Apple Watch Ultra 2 release date, price, and features

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 was announced at the September 12 event "Wonderlust" event, which was also the keynote at which we saw the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max announced, as well as the Apple Watch Series 9. 

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is subtly improved but retains the DNA of its trail-blazing predecessor. With a design that heavily relies on titanium and sapphire, the new Apple Watch Ultra is a rugged smartwatch aimed at adventurous folk who often venture on the offbeat trails. 

The new version of the smartwatch has scored a brighter display, a new gesture that lets you interact with the device, and some new software goodies. The price has also remained unchanged in comparison with the first generation, which is nice. 

Due to a short-lived sales ban imposed by the US International Trade Commission, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 was briefly unavailable to be purchased from either Apple's online store or the dedicated Apple Stores. The infringement in question regarded pulse oximetry patents held by Masimo. 

Apple will be releasing the second generation of the Apple Watch Ultra on September 22, along with the iPhone 15 series. This falls in line with Apple's usual device rollouts: a keynote event on the second Tuesday of September, followed by a market release some ten days later, on a Friday. Pre-orders usually kick off three days after the device announcement, on the first Friday immediately after the keynote.

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 remains a premium $799 smartwatch. That's just as much as the Apple Watch Ultra cost last year, so all is good. Some Apple Watch Ultra 2 deals

The super-premium Apple Watch Ultra pushed the price all the way up to $799. That's a stark departure from the way more stomach-able $399 tag on the Apple Watch Series 8 and the bargain-priced Apple Watch SE 2nd Gen, which share the majority of their internal hardware with the Apple Watch Ultra. 

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is mostly similar to its predecessor, with the only major changes being a faster new Apple S9 system-on-chip and a new display with a 3000-nit maximum brightness. 

Our Apple Watch Ultra 2 review is already live as a preview.

How does the Apple Watch Ultra 2 fare against the first-gen Apple Watch Ultra and the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic, another exceptional smartwatch released in 2023?

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is available in just a single titanium color. Previously, we had heard rumors that the Apple Watch Ultra 2 might be available in a new Black titanium paintjob, but that didn't materialize.

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is available in:

• Titanium

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 comes with a 542mAh battery inside, similarly to the one available on the first-gen Apple Watch Ultra. It should provide up to 36 hours of battery life, or up to 72 hours in Low Power Mode. 

This battery allowed the first Apple Watch to last between two and three days of regular usage, so we are hopeful that the new wearable will be able to squeeze out a little extra thanks to the more efficient new chipset on board. Charging is unchanged, so it will take up to an hour and a half to fully charge up the smartwatch.

There is a huge array of accessories available for the Apple Watch Ultra 2 already, as it supports just about any watch band compatible with 44mm, 45mm, and 49mm Apple Watches. This means that aside from the default Apple Watch Ultra and Ultra 2 bands, you can use any watch band that's compatible.

Apple revealed new paint jobs for the existing Alpine Loop, Trail Loop, and Ocean Band watch bands that are available for the Apple Watch Ultra. 

There aren't many Apple Watch Ultra deals, but the ones you should know about are all listed in the roundup below.