The Apple Watch Ultra 2 and Apple Watch Series 9 were released on September 12 and September 22, 2023, respectively. These updates are mostly about making hardware better, like making the processor faster and the screen much brighter. The changes are mostly for performance and screen quality, making the experience smoother and brighter for users. Gesture controls, which use the updated internal parts to make using the device easier, are another notable addition.
Apple Watch Ultra 2: Description
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is the most advanced and durable Apple Watch ever made, and it has the most features. It’s made for athletes, explorers, and anyone else with an active lifestyle who needs a watch that can keep up. The Ultra 2 has a new screen that is brighter and easier to see in any light, even direct sunlight. With a sapphire crystal that won’t break and a titanium case, it’s also stronger than ever. It’s also waterproof up to 100 meters, so you can swim and do other water sports with it. The Ultra 2 has a brighter screen, which is one of the most noticeable changes.
The new screen is 25% brighter than the old one, which makes it easier to see even in bright sunlight. The Ultra 2 also has a new double-tap gesture that lets you control the watch quickly without pressing any buttons. You can double-tap to pause a workout or answer a call, for example. The Ultra 2 also has a better heart rate sensor, which is another new feature. The new sensor is more accurate and can track your heart rate even when you are working out hard. The Ultra 2 also has a new compass app made for hikers and other people who like to be outside. The new compass app is easier to use and more accurate than the old one.
Who is the Apple Watch Ultra 2 for?
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is for anyone who wants the toughest and most capable Apple Watch ever. It is made to withstand harsh environments and activities, making it perfect for people who like to spend time outside, play sports, or work in tough conditions.
🌲 Outdoor enthusiasts: The Apple Watch Ultra 2 has a lot of features that are useful for outdoor activities, like a built-in compass, altimeter, GPS, and more. It is also waterproof up to 100 meters, so you can swim, snorkel, and do other water sports with it.
🏃♂️ Athletes: The Apple Watch Ultra 2 has a number of features that help athletes, such as advanced heart rate monitoring, GPS tracking, and workout coaching. It also has a battery life that lasts a long time, so athletes can wear it even during their longest workouts.
🛠️ Professionals: The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is also a great choice for construction workers, first responders, and military personnel who work in tough conditions. It is tough and long-lasting, and you can use it to track important information about your health and fitness.
In addition to its rugged design and advanced features, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 has all of the same features as the regular Apple Watch, such as the ability to make and receive calls, send and receive text messages, and access apps. This makes it a flexible device that can be used for both work and play. Overall, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is a great choice for anyone who wants the toughest and most capable Apple Watch ever. It is perfect for people who like to be outside, for athletes, for professionals, and for anyone else who needs a smartwatch that can keep up with their busy life.
Apple Watch Ultra 2: Pricing
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is the company’s newest wearable device. You can order it today, and it will be on your wrist by Friday, September 22, 2023. This high-tech watch is a big step up from the Apple Watch 9, which it replaces. One important difference is the price. When it first came out, the Apple Watch 9 cost $399. The Apple Watch Ultra 2, on the other hand, still costs $799, but only in LTE versions. This price is the same as the brand-new iPhone 15, which shows that Apple is committed to making the best technology available.
Specifications Table
While the Apple Watch Ultra 2 isn’t a huge step forward from the first model, the brighter screen, support for double-tap gestures, and future-proof processor are all nice additions. That being said, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is still one of the best smartwatches you can buy right now.
Feature | Specifications |
---|---|
Build | Sapphire crystal front, ceramic/sapphire crystal back, titanium frame |
Display Type | Retina LTPO OLED, 3000 nits peak brightness |
Display Size | 1.92 inches |
Resolution | 502 x 410 pixels |
Processor | Apple S9 |
Operating system | watchOS 10 |
Camera | No |
Internal storage | 64GB |
Sensors | Accelerometer, gyroscope, compass, heart rate sensor, ECG sensor, blood oxygen sensor, ambient light sensor |
Connectivity | Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi 6, eSIM |
Battery | 564 mAh Li-Ion battery, up to 36 hours of battery life (72 hours in low-power mode) |
Charging | Wireless (0-80% in 60 min) |
Dimensions | 49 x 44 x 14.4 mm |
Weight | 61.4g |
Other features | Dustproof (IP6X), water resistant (100m), swimproof (40m), diveproof (EN13319), MIL-STD 810H certified |
Colors | Titanium |
Check Price |
Design and Build Quality
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is the toughest and most durable Apple Watch ever made. It has a lightweight body made of aerospace-grade titanium, a flat sapphire crystal face, a Digital Crown with a larger diameter and deeper grooves, a housing for the side button, and a physical button called the Action button on the left side. The aluminum case on the Apple Watch Series 8 is 40% stronger than the titanium case, and it is also less likely to rust.
The sapphire crystal face is the hardest part of a smartwatch’s screen, and it is less likely to break or get scratched than regular glass. The watch is easier to use, even with gloves on, because it has a bigger diameter and a deeper groove on the Digital Crown. The side button now has a protective case, and the new Action button can be changed to start Workouts, mark segments, set Compass Waypoints, and do other things.
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is also water-resistant up to 100 meters, so you can swim and do other water-related activities with it. It can also stand up to dust and can handle high and low temperatures. Overall, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is a smartwatch that is well-made and made to last, even in bad weather. It is the best choice for people who like to be active and go outside.
Apple Watch Ultra 2: Display
The new display on the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is 3000 nits bright, which is twice as bright as the old one. This makes it much easier to see the screen even on the brightest days, when it is in direct sunlight. The display also has a new low-power mode that can dim down to just 1 nit. This helps save battery life when you’re not using the watch. The Apple Watch Ultra 2 has a new display technology called LTPO. It also has a new brightness setting and a low-power mode.
Characteristic | Value |
---|---|
Display type | Retina LTPO OLED display |
Display size | 49mm |
Resolution | 502 x 410 pixels |
Pixel density | 338 pixels per inch |
Maximum brightness | 3,000 nits |
Always-on display | Yes |
Touchscreen | Yes |
Water resistance | 100 meters |
Dust resistance | IP6X |
Low-temperature polycrystalline oxide, or LTPO, is a type of display that uses less power than traditional OLED displays. This means the Apple Watch Ultra 2 can have a longer battery life without losing the quality of its screen. The new screen is also more durable because it uses a new Sapphire crystal that is stronger and less likely to get scratched. The new display makes the Apple Watch Ultra 2 even more durable. It was already one of the most durable smartwatches on the market.
The new display is brighter, more durable, and has a wider range of colors. This means that the colors on the watch will look brighter and more real. The larger color range also makes it easier to watch videos and play games on the watch. Overall, the new display on the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is a big step up from the old one. It is brighter, lasts longer, and has a wider range of colors. With these changes, the watch is easier to see in direct sunlight, lasts longer, and looks better.
Apple Watch Ultra 2: Smartwatch Features
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is the toughest and most capable watch Apple has ever made. It has the brightest display ever, a titanium body that is lightweight, and a battery that lasts longer. It’s made for hard workouts and outdoor pursuits. Together with these new task-easing double-tap gestures and Precision Finding, which helps locate your iPhone in the event of a loss, are other enhancements.
🌟 Always-On Retina display: The display on the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is the brightest and most durable of any Apple Watch. It stays on all the time, so you can quickly see the time and other important information.
👆 Double tap gesture: The double tap gesture is a new way to interact with your Apple Watch Ultra 2. It’s a gesture that you can change, and you can use it to open apps, control music, or even take a screenshot.
📍 Precision Finding: Ultra-wideband technology is used by Precision Finding to help you find your lost iPhone. It can give you exact directions to your iPhone and tell you how far away it is.
❤️ Advanced health and fitness features: The Apple Watch Ultra 2 has a lot of advanced health and fitness features, such as monitoring your heart rate, keeping track of your sleep, and checking your blood oxygen levels. It also has a new GPS that is built in and works better than ever.
📶 Cellular connectivity: The Apple Watch Ultra 2 has cellular connectivity, so you can make and receive phone calls, send and receive text messages, and stream music even when your iPhone isn’t nearby.
🔄 Support for third-party apps: The Apple Watch Ultra 2 works with a wide variety of third-party apps, so you can make it fit your needs. There’s an app for everything, whether you want to track your fitness, find your way around, or get work done.
Additional Smartwatch Features:
- Weather: Get the latest weather forecast for your location.
- Maps: Get directions and navigate to your destination.
- Music: Stream music from Apple Music, Spotify, or other music streaming services.
- Wallet: Pay for things with Apple Pay.
- App Store: Download and install apps from the App Store.
- Siri: Use Siri to control your Apple Watch Ultra 2 with voice commands.
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is the smartwatch with the most features and the most advanced technology. It’s perfect for people who want a smartwatch that can do everything, like keep track of their health and fitness and help them get around.
Outdoor and Safety Features
Even though I know the Apple Watch Ultra is used by many different types of people, at its core, it is a sports watch. It’s one of the best running watches because it has a Precision Start button, an action button that can pause workouts, and dual-frequency GPS that has been as accurate in our tests as Garmin watches. All of the best running features of the Apple Watch work with the Apple Watch Ultra 2. I used the testing of the Apple Watch Ultra 2 to try out some of the new bike features in watchOS 10.
Now, you can connect your Apple Watch to a Bluetooth-connected power meter, speed sensor, or cadence sensor to see your cycling power and Functional Threshold Power (FTP) score. Also, your phone can show you how your workouts are going. I put my iPhone on a bike mount so I could see my ride data from my Apple Watch Ultra 2, but on a screen that was easier to read. The built-in Depth app is also getting an update. Now, it will keep a record of each dive, so users can look back at their most recent sessions on their Apple Watch Ultra 2 or see a full history of all their dives in the Fitness app on their iPhone.
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 has the same compass app with track-back features, but it now shows the current elevation in real time and shows waypoints in a 3D view based on relative elevation. There is a more detailed topographic map that shows interesting places for hiking workouts. When you start a hike, information about nearby trails appears, giving you an idea of the length, type, and difficulty of the trail.
In terms of safety, the compass app will also find two new waypoints: your Last Cellular Connection (or last reception location) and Last Emergency Call Waypoint, which will lead you to a place where you can make an emergency call on a carrier network. If you need help right away, you can use the Siren app to sound an alarm that can be heard up to 180 meters away and is 86 decibels loud. I think this is a good thing to have whether you’re in the middle of nowhere or in the middle of a city late at night. So, from a personal safety point of view, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is the best Apple Watch.
Health and Fitness Tracking
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is a fitness tracking powerhouse with a lot of features to help you stay on track with your fitness goals. It keeps track of your steps, distance, calories burned, and active minutes every day. It also keeps track of your workouts, giving you information like your heart rate, pace, and gain in elevation. The precision dual-frequency GPS system in the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is one of the most interesting new features. It is the most accurate GPS in a sports watch in dense urban areas. So, it’s perfect for runners, cyclists, and other athletes who need to keep track of their progress in tough environments.
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 also has a new temperature sensor, which gives women new health insights and makes it easier to track their cycles. You can also use the temperature sensor to track how the temperature changed overnight, which you can see in the Health app. In addition to fitness tracking, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 has a number of health tracking features, such as monitoring your heart rate, blood oxygen, and ECG. These features can help you take care of your health and well-being as a whole.
The key fitness and health tracking features of the Apple Watch Ultra 2:
- Precise dual-frequency GPS for accurate location in dense urban environments
- New temperature sensor for breakthrough women’s health insights and advanced cycle monitoring
- Heart rate monitoring
- Blood oxygen monitoring
- ECG recording
- Activity tracking (steps, distance, calories burned, active minutes)
- Exercise tracking (detailed metrics such as heart rate, pace, and elevation)
Apple Watch Ultra 2: WatchOS 10
watchOS 10 adds a lot of new features to the Apple Watch, in addition to the new sports features. Smart Stack is the most important change, because it changes how you use your Apple Watch. As you move forward, you’ll turn the digital crown to open the Smart Stack and see a carousel of information tiles that are useful. There are also some extra health features. watchOS 10 adds prompts to the Mindfulness app that ask users to write down their emotions and moods every day.
Feature | WatchOS 10 |
---|---|
New watch faces | Modular Ultra, Solar Analog, Snoopy |
Redesign of existing watch faces | Activity Analog, Meridian, Numerals, Siri, Typograph |
New Smart Stack features | Smart Stack can now display timely information that is adaptive to context like time of day and location. |
New workout features | Walking Radius, enhanced Cycling workouts |
New health and fitness features | Sleep Insights, Blood Oxygen app now available in more countries, new Mindfulness features |
New accessibility features | VoiceOver now supports more languages, new AssistiveTouch features |
Other new features | New Home app, new Photos app, new Music app, new Podcasts app, new Books app, new App Store app, new Find My app, new Settings app |
The ambient light sensor in some models of the Apple Watch will also be able to track how much time you spend outside, which can be used to learn about your eyes’ health. watchOS 10 gives the Apple Watch Ultra 2 three new watch faces. All owners of Apple Watches can utilize the Palette and Snoopy faces that are included with it. It also includes a special face known as Modular Ultra.
This is one of the most intricate Apple Watch faces. By placing a seconds counter, depth gauge, or elevation meter on the bezel, it makes use of the large screen. Whether you have an Apple Watch Ultra or not, the best Apple Watch apps are a great way to make your experience unique. If you want to use your Apple Watch Ultra as a golf watch like I do, you might want to check out the app GolfShot. Strava can also be set up on your Apple Watch.
Apple Watch Ultra 2: Performance
Several important parts of the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 are the same. Both have the S9 processor, which is a big improvement over the Apple Watch Series 6 in terms of processing power. Apple says that its products are 25% more efficient and have a whopping 5.6 billion transistors. Also, GPU animations are now 30% faster, and machine learning tasks can be done twice as fast with the four-core neural engines. The S9 processor not only lets the screen have a brightness of 3,000 nits without hurting the battery life, but it also makes Siri work better.
Siri now runs directly on the device, which means it can answer questions faster and do tasks even when it’s not connected to the internet. On the old Apple Watch Ultra, for example, you couldn’t use Siri to start a run workout if cellular data wasn’t turned on. But this problem is no longer a problem with the Apple Watch Ultra 2. The mathematical formula that controls the double-tap gesture is a big step forward. This feature was talked about in detail in the review of the Apple Watch Series 9.
This new feature lets people answer calls and open apps by tapping their index finger and thumb together on their watch hand. This could be a lifesaver in an emergency. By double-tapping, users can easily move around the Smart Stack, control music playback, use the camera remote app, and do many other things. The upgraded ultra-wideband (UWB) chip in the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is great for people who lose their phones often. Many people use the “ping” feature every day because it helps them find their iPhones. But it’s important to remember that only iPhone 15 users can use this feature.
Apple Watch Ultra 2: Battery Life
The battery life of the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is the best of any Apple Watch. Even though the screen is brighter, the watch can be used normally for 36 hours. With low power mode, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 can run for up to 72 hours, which is more than the 60 hours it could run for with the first model. I agree with Apple’s estimates, but I like how this Apple Watch setting can help you get more out of your battery.
Feature | Battery life |
---|---|
Normal use | Up to 36 hours |
Low power mode | Up to 72 hours |
GPS tracking | Up to 12 hours |
Always-on display | Up to 18 hours |
Power reserve mode | Up to 60 hours |
When you compare the battery life of the Apple Watch Ultra to that of other sports watches, it still falls short. The Garmin Forerunner 265 is our top pick. It can be used for 15 days with a mix of uses, while the Coros Vertix 2 can be used for 120 hours in the demanding GPS mode. Apple Watch Ultra 2 isn’t likely to impress athletes who care most about battery life.
Apple Watch Ultra 2: Pros and Cons
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is a great smartwatch, but people who already have the first one don’t have to get this one. You should get the Ultra 2 if you want the best Apple Watch experience or if you need the extra features that the Ultra has to offer. But if you don’t want to spend a lot of money or are happy with your current Apple Watch, you won’t miss out on much by not getting the Ultra 2.
Pros
- Brighter display
- Faster processor
- More environmentally friendly build
- Double-tap gestures
- Precision Finding
- Excellent outdoor and safety features
Cons
- Expensive
- Battery life could be better
- Not many new features over the original
Final Words
It costs the most, but the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is the best smartwatch on the market. With a new look, dual-frequency GPS, an Action Button, an extra water temperature sensor, the ability to dive, and a siren, it’s full of features. The new design is stronger and more durable, and the screen is bigger and brighter. The dual-frequency GPS is more accurate, especially in places that are hard to navigate. You can change the Action Button so that it starts your favorite workout or app.
With the extra water temperature sensor, you can keep an eye on your body temperature while you dive or swim. A depth rating of 100 meters makes it possible to dive to great depths. And the siren is a great way to stay safe, especially if you’re by yourself while hiking or camping. The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is also a great fitness tracker. It has many sensors that can measure your heart rate, blood oxygen levels, sleep quality, and more. It also has many fitness apps, so you can pick the one that works best for your workout goals.
FAQs
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 has a brighter screen and a faster processor than the last generation. It still has the same rugged design, battery life, and price, which makes it another great companion for adventures.
Do not get a new device just because there is a new one if you are happy with the one you have now. That Apple is making a big deal out of some Watch/band pairs not releasing carbon is a good thing.
Fans of fast-paced action games shouldn’t miss Ultra Age. It may be lacking in some areas, but the combat system makes up for it by being so fun and addicting.