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There’s not a lot new with the Apple Watch Ultra 4, but there are a couple of features I’m super excited about, and some we’re still waiting on Apple to release. The headline is battery life. Apple advertises two-day battery, and I got over 50 hours on one charge without even turning on Low Power Mode.
This is my full review: what changed, what I like, what I don’t, and who should buy it over the Series 12.
Buy the Ultra 4 if you hate charging, you’re outdoors a lot, or you want the biggest, brightest screen Apple makes. It’s an easy upgrade from an Ultra 1 or Ultra 2. If you have an Ultra 3, or you just want a great everyday watch, the Series 12 is more comfortable and half the price.
- Over 50 hours on one charge in my testing
- The bigger, brighter 3,000 nit screen
- Outdoor GPS workouts go from 14 to 18 hours
- The Alpine Loop is the most comfortable band I’ve tried on it
- The sharp edge on top can get snagged
- Still about 63 grams, and it feels bulky at first
- Less comfortable than the Series 12 for sleep tracking
- Looks identical to the Ultra 3 for the same $799
Battery life
Battery is the main headline. Apple raised the rating from 42 hours on the Ultra 3 to 50 hours, and Low Power Mode goes from 72 hours to 84. In my testing I got over 50 hours on one charge, and that was with tracking a walk or a couple of workouts.
| Apple Watch Ultra 4 | |
|---|---|
| Price | $799 |
| Case | 49mm titanium, natural or black |
| Weight | About 63 grams |
| Chip | S11 |
| Heart sensor | 8 windows, heart rate every 5 seconds, HRV as often as every 5 minutes |
| Battery rating | 50 hours (84 in Low Power Mode) |
| My battery test | Over 50 hours on one charge |
| Outdoor GPS workouts | Up to 18 hours |
| Workout tracking | Up to 45 hours, per Apple |
| Screen | Up to 3,000 nits, sapphire front |
| Water rating | 100 meters |
Need help picking any Apple gear? Tell me how you’d use it and I’ll give you a personalized pick.
Price and design
It’s still a $799 watch, and it looks exactly like the Ultra 3. The case is the same 49mm titanium, and if you own an Ultra 3, they look identical. You can get it in natural titanium or black titanium. I was nervous the black titanium wouldn’t hold up, but my black Ultra 3 still looks nice a year later.
S11 chip and the new heart sensor
Most of the big changes are on the inside. The Ultra 4 has the new S11 chip and a new heart sensor with 8 windows instead of 4. That lets it check your heart rate every 5 seconds all day and check heart rate variability as often as every 5 minutes, which the Ultra 3 can’t do. That’s why some of the newer features are Ultra 4 only.
GPS and workouts
GPS is better too. Outdoor GPS workouts go from 14 hours on the Ultra 3 to 18 on the Ultra 4, and Apple says you can run workout tracking for up to 45 hours. If you wear this for extreme sports, you won’t have to stop and recharge it. It also has dual-band GPS, which is supposed to give you better tracking around buildings and trees.
Screen and water rating
The screen goes up to 3,000 nits with a sapphire front, and it’s rated for 100 meters of water, so you can even wear it scuba diving. The bigger, brighter screen is the main thing I like about the Ultra over my Series 12. Of everything that sets the Ultra apart, my favorite is the extra wide screen with the second hand around the edge. The extra brightness makes it look nice even outdoors.
Band, comfort and what I don’t like
I like the Alpine Loop band, which I got in Dark Olive. It’s very comfortable, it has the right amount of stretch, and it makes the Ultra 4 feel more comfortable than some of the other bands I’ve tried.
One thing I don’t like about the body is the sharp edge on top. It can get snagged and you can bump it into things, but it’s incredibly durable. My Ultra 3 didn’t show any wear or damage even a year later. It still weighs about 63 grams and feels bulky at first, but the longer you wear an Ultra, the more you get used to it.
If you want to buy this for sleep tracking, I think the Series 12 is a better option, because it’s more comfortable than the Ultra at the end of the day. You can wear the Ultra to sleep, and I’ve got friends with an Ultra who say it doesn’t bother them, but for me it’s not as comfortable.
Features only the Ultra has
Besides the screen and dual-band GPS, the Ultra 4 has the Action button on the side. I use mine to turn on the flashlight, and you can assign it to other features too. There’s an emergency siren you can trigger, and Emergency SOS via satellite, so you can reach help without your phone or a cell signal.
Readiness
The new sensor powers Readiness, a score from 0 to 10 built from your sleep, activity, vitals and recovery. It’s exclusive to the Ultra 4 and the Series 12. I don’t wear my watch to bed every night, and it takes several days of sleep data to set a baseline for your score. If you charge it overnight, it won’t do much for you, so you’d want to use the fast charging during the day instead.
Siri Rewind and the daily summary
There’s one feature no one’s talking about yet because it isn’t out. At the end of the year, Apple is going to turn on Siri Rewind and the daily summary. Rewind lets you use the Digital Crown to see a written summary of the last 15 seconds of a conversation. If you’re like me and you have a hard time hearing what people say, that’s going to be nice. The daily summary uses a secure method Apple developed to gather sounds through the day and give you a summary of what happened and what you need to do.
You’ll need the Ultra 4 or the Series 12 for those features. If that’s you, it might be worth upgrading from the Ultra 3.
Who should buy it?
I’d buy the Ultra over the Series 12 if you hate charging, you’re outdoors a lot, or you want the biggest and brightest screen Apple makes. It’s also the one for you if you have an Ultra 1 or Ultra 2, especially the Ultra 1, which doesn’t support the latest watchOS.
You could skip it if you have an Ultra 3. You still get the new Siri, Workout Buddy and the better distance tracking, and you’d mostly miss the new heart sensor, Readiness and the extra battery life. I’d also skip it if you want a great everyday watch, because the Series 12 still gets you over a day of battery, it’s more comfortable and it’s half the price.
| Buy the Ultra 4 if | Get the Series 12 instead if |
|---|---|
| You hate charging | You want a great everyday watch |
| You’re outdoors a lot | You want to sleep with it on |
| You want the biggest, brightest screen | You want to spend half as much |
| You have an Ultra 1 or Ultra 2 | You already have an Ultra 3 (keep it) |
The bottom line
The Ultra 4 is for people who want the most battery, the brightest screen and the outdoor features. For most people who just want a great everyday watch, the Series 12 is more comfortable and half the price.
Still deciding? I put the Ultra 4 head to head in my Series 12 vs Ultra 4 comparison, and my guide to which Apple Watch to buy covers the SE 3 too. Or tell me how you’d use it and I’ll give you a personalized pick.
