Believe it or not, the watch that gets the most consistent wrist time in my collection is the Apple Watch Ultra. Okay, so that’s a little misleading as I only really use it when I’m being active, and never when I’m out socially or, heaven forbid, around other watch enthusiasts. Still, it’s the watch I’ve been the most reliant on from a purely practical standpoint since it was introduced back in 2022. Mine is still the original, and it tracks every run, every dive, and every hike that I take, sometimes alongside a mechanical counterpart on the other wrist (yeah yeah). For a watch guy, the Ultra is everything I wanted from an Apple Watch (or any digital companion, for that matter), and it’s the only tech device I’ve ever really bonded with as a result. This week, Apple starts a new chapter for the Apple Watch Ultra with a new fourth generation.
The overall case design and architecture of the Ultra hasn’t changed much since it was introduced. It’s big, but not overbearing and being titanium, wears relatively easily. Plus, the added screen real estate is a worthy trade off. With the series 4, that remains largely unchanged at a glance. That means a 49mm case that’s about 14mm thick, and 49mm from end to end. It’s important to note that the 49mm measurement is taken diagonally across the screen, and when measured across its widest part, it’s actually 43mm. The screen area itself is only 38mm across. With that in mind, the size is a lot less scary, but most importantly, it’s quite wearable in nature, and given its stated purpose, shouldn’t really need to worry about neatly slipping under a cuff.
What is new is the hardware under the hood and on the caseback. The Ultra 4 gets a reworked caseback that uses a higher density of sensors and a better LED array to provide more frequent, and more accurate heart rate readings, all of which roll up to a new bit of software in the Health Sensing System. All good stuff being managed by the S11 chip and a more efficient battery. I generally don’t geek out too hard on having the latest and greatest sensors and what not, as I generally care about getting a consistent baseline that I can build from. Plus, if you’re looking for something highly accurate, you should probably get a chest band. For normal folks who like to maintain a level of maintenance activity more than winning their local races, something like the Ultra works perfectly well.
The Apple Watch Ultra 4 might not be the showstopper release from Apple this year (it does not fold in half), but in typical Apple fashion, represents a meaningful evolution on the original concept. Going into the product’s fifth year, I’d expect to see more of a redesign to freshen things up a bit, but honestly I find the form factor just fine as is. It’s easy to foresee a trimmer case and gussied up finishes, but again, considering the use cases for this watch, the last thing it needs more of is graceful refinements. If anything, they could make it more hardcore.
The Ultra 4 will continue to be offered in both black and raw titanium finishes, along with an assortment of straps and the titanium milanese bracelet. Pricing remains at $799 on a strap, with pre-orders beginning today, and deliveries expected to begin later this month. Apple
Leave a Reply