Apple Watch Ultra – Review

Apple’s new Watch Ultra is designed and developed to be tougher and make life easier for athletes and adventurers who don’t follow an urbanite lifestyle. That being said, its appeal definitely is not limited to any segment of the market as even those who sit in front of the computer the whole day would find something endearing in this watch.

The Apple Watch Ultra is bigger, brighter and better. Specifically designed for adventurers such as mountaineers, deep sea divers and heavy sportspersons, Watch Ultra is made tough. The screen brightness is a big plus as it doesn’t let even the harshest sunlight obstruct you from reading the Watch Ultra screen. Since built for sturdiness, those who fear banging their wrist here and there every day will finally have some mental peace as this watch is far from delicate. A major positive is the Apple Watch Ultra battery life, which as per the company will allow you to last the entire weekend without taking out the charger.

Apple Watch Ultra price in India is Rs 89,900 and it is available in one size 49 mm. It is available in Apple online stores and all major e-commerce websites in the country.

Let’s take a quick look at Apple Watch Ultra specifications

• Brand – Apple
• Operating System – watchOS
• SIM Support – eSIM
• Case Material – Titanium
• Water Rating – IP6X
• Sizes – 49 mm
• Colours – Silver
• Display – 9-inch AMOLED, Sapphire crystal glass face
• CPU – Apple S8
• Battery – 542mAh
• Health sensors – Compass, altimeter, optical heart rate sensor, accelerometer, gyroscope, temperature
• Dimensions – 49 x 44 x 14.4 mm
• Weight – 61g

Apple Watch Ultra features that stand out are mostly design and hardware related. The new big button, the larger 49 mm titanium case that comes with a flat screen protected by a raised lip, the battery that lasts 2 to 3 days, the dual frequency GPS, and three microphones, all these features make the Watch Ultra a great pick amongst other options available in this segment in the market.

The Apple Watch Ultra has a huge bulky body with a 49 mm casing. The dimensions make it looks slightly big than other watches and seem oversize even on average wrist size. The main frame is unibody titanium and gives a completely premium and sturdy feel. The sides elevate upwards as it is designed to wrap around the smartwatch screen. The basic design idea is similar to previous Apple Watches. However, the Apple watch ultra band makes the screen completely flat and not the regular Apple design of slightly curved downwards.

Many Apple watch ultra reviews have expressed concern that the watch is too big for regular wrists. So, is the Apple Watch Ultra too big? There is no simple answer such as yes or no here. The watch in reality is actually lighter than one would assume. At 61g weight, it does seem light but the 14.4 mm thickness can be an issue for some users. The thickness makes putting on/taking long-sleeved clothes such as jackets or shirts slightly cumbersome. The standard Apple Watch rotatable crown along with the side button which can be found in previous editions is present here as well on the right side. However,  it is protected by protruding housing.

The LTPO OLED display is amazing to look at and displays vibrant colours. The brightness reaches its peak at 2,000 nits. As compared to the Apple Watch Series 8 screen, this is twice as bright. Another great thing is the 401 x 502 resolution which is pixel-dense. It makes sure that the texts that appear in a larger size on the Watch Ultra display remain sharp enough. The larger text helps in making the reading of small texts such as navigation instructions or the incoming Slack messages a lot easier.

The Apple Watch Ultra in its ceramic back size has instilled many types of useful usual sensors. These include an electrical heart sensor, blood-oxygen sensor, ambient light sensor, and gyroscope. Another new feature in Watch Ultra and the Series 8 is the high-g accelerometer which is largely used for detecting car crashes and also skin temperature sensors. The iPhone markers with the Watch Ultra also have added an additional in their smartwatches and it’s the water temperature sensor. This particular feature is not found in any other Apple Watch.

As the brand claims to be making this product for adventures and deep sea divers, the other functions of these sensors include helping deep sea divers keep track of water temperature, depth, and distance underwater. The watch comes with a WR100 rating, which basically implies that the Watch Ultra can go underwater up to a distance of 328 feet (100 meters). For those who do not follow an active or adventurous lifestyle to take complete advantage of these latest features, the watch also offers other feature regular features. It tracks steps, elevation, cycling time and distance, heart rate, and sleep.

The Apple Watch Ultra is powered by WatchOS 9. This particular operating system brings many amusing health and safety features. It includes medication tracking, car crash detection, and a new Compass app for users who like a more technology driven life. The Watch Ultra also has a Backtrack feature. The functionality of this feature is it creates a virtual tracking database to map the exact steps and coordinates of the user. This helps in situations where the watch wearer is lost and backtracking their step retrace them.

As for using the watch as a phone clone, the Apple Watch Ultra works as a great shortcut communication device that doesn’t need a phone. The watch offers low power mode which further adds endurance to the battery.