Apple Watch Ultra Review

Apple Watch Ultra is the largest, most technologically advanced and expensive (judging by the basic versions, this is important) Apple smartwatches. Will the purchase of smartwatches, which are technically and morally obsolete in a few years, generally justified – especially for such an amount. Below – more about the main features of the accessory after three days of use. And thinking about what kind of buyers the watch will actually be interested in.

Device

From a technical perspective, smartwatches cannot be undermined: their case is made of titanium, the front and back sides are covered with a protective sapphire crystal and ceramics, all kinds of certifications (IP6X, MIL-STD 810H) are in the asset, proving: Watch Ultra is a shock-resistant gadget. Besides, they withstand serious immersion in water to a depth of 100 meters (against 50 in other models) and allow you to swim with them (at a depth of up to 40 meters) – diving was mentioned at the presentation for a reason. The first is an additional orange key that has been enlarged in size on the left sidewall. It is possible to assign a specific function to it (an application on a smartphone), by default a list of available workouts is called up. If you hold down the button, an emergency menu is displayed with keys like SOS or call a siren.

• GPS.  What else is worth keeping in mind: all the announced innovations of Watch Series 8 (like recognition of a car accident or a temperature measurement sensor. On the wrist that does not allow you to measure it at once – the function is more likely to be needed to determine the onset of ovulation in girls) in the Watch Ultra asset. From the special dual-frequency GPS (finds you on the map faster) and an external speaker with improved volume (the second one is used by the siren). And also – a triple microphone, a depth gauge and support for eSIM cards.
• Temperature. Again, all this (except for wrist temperature) is rather necessary for conditions when the capabilities of the watch of the baseline may not be enough. The same microphones that have been added in quantity, as planned, should better “block” the wind during calls. But ask yourself: how often do you receive voice calls on your smartwatch?
• A few words about straps. There are three types in total: nylon (Trail), fluorine elastomeric (Ocean) and fabric (Alpine). On the test – the second option with an unusual clasp of several elements. There are no complaints, but when you work with such a strap on a laptop, its body is a little easier to damage (and not very comfortable to type on: the clasp prevents you from resting your hand completely near the trackpad). But all this is trifles. The Apple Watch Ultra even fits straps from the Series models (44/45 mm), but with them, the enlarged watch in a titanium case, in my opinion, looks a little ugly.

Display

There are no questions here – the Watch Ultra screen, if not the most, then one of the most technologically advanced among all smartwatches that are relevant today. It has a 1.92-inch OLED panel without rounding on the sides (502 by 410 pixels, 338 ppi), built on an LTPO matrix. The peak brightness level is 2000 nits, similar to the iPhone 14 Pro. Features:

• Nit. To simplify: the display can shine at a brightness that is inaccessible to most smartphones, not to mention smartwatches. Just as importantly, the bottom bar is small enough (4.4 nits – almost total darkness) to keep the panel from glaring at night. As when wearing a watch on your hand, and when at night connected to the outlet. Do you feel the difference from the fact that the edges of the screen are now completely flat? Not especially, but there are no costs from such a decision.
• LTPO. The abbreviation LTPO means that the display can reduce the frequency automatically (up to 1 Hz) and thus save battery power. Hence, the Always-On Display function (the screen always lights up with different intensity, and not just when you raise your hand). This feature has been on other Apple watches (and competitors) for a long time, but it was in Apple Watch Ultra that the reduced display power consumption, along with a noticeably larger battery, had an effect.

Autonomy

During the presentation, Apple assured that the Apple Watch Ultra-worked up to 36 hours in normal mode and up to 60 in “Power Saver”. It appears that the company did not lie. Autonomy (at least by the standards of smartwatches of this particular company) – the main positive feature of the entire device, which will be noticed by the owners of previous versions of the gadget. Battery:

• 542 mAh. Thanks to the enlarged case, a 542 mAh battery climbed into the Watch Ultra (for comparison, in the Series 8 at 45 mm – 308 mAh). Example: at 9:30 am on Saturday, the watch was charged to 100%, and I used it without taking it off until about 24 hours – the charge dropped to 76% (although on that day. Except for tracking the heartbeat and checking the siren with a compass, the watch was not particularly loaded).
• AOD. I took the device off for the night, but never connected it to the charging adapter – by 1/2 day of Sunday, 66% remained. By about 11 p.m. — an impressive 43%. There were a few more activities that day (a couple of hours of walking around the city, heart rate tracking. Several times, the watch sent a notification about too sharp jumps, as well as measuring the level of oxygen in the blood). And all this with AOD enabled, smartphone notifications and sync.
• Charging. On a full charge, from 0 to 100%, it takes a little less than an hour and a half – normal, although not record-breaking fast. Compared to my Watch Series 7, the increase in autonomy is significant, they would hardly have lasted more than a day and a half. But comparisons with the main competitors (for example, from Huawei, not to mention Garmin) in this regard Apple Watch Ultra can't stand it – the first ones can work for a week.

Hardware and other features

There are no changes from Watch Series 8 (and therefore Series 7/6) to the “stuffing”. Run on S8 processor, which practically does not surpass the performance of the chips in the above models of smartwatches. There are no changes in processor power consumption either, improved autonomy is the merit of an increased battery. Experience:

• ECG. Like the previous variations of the company's smartwatch, the asset has the function of “removing” the ECG. Other features like sleep monitoring mode (but again: sleeping with Watch Ultra is not the most comfortable idea), blood oxygen levels, falls (not to be confused with a car accident) are also in place.
• watchOS 9.2. Software improvements included (watch, tested on watchOS 9.2) there is a special dial in which there is an interactive compass. And the Oceanic+ app for divers. In it, the watch switches to the “dive computer” mode (although, judging by the comments on the network, the functionality of this program lags in comparison with professional devices).

Summary

On the net, you can find an opinion: Watch Ultra is almost the best smartwatch of the company. I agree with this only in part, a more capacious definition is the most technologically advanced. Indeed, from the point of view of the available technical features – from a paired GPS – module and up to maximum protection against water up to 100 meters deep – it is at least difficult to dig into the device. The screen also evokes only positive emotions, there are more than enough sensors for tracking the physical indicators of the owner. A feature of the new Apple device, which the owners of all previous models of the manufacturer's smartwatches will definitely notice – the operating time on a single charge, which has grown to 2.5-3 days.