The rugged Apple Watch Ultra is finally about as affordable as a 'mainstream' smartwatch (with a catch)
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Have you been dreaming about receiving the Apple Watch Ultra as a Christmas gift this year but know full well that even Santa Claus is on a tight budget these days? As long as you can live with a refurbished first-gen unit, there might still be a little hope left for you.
We're not talking about just any old refurbs here, of course, but "grade A" devices sold in perfect working condition by Woot alongside a 90-day warranty for the next couple of days (or while supplies last). Believe it or not, the Amazon-owned e-tailer still promises you'll get this bad boy "by Christmas", at least if you order it right now at a new all-time low price of $529.99.
That's roughly how much a brand-new cellular-enabled Apple Watch Series 9 with a large 45mm case normally costs, and although it's not fair to make such a comparison for at least one obvious reason, it's pretty clear that it's highly unusual to be able to buy the Apple Watch Ultra at this type of "mainstream" price.
By no means what you'd call a conventional (or mainstream) wearable device, the OG Ultra is of course (slowly) growing old, even though it's almost impossible to tell the difference between it and its slightly more powerful, brighter, and smarter successor at first glance.
In addition to resisting the most extreme outdoor usage scenarios and environments and even handling the occasional drop on a hard surface, this absolute tank of an iPhone-compatible smartwatch sports an undeniably beautiful Retina display while being able to keep the lights on for up to 36 hours between charges.
While nowhere near as impressive as what the best Garmin smartwatches out there are capable of, that battery life leaves the Apple Watch Series 9 in the dust, being just one of many key reasons why you should strongly consider purchasing a cheaper-than-ever Apple Watch Ultra before it's too late.
If you hurry, you can go for one of three ocean band color options at Woot, each of which is of course paired with a super-robust titanium case. If you don't, you can always go directly to Amazon and grab a new, unused, unopened, and undamaged unit at an important but much humbler $160 discount from a $799 list price.
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