The Apple Watch Ultra 2 launched alongside theWatch Series 9andiPhone 15with the typical fanfare and bluster recently, boasting the brand’s latest ultra-fast processor, double-tap gesture control and a host of other software upgrades to convince new buyers away from theirGarmins, Polars and Suuntos, while simultaneously tempting diehard Apple fans to upgrade from the original.
That move alone trashes Apple’s recent environmental messaging (more on that later), because upgrading a smartwatch that’s barely a year-old feels like an iceberg-melting sin, but do these updates now make the Apple Watch Ultra 2 a more natural rival to, say,Garmin’s range-topping AMOLED Epix?
Well, I’ll delve into that juicy discussion a bit later, but - spoiler alert - Apple really has played it safe with these updates. The styling is identical, bar some new (recycled) bands, while the large majority of the functionality will feel very familiar to anyone who has interacted with the original Ultra.
Apple Watch Ultra 2
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 brings with it a slicker user experience, thanks to the addition of the latest S9 chip, which means interaction is fast and Siri can be used to a greater degree without connectivity. But in terms of useable, rugged outdoors features, the updates feel very reserved. There are no additional sensors, no increased battery life and very few new hardware headlines to force original Apple Watch Ultra owners to upgrade.
Design and build
Hold the first generation Apple Watch Ultra up against this latest one and the two are indistinguishable, especially if you remove one of the newfangled straps. The big upgrades here all take place underneath the skin, and that is either a good thing or a bad thing if you like the original styling.
Personally, I think the Apple Watch Ultra looks awkward - a slab of (now) recycled titanium that sits extremely proud of the wrist and looks a little too much like a Sci-Fi communication device to ever be considered classy or timeless in traditional horological circles. But hey, that’s just an opinion and if you are smitten with it, all the power to you.
What is new is the display, which now pumps out an unfathomable maximum brightness of 3,000 nits. During our test of the originalApple Watch Ultra, we constantly circled back to the crispness and brightness of its 2,000 nit display and this one is, unbelievably, brighter.
It’s almost so good that the difference is negligible. Hold it up next to a rival Garmin, even the excellent AMOLED display of a second-generation Epix, and it blows it out of the water. But hold it up against the previous generation Watch Ultra, and you’d be hard pushed to notice the difference. We noted improved clarity when submerged in water and in extreme direct sunlight, but that jump in nits is not as extreme as you would imagine. What is noticeable is the ability to dull the display down to just under a nit of brightness, which is great when camping under the stars and you don’t want to wake your campmates.
What’s more, Apple Watch Ultra 2 can also be set-up so it automatically enters Night Mode, harnessing the ambient light sensor to transform the Ultra-specific display into a deep red, which is really easy to read in low light but doesn’t emit such a retina-searing glow that is guaranteed to disturb the person sleeping next to you.
In terms of key physical differences, the only other items worth noting are theredesigned bands, specifically the Apple Watch Trail Loop and Alpine Loop bands. These are now carbon-neutral, and contain over 30 percent recycled content with a stylish new design. Fair play to Apple for addressing the environmental agenda, but I can’t help thinking its constant product churn often negates any good it does with reducing the CO2 emissions of its factories, or incorporating recycled material in its products.
The display remains the same 49mm, 410 x 502 pixels covered in sapphire crystal glass for protection, but Apple has introduced a new Modular Ultra watch face, exclusive to Watch Ultra 2, which uses more of the face real estate. Here, a second counter is placed at the very outer edge and it manages to cram in a plethora of adjustable complications.
Hardware upgrades
Dive under the hood of the Apple Watch Ultra 2 and it is a very different story to its predecessor. Apple has seen fit to employ its latest S9 SiP chip, which was also announced for Apple Watch Series 9 and the latest iPhone 15 models.
It is ultra-fast, processing requests at a ridiculous rate, making the user experience even slicker than it was in previous models and reducing demand on battery reserves in the process. Again, we noted with the first-generation Apple Watch Ultra just how fast and sleek it was compared to its closest sports watch rival, and the gap between the competition has only increased.
Flicking between apps and menus is beyond rapid, rotating the digital crown to zoom in and out of information feels genuinely intuitive and the new double-tap gesture control, made possible by the latest processor, is genuinely handy.
Outdoors types will often find themselves embroiled in an activity that sees hands occupied by other, more important tasks, yet the new gesture control allows the wearer to answer a call, or dismiss a notification that has annoyingly popped up without the need for two hands.
Apple says full functionality won’t roll out until October, but I have been using some of the gesture control (namely to dismiss notifications) in my test watch. If anything, it’' the perfect discreet way to interact with the device, without everyone around you cottoning on.
Another excellent feature is the ability to harness the power of Siri without the need for Wi-Fi or cellular connection. The faster chip means you can now ask Siri to stop or start a workout, bring up your latest calorie burn via Apple Fitness and divulge information about the quality of the previous night’s sleep.
Battery life
Again, Apple hasn’t made any wholesale changes to the battery life of the Apple Watch Ultra 2. It still remains the most potent in the range when it comes to longevity, but it is still way down on rivals.
If you consider Garmin models with solar functionality, such as theFenix 7, it is a pointless comparison, but then the two watches are very difficult to directly compare given the amount of true smartwatch features and functionality Apple offers. Try making a call from your wrist with a Garmin… it ain’t going to happen, buddy.
Apple officially claims 36 hours of mixed usage, or 72 hours in a low-power mode, but we found the Ultra 2 will happily go beyond its 36 hours of mixed usage without the low power mode activated.
It could be down to the new processor, which places less demand on the system, but we have definitely been charging this iteration more sporadically than its predecessor, which was every night without fail. But then again, I don’t like wearing a watch at night, forfeiting the sleep tracking stats because I know my sleep would be described as “basically dead” anyway. If you like to know exactly how many hours of REM you enjoyed, you will have to make some time during the day to stick it on the charging dock.
Smartwatch features
It often feels little harsh comparing Garmin, Polar or Suunto’s offerings to the Apple Watch Ultra, purely because the aforementioned rivals just can’t compete on the smartwatch skills… especially if you are already deeply ingrained in the Apple ecosystem.
Bottom line is, Apple Watch Ultra 2 runs watchOS 10, which itself brings with it a host of excellent new features anyway. There’s a Snoopy Watch Face, that is just brilliant, as well as changes to the Workout App, where you can stack numerous activities to run one after the other.
In addition to this, Apple Watch Ultra 2 gets a number of bespoke updates, including the double-tap gesture we mentioned before, as well as Precision Finding. If you have an iPhone 15 with the same internal chip, you can locate your missing watch with greater accuracy, your iPhone giving both audio and haptic feedback as you get closer. Anyone who desperately relies on AirTags will be familiar with the experience.
In addition to this, Apple has appeased the cries of cyclists by adding Bluetooth support for third-party power meters, which ushers in cycling power FTP metrics when paired with heart rate data from Apple Watch Ultra 2, as well as cycling power zones.
You can also pair speed and cadence sensors for improved insight into your cycling performance, while your iPhone now packs a cycling companion app, so you can effectively use it like a head unit or bike computer. Of course, that means bolting your iPhone to your handlebars which, in most cases, is sub-optimal, and is why any keen cyclist will have a dedicated head unit.
Performance in the wild
We could have easily mentioned the updates to the mapping and navigation in the section above, seeing as it is basically software, but it is worth delving deeper, as it was one of the key issues we found when testing its predecessor.
If Apple really wants to take the fight to Garmin and its rivals, it has to do the gritty outdoors stuff well, and that means going beyond offering an altimeter that reaches a bit higher.
Mapping and navigation are vital facets to anyone embarking on a tour of the mountains - or any remote part of the world for that matter - and the bottom line is, many are now relying on technology for this. Some of that tech is now so good, you can happily leave your phone at home.
Despite adding Topographic maps to the Apple Watch Ultra 2, it remains a pretty poor device upon which to place ultimate faith in when dropped into the hairiest of situations. For a start, those Topographic maps are very limited by region at the moment (California, USA) and secondly, you still need to download an offline map, via Apple Maps, from your phone before you head off. If you wander out of this downloaded area, you will need an iPhone with connectivity to refresh navigation.
What’s more, Apple’s closed system doesn’t allow the download and overlay of extremely detailed OS Maps, for example, and instead relies on defined trails that already exist. If you are genuinely climbing one of the more serious mountains, the watch will be of very little use unless you hunt for some of the third party apps that offer improved navigation.
Pathfinding issues aside, it’s still very easy and intuitive to retrace steps and mark points of interest. As a generic way-finding tool, say, to and from a campsite, it works fantastically well. Plus, it’s really simple to find where you parked your car or where that remote bothy you planned to visit is situated. It’s just that navigating between those points still requires a bit of trial and error, as you might find private land or a sheer drop might stand between you and your target.
Diving fans rejoice! Apple has bolstered itsdiving functionality. To give Apple its dues, it was already excellent, especially when paired with the bespoke Oceanic+ app, but it has now been made even better.
This is thanks to the increased level of detail that the onboard Depth app now records, as it now saves a log of each underwater activity, so users can review the most recent sessions on Apple Watch Ultra or view the complete history of all dives with a GPS entry point in the Fitness app on iPhone.
On top of this, the Oceanic+ app also takes into account free diving as a recreational activity, with new screens that show things like heart rate, depth and elapsed dive times.
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 brings with it some welcome, if not mind-blowing changes that we are sure diehard Apple fans will feel are enough to warrant an upgrade. The screen is dazzlingly crisp and bright - in all weathers and even underwater - while the on-device Siri requests are expertly handled. In fact, the entire user experience is so buttery smooth and slick, it makes rival smartwatches from the likes of Garmin look decidedly clunky.
But as we found with the original Apple Watch Ultra, this is more a smartwatch playing the macho wilderness figure, rather than the real deal. It’s more Ross Kemp than it is Chris Ryan. I still find the navigational chops lacking, while the ability to delve into performance statistics to the level you’re able to with Garmin’s Connect app and Firstbeat analytics software just doesn’t exist here.
But Apple does this with everything it produces, choosing to release a raft of minor updates, rather that make wholesale changes between generations. The original Apple Watch Ultra, for example, became a much more accomplished running watch thanks to a watchOS update a few months after it was released, and I feel Apple will probably do the same here. The hardware is there, it just needs the software to back it up, and when it does, this will remain the formidable smartwatch it is, but also become the genuine outdoors companion it wants to be.
