r/apple • u/exjr_ Island Boy • Sep 07 '22

Apple Unveils Apple Watch Ultra With Large-Screen Design for Athletes and Explorers Apple Watch

https://www.macrumors.com/2022/09/07/apple-unveils-apple-watch-pro-athletes/
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u/0ceans Sep 08 '22

Damn, the Ultra sits in a super weird place in the lineup.

It's essentially the same price as Series 8 Stainless Steel, so it's not even like they're charging a premium for it. So for roughly the same price, they're offering:

  • Twice the screen brightness (2000 nits vs 1000)
  • Twice the water resistance (100m vs 50m)
  • Diving capability to 40m, dive computer
  • Extra sensors (depth gauge, water temperature sensor, precision dual-frequency GPS)
  • A siren that can be heard at a distance for emergencies
  • Dual speakers (40% louder) and triple mic array (wind noise mitigation)
  • Programmable action button
  • Double the battery life
  • Bluetooth 5.3 (no idea whether this is meaningful, but Series 8 is still listed as 5.0)

It's a massive upgrade on every single front, without an actual price premium being demanded - but there's an enormous aesthetic tradeoff. 49mm is monstrously sized. I'm sure the great battery life is only possible at this size, but it sucks to have no way to access the myriad other upgrades without also getting something that looks so god-awful.

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u/joshrocker Sep 08 '22

I like the way it looks but I know what you mean. I’m assuming they did this to nudge people to the more expensive Ultra. Saving some upgrades for the regular watch models for an upgrade in the next year or so. The less cynical approach is most of those extra features are only capable with the bigger battery (that requires the bigger case). Unless you dislike the looks or the size of the Ultra it’s the clear watch to pick if you’re considering the steel version.