Last year, the Apple Watch Ultra chiseled a new category of lifestyle products. While a segment of adventure-centered smartwatches already existed, the Apple Watch Ultra merged the gap between bulky, sometimes distastefully designed, outdoorsy smartwatches and ones fitting every occasion. Alongside the iPhone 15 and the Apple Watch Series 9, Apple is announcing the Apple Watch Ultra 2 with notable improvements over the first generation. It’s not a particularly flashy or eye-catching upgrade, but it should be important nonetheless.
Faster S9 chip
Like the Apple Watch Series 9, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 gets an updated S9 chip based on the iPhone 13’s A15 Bionic processor. The GPU is 30% faster than the Apple S8 chip, while a new four-core neural processing unit (NPU) allows all your Siri data to be processed on the device instead of relying on your iPhone. Apple also claims the new chip allows for 25% better dictation than the previous model.
The new chip also facilitates the new tap gesture, where you can tap your thumb and index finger to trigger actions like taking or ending a call, starting a timer, playing or pausing media, snoozing alarms, taking photos or videos, etc. The gesture uses a combination of data from the gyroscope, accelerometer, and heart rate sensor — fine-tuned by machine learning — to avoid accidental detection.
The Watch Ultra 2 also receives Apple’s new U2 chip for ultra-wideband (UWB) communications. This allows you to locate AirTags, AirPods, and your iPhone more precisely and across a three times wider range than the earlier U1 chip.
Brightest Apple display ever
Apple Watch Ultra 2 gets a new and brighter display with a peak brightness of up to 3,000 nits, which makes the display legible even in the brightest of surroundings. There aren’t any visible changes compared to the first-gen Watch Ultra.
Like the Watch 9, Apple is offering eco-friendly “Trail Loop,” “Alpine Loop,” and “Ocean” band options for the Watch Ultra 2 while the shell is made from 99% recycled aluminum, which is why Apple is calling it a carbon-neutral product.
If you were expecting a longer battery backup, you would be disappointed. Apple still claims 36 hours of backup on the Apple Watch Ultra 2 — the same as the previous generation. However, the claimed battery backup in low-power mode has increased from 60 to 72 hours.
For fitness and outdoor activities, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 gets a dual-frequency GPS, which is presumably carried over from the first-gen. The new altimeter can now detect elevations ranging from 500 meters below sea level to 9,000 meters above sea. Apple is also bringing an improved cycling mode, allowing greater control to bicyclists while riding. The Apple Watch Ultra can connect with speed and cadence sensors on advanced bikes, combining it with the data detected itself.
WatchOS 10
Besides better hardware, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 also benefits from improvements part of watchOS 10. Foremost, the watchOS 10 brings new informational widgets through a “Smart Stack” that you can either scroll vertically using the touch screen or the crown button. Apple’s new Watch interface also brings a host of new animated watch faces, including those with Snoopy and Woodstock from the Peanuts comic strip series.
The update also includes new automatic controls based on your proximity to other devices. For instance, if you’re closer to a HomePod, controls will playback automatically pop up on your Watch’s screen.
Exclusive software features on Apple Watch Ultra 2
The Watch Ultra 2 also receives a new “Modular Ultra” watchface with information spread along the edges, smaller complications along each corner, and a large complication in the middle of the display.
Apple Watch Ultra 2 also gets new topographic apps within the Apple Maps app, displaying information such as pre-defined trails, elevation, contours, hillside, etc. The interface will also include information about cellular connectivity along with SOS points along the route.
Pricing & Availability
The Apple Watch Ultra is priced at $799 with cellular connectivity. It will be available starting September 22nd alongside the Watch Series 9 and the Watch SE (the latter remains un-updated).
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Alex Smith is a writer and editor with over 10 years of experience. He has written extensively on a variety of topics, including technology, business, and personal finance. His work has been published in a number of magazines and newspapers, and he is also the author of two books. Alex is passionate about helping people learn and grow, and he believes that writing is a powerful tool for communication and understanding.
