If you’re the adventurous type, the kind who goes off-trail biking or river rafting to unwind, you need a rugged smartwatch. The Apple Watch Ultra series is Apple’s version of a rugged fitness tracker, with a strong, light titanium case, enhanced waterproofing and plenty of ways to track your location and progress even in the backcountry.
BestReviews has tested both models in our Testing Lab, and we can break down the differences and similarities between the Apple Watch Ultra and Ultra 2. The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is faster and brighter, but otherwise isn’t that much different from the first Ultra model. If you already have an original Ultra, you don’t really need to upgrade to the Ultra 2.
Big, bright and titanium, the Apple Watch Ultra models are meant to take a licking. Their specs reflect the development from one model year to another.
Product specifications
Case Size: 49 mm | Battery Life: 36 hr (72 hr on low-power mode) | Operating System (watchOS): watchOS 10 | Processor (Apple S-series): S8 | Storage Capacity: 32GB
The original Apple Watch Ultra is no longer available new, but you can find it from resellers or in refurbished condition. It was a major change from the main line of Apple Watches when it was introduced, with a much bigger case made out of lightweight but strong titanium in a single “natural” color. It has a flat sapphire-crystal screen capable of reaching 2,000 nits in brightness and an Apple S8 system-in-package (SIP) that includes 32GB of onboard storage.
The original Ultra boasts features such as dual-band GPS, enhanced crash detection, emergency SOS, international roaming and even a siren. It also stood out from previous Apple Watches with its improved water resistance to 100 meters, giving it the ability to be used in high-speed water sports and as a dive computer.
Product specifications
Case Size: 49 mm | Battery Life: 36 hr (72 hr on low-power mode) | Operating System (watchOS): watchOS 10 | Processor (Apple S-series): S9 | Storage Capacity: 64GB
The follow-up to the original Ultra, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 was released in 2023. It shares many of the same specs as the first Ultra, with the same size titanium case, flat sapphire crystal face, and navigation and water resistance features, but it runs on the Apple S9 SiP instead of the S8, allowing for onboard Siri processing, faster and smoother operation, the double-tap gesture, and larger 64GB storage (up from 32GB). Its screen also gets brighter, to 3,000 nits compared to 2,000. The Ultra 2 is compatible with the same bands as the original Ultra and comes in the same natural titanium finish.
The original Apple Watch Ultra and the Apple Watch Ultra 2 have the same rugged design and build. The case is more squared-off than other Apple Watches, with raised areas for the crown and side button and a lip protecting the face crystal. The face itself is flat and made of sapphire like higher-end Apple Watch models for increased toughness, while the case is made of titanium, making it lighter and stronger than steel.
During our testing, both the Ultra and Ultra 2 were exposed to tough conditions and everyday knocks and bumps, and neither showed any wear or damage to either body or face. The lightness of the titanium body makes the larger, bulkier case more comfortable than they look; we noted how comfortable both the Ultra and Ultra 2 were during testing, finding them almost unnoticeable after wearing them for some time.
There’s no difference between the Apple Watch Ultra and the Apple Watch Ultra 2 when it comes to connectivity, which is a boon when you’re relying on it out on a difficult mountain trail. Both models come with dual-frequency GPS (L1 and L5), allowing for highly accurate location tracking at all times, and are compatible with international positioning systems such as GLONASS, QZSS and BeiDou. Both models come with cellular, so you won’t need to depend on an iPhone or other smartphone to make calls or send emergency signals. Both Ultra models support emergency SOS, something we particularly appreciated, and international emergency calling. Both offer a sensitive altimeter that, in the Ultra 2, is accurate to -500 meters below sea level and 9,000 meters above sea level — that’s higher than Mount Everest.
Both the Ultra and Ultra 2 support Wi-Fi 4. The Ultra 2 has a second-generation ultra-wideband chip, compared to a U1 chip in the original Ultra, but honestly, we don’t think the change makes the biggest difference in daily use.
The hardware inside is where the biggest differences lie between the Apple Watch Ultra and Apple Watch Ultra 2. The original Ultra runs on the Apple S8 SiP, which is a 64-bit dual-core processor that also comes with 32GB of storage. The Ultra 2, a year newer, is powered by the S9 SiP, which adds a 4-core Neural Engine and 64GB of storage.
The S9 makes the Ultra 2 faster and smoother than the Ultra, although the original Ultra was no slouch to begin with. The most significant difference between the S8 and S9 is the S9’s ability to run many Siri tasks on the device itself. This makes Siri not only faster, but also allows it to access private information like your health readings and vitals without ever exposing them to Apple or the rest of the Internet. A second feature the S9 makes possible is double tap, which lets you respond to your Ultra 2 by touching your thumb and forefinger together — convenient when both your hands are occupied.
Both Apple Watch Ultra models have a high-resolution LPO Retina screen with always-on capability, so they’re constantly showing a face whether or not you’re interacting with them. Both are the same size and pixel density, but the Ultra 2 gets brighter at 3,000 nits, brighter than the Samsung Galaxy S24’s peak brightness. Still, the original Ultra’s 2,000-nit maximum brightness is as bright as the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s screen in direct sunlight.
The Action button is specific to the Apple Watch series and is located on the other side of the watch case from the Digital Crown and side button that all other Apple Watches also have. The Action button can change its function depending on the app and activity, such as starting or stopping a workout, start a diving session or marking a waypoint.
A major difference between the Apple Watch Ultra models and other Apple Watches is water resistance. While other recent Apple Watch models are considered waterproof enough to wear while showering or swimming in a pool, both the Apple Watch Ultra and Apple Watch Ultra 2 are waterproof to 100 meters for recreational swimming and safe to 40 meters of diving. Both models have a depth gauge sensor and a water temperature sensor to assist in dive situations, and come with a Dive app for basic diving usage and support for a specialized dive computer app from Oceanic.
The Apple Watch Ultra and Ultra 2 have a suite of health and motion sensors shared with other Apple Watches, including optical heart rate monitor, single-lead ECG electrical heart sensor, skin-temperature sensor, high-G accelerometer, high-sensitivity gyroscope and more. They can track workouts and activities, including mountain climbing and trail running, and also track sleep habits, ovulation and fertility, balance and more.
In 2024, Apple was instructed to stop selling the Apple Watch Ultra 2 and Apple Watch Series 9 in the United States with blood oxygen tracking, and neither model currently comes with blood O2 measurement. The original Apple Watch Ultra was not included in this order, but all Apple Watch models that come directly from Apple in the United States have blood oxygen functionality deactivated. Both the Apple Watch Ultra and Ultra 2 sold in other countries have functioning blood O2 tracking.
The Apple Watch Ultra original model is no longer sold by Apple. Refurbished models can be found on Amazon and other retailers starting at around $480. The Apple Watch Ultra 2 costs $799 from Amazon, Apple and other retailers.
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is superior to the original Apple Watch Ultra in several ways. It has a faster processor, faster and more powerful Siri, brighter screen and some sensor refinements. The original Apple Watch Ultra, however, shares the same outdoor ruggedness and health features as its newer sibling. If you can find an original Apple Watch Ultra, you may not feel like you’re missing out on the Ultra 2. If you already have an original Apple Watch Ultra and feel like upgrading, consider waiting for the Ultra 3.
Prices listed reflect time and date of publication and are subject to change.
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