Apple has a new rugged Watch in town – the Apple Watch Ultra. Here are our first impressions.
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(Pocket-lint) – Apple has announced three new smartwatches and while two are upgrades to devices we’ve seen before, the third is the new kid on the block.
The Apple Watch Ultra is a pitched as a smartwatch for extreme sports enthusiasts and its rugged casing and tougher shell moves it into Garmin’s territory.
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Does it have the minerals to compete though and what’s it actually like? Here are our first impressions.
Our quick take
The Apple Watch Ultra is the Apple Watch Series 8 on steroids, plus so much more. It’s bulked up to offer a more rough and ready device with not only a tougher casing, but a bigger one too, alongside a bigger display, more tactile buttons and extra buttons too.
Its size and chunkiness mean it won’t suit everyone’s tastes, and for some, it will be overkill for what they need in terms of features, but for others, it could be the Apple Watch they’ve been waiting a long time for, especially with all the extra features.
Whether it can compete with the Garmin Fenix models of the extreme sports wearables remains to be seen for now, but if the battery claims are accurate and the Watch Ultra performs with the accuracy its past siblings have been renowned for, it could be the Apple Watch to watch. Pun entirely intended.
Apple Watch Ultra
For
Bold and chunky design
Plenty of features
Lightweight and comfortable
Lovely display
Promising battery life compared to other Apple Watch models
Against
Pricey
Large and rugged design won’t be to everyone’s taste
Has tough competition
squirrel_widget_12855337 Rugged design
49mm casing, titanium
IP6X, MIL-STD-810H, EN13319, WR100
Customisable Action button
One colour option: Natural Titanium
The Apple Watch Ultra borrows from the tried and tested Apple Watch design that hasn’t really changed much since its initial launch in 2015. Sure, the display space has expanded within the footprint available and new sensors have been added, but the rectangular shape with curved edges and rounded corners remains.
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That design is super-sized on the Apple Watch Ultra though. It is tougher, bulkier and bigger. The casing moves from aluminium and stainless steel – both of which the Series 8 is offered in – to titanium like the older Apple Watch Edition. Titanium is said to be more resistant to scratches and drops, which should in theory make the Apple Watch Ultra more suitable for the rough terrain environments it’s pitched towards.
The bulkier 49mm casing has rounded edges with an extra section at the top leading into the display, which is completely flat, rather than rounded like the Series 8. The Ultra’s casing is intentionally not as streamlined as the Series 8, with a bit more about it. The Digital Crown has an extra layer, with more ridges for a more tactile approach and the ability to use it with gloves.
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There’s also an added customisable button on the left edge, which is bright orange and can be used to start a workout, a new dive, or a new segment, for example. If you press and hold it, it will also activate the built-in siren that is 86dB and designed to be heard 180-metres away. Alongside that orange Action button – as Apple calls it – are dual-speakers too, as well as the GPS antenna.
The button on the right edge beneath the Digital Crown remains a function button but it is larger and more prominent on the Watch Ultra than previous Watch models.
