the most capable mobile chipsets in smartwatches, offering exceptional responsiveness and smooth app performance. During use, there were no delays or responsiveness issues.

Apple Watch Ultra Review - Battery

The Apple Watch Ultra has a 542mAh battery, the largest ever in an Apple Watch, nearly double the 282mAh to 308mAh capacity of the Series 8, depending on size.

Battery life is a standout feature, offering 36 hours of normal use and up to 60 hours with power-saving mode. In my experience, it typically lasts around 50 hours with brief workouts and default settings, including the always-on display turned off. Charging is done via a standard USB-C fast charging disk, typically taking about an hour to fully charge.

To Sum Up

The Apple Watch Ultra excels in both design and functionality, making it one of the top-tier smartwatches. Its titanium material offers a premium feel, and its features surpass most other smartwatches, though its price is relatively high.

However, for those with smaller wrists, the large dial might feel a bit too big. For swimmers, hikers, or outdoor enthusiasts, the Apple Watch Ultra is an ideal choice.

As a high-end smartwatch, the Apple Watch Ultra is not only robust and refined in design but also comprehensive and precise in functionality. Whether you're an outdoor sports enthusiast, a diving adventurer, or someone focused on health, you'll find features that cater to your needs. Its powerful performance and exceptional design will undoubtedly offer users an unprecedented smart-wear experience.