Forget diving hiking and running, this review is for all the casual people like myself who are thinking of buying the Apple Watch Ultra but not running marathons or doing any of those extreme sports Apple showed off in their marketing. This review is for those who honestly just want to buy the Apple Watch Ultra for one simple reason, it’s freaking fantastic.
Now obviously the cool factor isn’t the only reason casual users should be buying the ultra because there are many reasons that I’m going to cover in this review which will wrap up my experience with the ultra over the past week. Let me tell you I’ve never been this excited about an Apple Watch before because unlike any of the previous updates, this is the first time an Apple Watch ever felt this unique or fresh. After all, all the other previous updates didn’t change the size of the display. For the first time since the original Apple Watch, we finally have a significant redesign that ranges from the brand new shape with a protruding flat casing at the top to protect the flat glass panel as well as a huge and unique crown down to the addition of the crown guard, an additional button on the side and a redesigned speaker which is much louder than before. This major design change is the number one reason I upgraded because it feels like a different watch with industrial and serious styling that I love but it’s not, it’s still just an Apple Watch and it’s the best Apple watch but before I get into exactly why I fully believe in that statement, let’s start this review off with some of the simple things that are unique to the ultra but I love so much as a casual user.
First of all the night mode feature is absolutely amazing because it basically gives you the option to have two totally different watch faces and you can instantly switch between them at any moment by simply rotating the crown. I myself have fallen in love with the red and black night mode theme so much that I’ve been basically using it exclusively throughout the past week because it’s so cool. Not only that but it has the added effect of saving extra battery life because more of the display is Pitch Black and if you didn’t already know the red LEDs require the least amount of voltage and power to light up leading to even more battery life savings. Speaking of battery life it’s so good that my low battery anxiety has disappeared something that’s never happened before. I’m talking two to three days about her life depending on what you’re doing. I’m not even kidding people with battery life anxiety should consider upgrading for this reason alone.
On top of that, the new wayfinding watch face is honestly the one I’ve always dreamed of. Something that looks more serious and more like an analogue watch while also packing a bunch of clean complications. No other watch face before it has impressed me as much as this one and it’s honestly part of the reason why I like the ultra so much. Now another thing I really like about it is the new flat top design with the flat display glass which essentially makes this watch a lot more rugged than before. Now obviously I don’t do any crazy sports or anything like that but over the past week, I’ve already smacked a couple of things on accident and lo and behold, not a single scratch on the display. Now that I’ve watched updates Apple watch Ultra durability test video, where he had to try super hard to break it I don’t even worry about it anymore. Whereas every single previous watch model came with rounded glass that’s fully exposed to direct hits which always made me worry but not with the ultra. I also appreciate the extra Peace of Mind knowing that this watch is rated for the most intense levels of dust scratch and water resistance with the 810H military standard rating as well as the en 13 319 certifications for water resistance. so I can basically take it anywhere I’d like to without worrying about it, and honestly, I have a thing for titanium metal which of course is the only finish available on the ultra. There’s just something about the durability weight and color of titanium that I’ve always loved so much so that I even bought Nomads expensive titanium pen which I find so cool. The simple fact that the Apple watch Ultra isn’t painted with the finish being the actual bare titanium metal means that if you do get a scratch on it it’s not going to be noticeable like the space black stainless steel which has silver-colored metal underneath the paint so that’s another reason not to worry about scratches on the ultra.
Another aspect of the design that I like is the new crown guard that’s meant to protect the crown but the biggest advantage of it is that together with the thicker design the crown no longer gets accidentally pressed against your wrist which unintentionally invokes Siri, that alone is a nice bonus. Originally, I got the Alpine band which is the only option we could choose if we wanted to get it on launch day since the Trail Loop models were all delayed and honestly I do not like the Alpine band at all. I can’t stand the clasp which takes forever to put on and adjust and the fabric itself wasn’t very comfortable, since it allows the watch to wiggle around a bit on my wrist. Unfortunately, I had to leave my ultra behind when I went wake surfing a few days ago because I didn’t want the Starlight Alpine band to get wet and potentially smelly and dirty and I know Apple has their ocean band for that but I honestly hate it it’s terribly ugly and doesn’t match the aesthetic of the ultra at all.
The Nomad sport band which I’m loving because it comfortably grips onto my wrist and the rugged design with the embedded notches seems to match the ultra much better than Apple’s sport band. Going even deeper I actually think Apple failed in a big way in terms of the ultra and that’s the fact that they’re only offering three new band styles with it and none of them is stylish or fancy for those casual users out there that want their watch to look good.
That’s where these classy JORD steel bands come in with really cool interlaced band links either with 100 natural wood or a unique thermoset material or of course you can keep it simple with a genuine leather band.
I really love how the display can go up to 2000 nits because I was able to clearly see and read anything on the display even in direct sunlight without any issues. Since the battery life is so good I don’t have to worry about the extra brightness draining the battery, because of this I was also able to set the standard brightness to the max without a second thought and I don’t even have to use the theatre mode at night because of the new night mode which is even quicker to enable and disable. To be completely honest I haven’t had time this past week to test out some of the new features like the Dual-frequency GPS for backtrack and waypoints as well as the diving app with water temperature your readings and the siren, but it’s nice to know that when I eventually do go on a wild camping or hiking trip or anything like that I can put those features to use. Whom am I kidding I don’t really go wild camping, but hey those features are pretty cool for those who do and ask for the action button at the very least it can turn on the super bright 2000 knit flashlight in an instant.
Yes maybe I’m more casual than the average Apple watch user but no one can argue with this last point for why the Apple watch Ultra is worth it and that is of course value. If you configure a stainless steel series 8 Apple watch with a 45 millimeter case size which best matches the 49 millimeter Ultra then the price is already 750 dollars even with the cheapest sport band. The reason you do this is because only the stainless steel models come with a sapphire display which is similarly scratches resistant like the ultra, seeing as the aluminum models are known to scratch easily both on the glass and the case itself. Then if you choose a better band for the stainless steel model you’re sitting right there at 800 the same price as the ultra so if you compare all the feature differences including the battery life and some features that Apple didn’t mention, like the fact that the taptic engine is quite a bit stronger and more responsive, the ultra is of course the best bang for the buck Apple watch of all time. That’s even before considering how the design is fresh new and likely won’t change for at least a few years making it the perfect time to upgrade from an older Apple watch, even for casual users like myself. With that said I don’t regret spending 800 upgrading to the ultra knowing that it’s the most complete Apple watch model ever made so I’m likely gonna stick with it for years.
