The Apple Watch Series 8 is a good watch, but if you’re all about adventure, the Ultra is a better alternative.
The Garmin Ultra is a mixed bag of features with some irksome exclusions or glitches that will be dealt out later. This is true with the Ultra, but Apple showed it at least paid attention by incorporating the Action button, enhancing durability by including multiband GPS, and enhancing battery life to the point that you no longer need to charge it every day. Although it falls short for Garmin devotees, we believe that a few of them will be intrigued.
Apple Watch Ultra review: Design
The Apple Watch Ultra is a much larger and heavier watch than any other model to date. It weighs 19% more than the Series 8 model, and is almost two times as hefty. It’s important to keep in mind that the Ultra is only physically available in 49mm titanium, which makes it less accessible to many people. The Ultra is huge always.
We were used to wearing Apple Watches in the larger 44mm and 45mm sizes. We could sometimes feel the extra momentum when the strap was somewhat loose, but we weren’t aware of how difficult it was to bring our arm up. If you’re used to a smaller model, your results may and probably will vary, but Apple has done a good job of concealing the weight.
We were much more aware of the heavier chassis because it makes it more likely that we will be caught if we wear it under a sleeve. Additionally, if we sleep with our watch arm under the pillow, it can be strange. It’s a shame that for some of us this is a less-than-ideal sleep tracker given the lengthy battery life.
The Ultra isn’t really intended for suburban use; the designers likely had it strapped over a wet suit rather than under a light spring jacket, and the long battery life is intended to last for several days of hiking rather than for sleep tracking. However, we document these findings for the benefit of anyone who does have Series 8-style usage in mind and is anticipating something that is identical in appearance. It’s not. ..
Bands
Apple has released three new Watch bands: the Ocean Band, the Starlight Trail Loop, and the Yellow Alpine Band. They come in different colors and sizes, and we chose the Yellow Ocean Band for our Apple Watch Ultra. The band is made with high-performance elastomer and has what Apple calls “tubular geometry” with a titanium buckle. We also bought the Starlight Trail Loop band, which was a little difficult to size because we didn’t read the instructions. Both bands are very comfortable and look great on our Apple Watch Ultra. ..
The first is that they are not as durable as the official Apple Watch bands. They may not last as long in harsh weather conditions, and secondly, they are not as stylish.
Apple should be commended for not designing the new Watch in a way that prevents it from working with older bands. This is great news for players who have amassed sizable collections of bands, as it would have been unfortunate if these bands had suddenly become useless. ..
Apple Watch Ultra owners can buy most of the other Watch bands, which is causing delays for some models. Additionally, supply problems are causing significant delays for some models. ..
Display
The new iPad Pro has a larger display with better resolution and more screen space. It has a maximum brightness of 2,000 nits, which makes it easier to see in bright outdoor light. ..
The new Apple Watch has a different shell than other watches. The crown and side button are present, but they are farther from the case. There is a dual speaker setup on the left with the primary speaker on top intended to improve call quality and the new siren speaker further down, which, in an emergency, can emit a siren sound that can be heard from 600 feet away. We can attest to how loud it is. ..
The Action button on the Apple Watch is the key addition here. According to Apple, this button is orange to make it more prominent and can be assigned functions like immediately starting a workout, launching the new Backtrack navigation tools, or accessing the Compass app. ..
The Ultra is a great watch, but it can be frustrating to accidentally touch it. Thankfully, you can turn it off in the Watch settings on your iPhone. If you do want it activated, it might be a little too sensitive.
Apple Watch Ultra review: Tracking
The Apple Watch Ultra’s GPS was accurate 12x400m.
We tested the accuracy of different watches by running a precise mile from our house as a GPS test, and we discovered that the Apple Watch Ultra reported the same distance when we were running. On race day, no watch will ever be 100% accurate, but during training, you want to be able to trust the information on your watch.
Other features
The Apple Watch Ultra is a more capable navigational tool that enables you to save waypoints or particular markers when you are in a location that you want to flag. Additionally, a track back feature allows you to go back and retrace your steps, for example if you get lost.
The Garmin Ultra is a great watch for runners and cyclists who want to stay organized and focused on their activities. It has features like Precision Start, which lets you start an activity without waiting for the 3…2…1 countdown to finish, which makes it more dependable on race day.
The new Apple Watch has a completely customizable face that can turn red to improve nighttime visibility. Additionally, the new dive app Depth allows users to swim twice as far under the surface of the water as they can with the standard Apple Watch. ..
Apple is collaborating with Huish Outdoors to create an on-wrist diving computer. However, we believe that the Apple Watch Ultra is lacking the ability to download offline maps to the watch. The only method for doing this at the moment is through a third-party app. We can only hope that Apple will include this in the future.
Apple Watch Ultra review: Battery life
The Ultra has a 12-hour battery life while everything is on. The Ultra still includes the same GPS and heart rate features and a 15–16 hour battery life in Apple’s new low-power mode. This will be increased to 60 hours in a new watch update that will be available this fall. The setting will allow users to lower the frequency of GPS and heart rate readings. Even though this is excellent for an Apple Watch, many other running watches are still longer. For instance, the Fenix 7 can operate in GPS mode for up to 89 hours (or 122 hours with solar).
We ran for a total of 85 minutes over a 10-mile test run with the watch fully charged and out of low power mode. With a 91% completion rate, Apple’s predictions were roughly accurate. After a week of testing, we discovered that the watch needed to be recharged approximately every 55 hours with everything turned on. This is certainly impressive for an Apple Watch, but not as impressive as watches like the Garmin Fenix 7, which can go for about 11 days between charges with typical use, or the new Fitbit Sense 2, which can go for six days.
Apple’s new Watch, the Ultra, has a battery life of only 12 hours. We’re not sure if we would trust this watch for a marathon. We question whether 12 hours would be enough time to get to the starting line, keep the watch connected to GPS for about 20 minutes there, then track our run for four hours. This means that we would need to charge the watch at least twice during the marathon. ..
Price and configurations options
The Apple Watch Ultra was announced by Apple on September 20, 2017 for $1,000. If the watch is not a cheap gadget, it is far less expensive than most tech writers predicted.
The Apple Watch Ultra is a model that is slightly more expensive than the majority of the stainless steel Apple Watch Series 8 models, but it is less expensive than any other Apple Watch Hermès model. Additionally, compared to earlier Apple Watch Edition models, which also had a titanium body, the Apple Watch Ultra is significantly less expensive.
Conclusion
The Apple Watch Ultra is the most advanced and expensive smartwatch on the market. It is fundamentally a Series 8 turned up to 11 with a larger battery, brighter screen, new sensors, and an additional button. It stands out from its siblings and is a statement watch on a daily basis.
The Garmin Ultra is a great watch, but it falls short in some key areas. For example, it doesn’t have enough features for explorers and top athletes, its battery life is poor for long endurance events, and it isn’t compatible with important external sensors.
