Apple Watch Ultra Review | 126 Data compared

Expert Reviews describes the Apple Watch Ultra as a high-end, durable device for outdoor enthusiasts, featuring a robust titanium case, a bright flat sapphire display, and improved battery life. Key pros include the customizable Action Button, the emergency siren, and a depth gauge for diving. Cons include the high £849 price point and a 'chunky' design that may not suit smaller wrists or formal wear. The review notes that while battery life is improved, it lags behind rivals like Garmin, and the heart rate monitor showed inconsistent performance in tests. Ultimately, the Apple Watch Ultra is considered the best Apple smartwatch for extreme activities but may not be ideal for users needing advanced, long-term fitness analysis, who might prefer a Garmin.

The Apple Watch Ultra is described as an exceptionally capable, durable smartwatch with a 2,000-nit display and a robust titanium build. Key advantages include highly accurate GPS, heart rate tracking, seamless iPhone integration, and a customizable Action Button for ease of use. Despite improved battery life, the Ultra's ~40-hour runtime falls short of dedicated endurance competitors. Additional limitations include a reliance on the touchscreen in wet/gloved conditions and a lack of specialized features like solar charging or native offline maps. For iPhone users, the device is considered a strong, high-end, yet expensive, alternative to traditional sports watches. However, it may not replace dedicated cycling computers for serious athletes, and its functionality is severely limited for non-iPhone users.

The Apple Watch Ultra is positioned as a durable, high-performance wearable, featuring a 49mm titanium case and a bright 2-inch OLED display. Key advantages include the customizable orange action button, precise dual-frequency GPS, and robust safety features like emergency siren and depth gauge. However, the device is heavy on smaller wrists, lacks native, detailed topographical offline mapping, and carries a high price point. While battery life is superior to previous Apple models—offering up to 60 hours in low-power mode—it still requires more frequent charging than dedicated competitors.

The Apple Watch Ultra features a rugged 49mm titanium design with a bright 2,000-nit display and a new, customizable Action Button tailored for outdoor use. It offers improved GPS, a 36-to-60-hour battery life, and specialized tools like a depth gauge and emergency siren for adventurers. However, the £849 price point is high, its 49mm size is bulky, and its battery life still lags behind dedicated, weeks-long competitors like Garmin.

The Apple Watch Ultra is a highly durable, adventure-focused wearable featuring a 49mm titanium case and flat sapphire crystal, designed to meet MIL-STD 810H standards and support recreational diving up to 40 meters. Key advantages include over 55 hours of battery life, a customizable Action button, dual-frequency GPS, and a specialized siren. Priced at $799, the device is criticized for its bulky, 49mm design, which can be uncomfortable for sleep tracking and smaller wrists. While the coarse Digital Crown helps with gloved usage, it may cause skin irritation, and the limited aesthetic options may not suit all users compared to the Series 8. Targeted at outdoor enthusiasts, the Ultra offers exclusive, specialized features like the Depth app, though it still falls short of competitor battery performance from Garmin. For those not needing rugged, deep-sea capability, the standard Apple Watch remains a better alternative.

The Guardian's 2022 review of the Apple Watch Ultra highlights its "super-charged" 49mm titanium design, featuring a 2,000-nit display, a glove-friendly crown, and an Action button for athletes. The device offers superior, three-day battery life, dual-band GPS for high accuracy, and water resistance up to 100 meters, along with essential safety features like an 86dB siren. While the best Apple Watch for performance, it falls short of specialized competitors in battery endurance for ultra-long races and lacks advanced native navigation, making it a powerful smartwatch but not an ideal dedicated device for elite endurance athletes. The Guardian

The Apple Watch Ultra, hailed by CNET as a significant upgrade, merges rugged, durable design with advanced functionality, featuring a 49mm titanium case, a bright 2,000-nit display, and a customizable Action button. While praised for its superior endurance, offering the best battery life of any Apple Watch, the device is considered bulky, making it less ideal for smaller wrists compared to the Series 8. Despite its high-end performance, the watch lacks the extended, week-long battery life of some dedicated competitors. The $799 price point reflects its positioning as a premium, specialized tool for athletes and adventurers, offering unique features like a depth gauge and an 80-decibel siren.

The Wired review of the Apple Watch Ultra highlights it as a rugged, 49mm aerospace-grade titanium watch designed for outdoor enthusiasts, featuring superior durability, a flat sapphire crystal display, and improved dual-band GPS. Key pros include the customizable 'Action' button, a loud emergency siren, and a significantly improved battery life (up to 36-60 hours) compared to the Series 8 [1.1]. Performance upgrades include a three-microphone array for clear calls in wind and robust water resistance for diving, though a major con is its potential to keep users tethered to notifications, such as Slack, disrupting the goal of disconnecting in nature [1.1]. Despite being rated 8/10 for its, the device has limitations, including a large, potentially uncomfortable size and battery life that cannot match specialized competitors like Garmin for extended, multi-day backpacking trips [1.1].

In his review, DC Rainmaker describes the original Apple Watch Ultra as a significant, albeit initial, entry by Apple into the endurance sports market. Key pros include industry-leading dual-frequency GPS accuracy, vastly improved battery life (roughly 36 hours daily or 12–17 hours of active GPS), a highly visible 2,000-nit display, and the functional Action Button. However, the review outlines cons for dedicated athletes, including a lack of native offline mapping, limited recovery metrics, and challenging custom workout creation. While hardware, such as the titanium case and sapphire crystal, is praised, the software is deemed to require further maturation to fully rival established competitors in the endurance space. Ultimately, the $799 Apple Watch Ultra is deemed the best Apple wearable for sports, serving as a premium "pro" smartwatch rather than a direct replacement for specialized, long-lasting, high-end multisport watches.

The Apple Watch Ultra is designed as a rugged, 49mm titanium wearable featuring a 2,000-nit display, a customizable Action button, and an 86-decibel emergency siren. It represents Apple's direct challenge to outdoor-focused, high-end competitors with its durable construction and specialized functionality. Performance highlights include superior dual-frequency GPS tracking, 100m water resistance, and a specialized Depth app for divers. Battery life is notably improved over standard models, offering roughly 36 hours of normal usage or up to 60 hours in Low Power Mode. Despite these advancements, the device falls short of competitors like Garmin regarding total battery longevity, which can last weeks rather than days. Furthermore, the lack of native offline mapping, a high price point, and a bulky design may limit its appeal to serious athletes rather than casual users.

Michael Sinanian’s long-term review of the Apple Watch Ultra highlights a conflict between its rugged, bulky design and its suitability for everyday wear, noting that the titanium case and flat screen prioritize durability over comfort. The device excels in specialized, active scenarios, such as long hikes, but its size makes it less versatile for daily use. A key critique focuses on the 'paradoxical' battery life, which fails to support a daily charging routine while also falling short of the weekly endurance of competitors like Garmin, leading to inconsistent power management. Additionally, the protective casing around the Digital Crown is identified as a design flaw that hinders ease of use. The review characterizes the Action Button as 'button bloat' with limited practical utility for average users, ultimately labeling the Ultra a niche device. Sinanian concludes that a slimmer, feature-packed alternative, or a hypothetical 'Watch Pro,' would be a more practical daily driver for most users.