Built for adventure and brighter than ever
For 2024, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 ($799) is as big and expensive as ever, but it now comes in black titanium. Alongside the new finish option, there are several matching bands, including a titanium version of the Milanese Loop suitable for high-speed water sports and scuba diving. The rugged smartwatch features a stunning 3,000-nit display that is 50% brighter than the screen on the original model for better visibility in harsh sunlight, and it gets around 55 hours of battery life on a charge, almost a full day longer than the Apple Watch Series 10 ($399). WatchOS 11 delivers new features for all recent Apple Watch models, including a Tides app for seeing when the surf’s up, Training Load insights, sleep apnea notifications, and more. The Series 10 costs half the price and is our top recommendation for most buyers, but the Ultra 2 is an excellent choice for outdoor adventurers.Still Just as Rugged, With Minor Refinements
At $799, the rugged Ultra 2 costs the same as the original model and carries a significant premium over the Apple Watch Series 10 (starting at $399) and the Apple Watch SE (starting at $249). Generally speaking, the Series 10 is the best option for most people, the Ultra 2 is a better pick for water sports enthusiasts, hikers, and other outdoor adventurers, and the Watch SE is a sensible choice for children, older adults, and budget-conscious buyers.
Like the last generation, the Ultra 2 comes in just one size (49mm), but now you can choose from two finishes: natural or black titanium. The black titanium Ultra 2 has a matte finish like the natural model, but the darker color gives it a sleeker look. I wouldn’t call this a true black—in the light it’s more of a very dark gray.
Design-wise, the Ultra 2 looks nearly identical to its predecessor, with the same dimensions, 1,185 square mm display area, and three-button configuration. The Ultra 2 has the biggest case of any Apple Watch, but it no longer has the biggest screen. The 46mm Series 10 now holds that title with a display area of 1,220 sq mm, offering just a bit more screen real estate than the Ultra 2.
For reference, you’ll see the Ultra 2 pictured throughout this review on my 6-inch wrist. For aesthetics and comfort, I prefer a smaller watch like the 42mm Series 10 or the 40mm Watch SE. As with the last generation, I find the Ultra 2’s nubby digital crown sometimes irritates my skin.
Besides its size, the Ultra 2 differentiates itself from other Apple Watches with a more durable case, a customizable orange Action Button on the left side, a more tactile digital crown and right side button that work better for gloved hands, a brighter display, an upgraded three-microphone array and dual-speaker system, an 86-decibel emergency siren, and a 40-meter (131-foot) underwater depth gauge. The Series 10 also features a depth gauge, but it only goes to 6 meters or around 20 feet.
The Ultra 2 runs watchOS 11, the latest version of Apple’s smartwatch operating system, which delivers fresh Flux and Reflections watch faces, new Tides and Translate apps, Training Load insights to help you decide how hard to push yourself, and FDA-cleared sleep apnea notifications. All three Apple Watches require an iPhone XS or later with iOS 18 or above and do not work with Android phones.
On Android, the best alternative to the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is the Galaxy Watch Ultra ($649.99), which runs Google’s Wear OS smartwatch platform and does not work with iPhones.
With a 95% recycled titanium case, the second-generation Ultra is easier on the environment than the original, which featured all-virgin titanium. Like certain configurations of the Series 10, both the natural and black Ultra 2 cases are carbon-neutral when paired with the Alpine Loop, Trail Loop, or Titanium Milanese Loop band, as denoted by a green leaf logo on the packaging. There’s no carbon-neutral version of the Ocean Band, but it’s still available as a stock strap option with the Ultra 2.
You get your choice of one stock band (Alpine Loop, Trail Loop, or Ocean Band) with the Ultra 2, or the Titanium Milanese Loop for $100 extra. Purchased separately, the Titanium Milanese Loop costs $200 and the stock bands are $99. Apple has a few new colors for the Alpine Loop, Trail Loop, and Ocean Band, with either natural or black titanium accents to match either case, as well as a fancy Hermès En Mer ($449) band. The second-gen Ultra is still compatible with first-gen straps, as well as 44mm and 45mm Apple Watch bands.
For this review, I tested the black titanium Ultra 2 with a dark green Alpine Loop strap, which is carbon-neutral combination. The company also sent a few accessory bands with black titanium hardware to match, including the Trail Loop in black (carbon neutral) and the Ocean Band in a gorgeous Ice Blue color. I have also previously tested the natural titanium Ultra 2 with a Trail Loop in orange/beige, and the original Ultra with the Ocean Band in yellow and the Alpine Loop in starlight.
Out of the three stock bands, the Trail Loop, which is made of lightweight nylon weave with a Velcro-like closure, is the most comfortable and my favorite for everyday wear and casual fitness. My only gripe is that my dog’s fur gets stuck in the Trail Loop band and it can be very tough to remove from the tightly woven nylon (I have this same problem with the Apple Watch Sport Loop band, which is also made of a nylon weave). If you have a pet that sheds, consider which color will best hide it when choosing the Trail Loop. The Alpine Loop, made of high-strength yarns with a more secure titanium G-hook clasp, is a better option for outdoor adventuring, while the elastomer Ocean Band is suitable for high-speed water sports.
For connectivity, cellular support comes standard on the Ultra 2, along with Bluetooth, dual-frequency GPS, and Wi-Fi. A cellular connection, which requires a separate plan through your phone carrier (typically $10 per month), lets you call, stream, and message on the watch when your iPhone isn’t nearby.
The heart of the Ultra 2 is Apple’s S9 System in Package (SiP) chip, the same one powering the Apple Watch Series 9. The Series 10 features a reengineered S10 SiP, which is single-sided to save space but otherwise matches the Series 9 and Ultra 2’s S9 chip in performance.
Note that due to an ongoing patent battle, all Ultra 2 models sold in the US since Jan. 18, 2024 do not support blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) measurements, a feature most of their WearOS-based competitors support. This also applies to the Series 10, and Series 9 models sold in the US since the ban. For the time being, the blood oxygen app is present on the Ultra 2, but when you click on it, you get a message saying it’s not available. If you currently own an Apple Watch with an active blood oxygen sensor, I would not upgrade to the Ultra 2 or the Series 10, because you will lose that feature.
Still the most water-friendly Apple Watch, the Ultra 2 retains its predecessor’s WR100 water resistance rating to 330 feet (doubling that of the Series 10) and EN13319 certification (the international standard for diving accessories), ensuring it’s safe for recreational scuba diving descents down to 130 feet.
