The Apple Watch Ultra 3 you deserve exists: Apple just didn’t build it

The Apple Watch Ultra 3 could have been so much more, if only Apple didn’t want to play it safe and secure enough opportunities for upgrades in the future…

The company positions its Ultra line of smartwatches as the pinnacle of what a premium smartwatch can be. The new Apple Watch Ultra 3, which just launched alongside the iPhone 17 series, carries that same spirit: it’s rugged, large, packed with features, and even more tied into the Apple ecosystem. Obviously, it’s Apple’s best wearable yet, but where exactly is Apple pushing the needle?

It is a question that is somewhat difficult to answer. The few refinements that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 comes with — like a slightly bigger display, a new chip, satellite SOS, 5G, and modest battery gains — fail to impress when one other manufacturer has come up with a wearable that shows just how far we’ve come when it comes to rugged smartwatches in 2025.

Apple’s version of an “ultra” smartwatch

The Apple Watch Ultra 3 looks almost identical to the Ultra 1 and Ultra 2 before it. You still have that 49mm titanium case, the chunky crown, the orange Action Button, and the sense that this watch is meant for adventurers. The bezels are a bit slimmer (although not by any noticeable margin), letting Apple fit in a slightly larger OLED display with an LTPO3 tech for better efficiency.

Because of the new display (and a more efficient chip), battery life climbs from 36 hours on the Ultra 2 to 42 hours with the Ultra 3, and up to 72 hours in low-power mode. Charging is a touch faster, topping up to 80% in 45 minutes. But while all of that is nice and definitely an upgrade over Apple’s previous rugged smartwatches, it is hardly groundbreaking when you compare it to the rest of the market.



There are a few more headline features under the hood. My favorites are the addition of 5G RedCap support and satellite SOS. RedCap (short for Reduced Capability) is a new type of 5G connection built for smaller, low-power devices like wearables. It prioritizes efficiency, coverage, and low latency over raw speed, which makes far more sense on a smartwatch than chasing gigabit downloads. Together with satellite SOS, which allows you to reach emergency services when you’re off the grid, these upgrades make the Ultra 3 feel better equipped for its main target audience. But it still comes across as Apple’s ultimate smartwatch, not the ultimate smartwatch.

What Apple leaves on the table

This is where the Apple Watch Ultra 3 feels less “ultra” than it should. Apple still caps diving at 40 meters, leaving pros behind. Battery life hovers around two days, while rivals push beyond four. Health tracking is reliable, but the most notable “new” feature — blood oxygen — is simply a return after a legal hiccup. And of course, Apple keeps the Ultra locked to iPhone users, cutting off half the market.

What the “true Ultra” smartwatch looks like in 2025

Now let’s compare that to another brand’s rugged smartwatch that’s meant for the professionals and hard-core enthusiasts out there:

• Display brightness hits a record-setting 3,500 nits, making it by far the most visible smartwatch outdoors.
• Even tougher materials than titanium: the case uses exotic zirconium alloy, sapphire glass, and nanocrystal ceramic for unmatched durability and corrosion resistance (the latter being especially important for saltwater use).
• Diving isn’t limited to casual snorkeling. This watch is rated for depths of 150 meters and comes with pro-grade dive tracking, technical diving modes, and even sonar-based underwater communication between divers. Apple can’t come close.
• Health tracking has an extra touch of ambition behind it. A clever new side-mounted X-TAP sensor pairs with the usual bottom sensor array to deliver ECG, blood oxygen, arterial stiffness readings, stress levels, temperature, and more in a single 60-second scan. That makes for a fast, convenient and comprehensive look at your health metrics.
• Battery life stretches up to 4.5 days (with always-on display off) or about 60 hours with everything running. That’s nearly double what Apple manages in real-world conditions.
• Charging is fast too, with a full top-up in around an hour, despite housing a massive (for a watch) 867 mAh battery — one of the largest in a smartwatch today.

The basics like voice calls, haptics, and fitness tracking work well too. The haptics are stronger, the loudspeaker is clearer, and the fitness modes are exhaustive, with stats and activities like golf swing analysis and free diving.

The watch in question

This “true Ultra” smartwatch has a name: the Huawei Watch Ultimate 2. It’s a showcase of how far smartwatch hardware has come in 2025, setting a new standard Apple has chosen not to chase just yet.

But there’s the obvious limitation whenever a Huawei product is concerned. Thanks to ongoing restrictions, Huawei’s watches are not officially available in the U.S., which makes them harder to buy and support for many potential users. For people in Europe or Asia, the Watch Ultimate 2 is still a real option, but for U.S. citizens it’s more of a glimpse into what’s possible if Apple went all in on the Apple Watch Ultra 3.

What the Huawei Watch Ultimate 2 can tell us for the future Apple Watch Ultra

The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is the best Apple Watch yet, but it’s not the best smartwatch money can buy in 2025. Apple is holding out on us, while Huawei is actually trying to offer something truly unique by applying the latest innovations in consumer tech. But for those that can’t get the Huawei Watch Ultimate 2, or simply don’t like it, its features might still be a useful way to glimpse into the future of the Apple Watch Ultra.

Battery longevity is the obvious one here: Apple has been stuck around the two-day mark for years, while Huawei is proving four or five days is possible without making compromises. Diving features could be another area where Apple eventually decides to catch up, especially if future Ultra models lean harder into professional use, the same way that the iPhone Pro models have. And the idea of a quick, comprehensive health scan with a single sensor gesture is the kind of elegant interaction Apple typically loves to “reimagine” in its own way.

The question is less about whether Apple can do these things, and more about when it will decide the time is right. Apple tends to wait until it can fold new features neatly into its ecosystem, and then market them as must-haves. If history is any guide, Huawei may have just handed Apple the roadmap for the Apple Watch Ultra 4 or Ultra 5.

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