Apple Watch Ultra 3 review: Apple's best watch gets better, not different
The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is one large, capable, and very feature-rich smartwatch, but it still feels like an overkill for the regular user.
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The Apple Watch 3 Ultra is Cupertino's latest and greatest smartwatch, aiming to supercharge Apple's most premium wearable but without changing it too much.
To absolutely no surprise at all, the new Apple Watch Ultra 3 comes along with the very same design language as the previous two Apple Watch Ultra 1 and 2 devices, but Apple found a way to give us a slightly larger display, better battery life, and a fresh new interface, all while keeping the familiar feature set, rugged capabilities, and many tiny improvements in most areas that matter.
Should owners of the Apple Watch Ultra 1 and Watch Ultra 2 upgrade, or can they skip this one, which was the case with the previous version?
What’s new:
- Larger display with better viewing angles
- LTPO3 support for 1Hz refresh rate in always-on mode
- New Apple S10 chip
- 5G RedCap support
- Satellite connectivity w/ emergency SOS for two years included with purchase
- Larger battery, w/ up to 42 hours of battery life
- Slightly faster charging
- New Waypoint watch face
- Blood Oxygen app has been reinstated
- AI-powered Workout buddy w/ generative guidance
- 3D-printed titanium case
- Black and Natural Titanium colors
Table of Contents:
Apple Watch Ultra 3 Specs, Models, and Prices
There is a single version of the Apple Watch Ultra 3 available. You can only get the device with 5G RedCap (Reduced Capability) connectivity, 64GB of on-board storage, and a single 49mm size version.
| Specs | Watch Series |
|---|---|
| Models (Size, Weight, Prices) | 49mm, 5G RedCap connectivity only |
| Processor, RAM, Storage | Apple S10 chip, 64GB storage |
| Software | watchOS 26 |
| Battery and Charging | 42-hour battery life 72-hour battery life in battery saver mode Fast-charge, 80% in 45 mins |
| Sensors | Optical heart sensor (HR + ECG), blood oxygen, temperature sensor, depth gauge, water temperature sensor, compass, always-on altimeter, HDR gyroscope, ambient light sensor |
| New features | Satellite texting 5G connectivity Larger screen with wider viewing angles Larger battery, better battery life |
Apple Watch Ultra 3 Design, Sizes, and Bands
A familiar sight that just feels right
The old adage that Apple rarely changes the design language of most of its products is particularly true here––the Apple Watch 3 is pretty much indistinguishable from the very first Apple Watch Ultra that broke cover in September 2022.
Everything from the case of the smartwatch to the rugged and manly but elegant aesthetics has remained a constant in-between those three Apple Watch Ultra generations, establishing the familiar Apple-like synergy. The right angle separating the display from the case matches with the way the camera plateau of the new iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max is shaped, contributing to the continuity.
The large digital crown and the customizable Action Button in International Orange color remain staples of the Apple Watch Ultra, and so does the large 49mm screen. However, thanks to some bezel-slimming, the display is larger than before, maximizing the amount of content you get on your wrist without increasing the overall size, which is a welcome improvement.
The screen is an OLED one, of course, but it now features wider viewing angles, which lets you view the contents of the screen at more acute angles than before. Another important upgrade to the display of the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is the use of LTPO3 technology, which now allows the display to refresh at just 1Hz, or a single time per second. That's significant, as it allows for the always-on display feature to consume even less power than before and also enables some complications and seconds indicators to also refresh when AOD is turned on.
Made of titanium, the watch is available in Natural or Black Titanium, but one thing still rings true: it's definitely on the larger side and only looks appropriate sitting on wider wrists. It's comfortable to wear, and while you're always aware you lug a large watch on your wrist, it isn't too distracting at all.
In terms of bands, Apple has fortunately not made any changes to the already well-established Apple Watch band attachment mechanism. Push the button on the bottom of the case, and the band easily slides away from the case, allowing you to swap it for your favorite Apple Watch band released in the past decade, as long as it has been intended for any of Apple's 44mm, 45mm, or 49mm smartwatches.
Apple has a number of new color options for its base Apple Watch Ultra bands, the Trail Loop, the Ocean Band, and the Alpine Loop. They all match the new watch perfectly,
Apple Watch Ultra 3 Software & Features
watchOS 26 with all the health features you need
The Apple Watch comes along with watchOS 26, Cupertino's latest software for its smartwatches, and it comes along with the Liquid Glass redesign that's universal across the ecosystem. Although I am not really a fan, I have to admit Liquid Glass looks okay on the watch, where the lack of multiple different layouts and differing interfaces means that it can look extremely cohesive almost all the time.
Among the new software features that came with the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is a wrist flick gesture that allows you to dismiss notifications, get back to your homescreen, and so on, similarly to the iPhone's shake-to-undo feature. It works well, and it quickly becomes a second nature to flick away your wrist in order to dismiss whatever's on the Apple Watch without having to actually touch it with your free hand. In the same vein, the superb double-pinch feature that lets you answer calls, advance the interface, open your widget stack, and so much more.
Don't expect the Apple Watch Ultra 3 to work with any other phone apart from an iPhone––Apple still keeps things tight and controlled.
Workout features
The workout app has been redesigned with ease-of-use in mind, and it's definitely a departure from the previous appearance of the app, but it doesn't take too long to get used to the new interface. watchOS 26 also introduces a new Apple Intelligence-powered workout buddy that aims to provide relevant guidance during workouts. You need an Apple Intelligence-capable iPhone for that, though.
For all the data freaks out there, advanced metrics like power and cadence are available, as well as utterly customizable custom workouts that can be tailored to track whatever you want. Detailed data, power zones, cadence, power, cycling metrics, swim strokes, and many other
The Apple Watch still covers pretty much any activity you might ever pick up, including exotics like… Fitness Gaming, and pickleball, and barre, among other more common sports and activities.
The heart rate accuracy seems to be just about right from what I can tell. Comparing the Apple Watch Ultra 3 against two other non-Apple smartwatches shows way more logical results, with fewer deviations and irregular readings. If anything, I'm poised to believe the heart rate readings from the Apple Watch Ultra 3 a bit more.
And just like previous Apple Watch Ultra devices, the Apple Watch Ultra 3 allows recreational diving up to 40 meters and has a diving computer functionality built in. Thanks to the water temperature and depth sensors, you get to see important details about your dive, including depth and water temperature.
Sleep tracking
Building onto the strong foundations built by previous Apple Watches and watchOS releases that created one of the more robust sleep tracking features around, the Apple Watch 3 will. now award your time in the hay with a so-called Sleep Score. It is based on the sleep's duration, your bedtime, and any and all interruptions. The closer you get to the goal Apple deems perfect, the higher the score your sleep is awarded.
Aside from this novel sleep grading, the rest of the sleep-tracking features remain a core staple of the wearable. Your sleeps are broken by REM, core, and deep sleep. The best feature of all has to be the automatic nap detection through the day, though, which has been around for a while.
Health features
In terms of health tracking, the Apple Watch Ultra 3 supports all the features its predecessors did, including heart rate monitoring, ECG, irregular rhythm notifications, high and low heart rate, respiratory rate, and new this year, hypertension alerts. The latter will inform you if it detects higher than usual blood pressure, though you'd need to wear the device for at least 30 days so that a baseline could be established.
Menstrual cycle tracking and ovulation estimation are also part of the feature set.
Blood oxygen tracking is also back on the Apple Watch. The latter was removed after a patent dispute with Masimo, but the feature seems to be back on the Apple Watch Ultra and the rest of the company's smartwatches, but the legal battle with Masimo appears to be still ongoing, so there's no saying what the future for the blood oxygen feature will bring.
Apple Watch Ultra 3 Battery and Charging
Great battery backup
When it comes to battery life on smartwatches, the battery life standard varies widely between semi-smart fitness watches, like Garmin and Amazfit, and proper smartwatches, like the Apple Watch and the Galaxy Watch. Hybrids like the OnePlus Watch 3 that utilize clever tricks to achieve week-long battery life and still run Google's full-fledged WearOS are an exception to that rule.
The Apple Watch 3 Ultra comes with a larger battery than the one inside the Watch Ultra 2. Thanks to the more efficient Apple S10 chip on board (with a quad-core Neural Engine and 64 GB of storage nonetheless), the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is now rated for 42 hours of regular usage and up to 72 hours in Low Power mode.
That's okay for a smartwatch but will widely vary depending on how you use your smartwatch. Intensive GPS navigation and checking out maps, and actively using the workout feature will deplete the battery much faster than wearing it to your 9-to-5 desk job and relying solely on it for, well, telling the time and notifications.
In my experience and with my own unique usage, the watch loses around 25 to 30% of battery per day. Yes, that's higher than the advertised 42-hour mark, but we should not forget that Apple factors in a rather strenuous usage, consisting of, and I quote, "600 time checks, 180 notifications, 30 minutes of app use, a 60-minute workout with music playback from Apple Watch via Bluetooth, and 6 hours of sleep tracking over the course of 42 hours".
That's definitely a bit more extreme than what I'd call my regular everyday usage, hence the better real-life battery life figures I can report.
Charging-wise, we get fairly fast charging, giving us 80% of battery in just 45 minutes. That's faster than previous Apple Watch wearables, and means your watch will spend less time on the charging puck, more time on your wrist, which is great.
Apple Watch Ultra 3 Voice Calls and Haptics
The Apple Watch Ultra 3 comes along with 5G cellular capabilities, albeit being RedCap (Reduced Capability). Provided that you have an applicable cellular plan, you can take and make calls on your Apple Watch Ultra 3 without an iPhone nearby.
Audio quality is great for a smartwatch. You will hear and be heard perfectly, so phone calls wouldn't be a problem here.
Typically for Apple, the haptics are excellent. The on-board Taptic Engine delivers strong and precise vibrations that are a joy to experience.
Apple Watch Ultra 3 Competitors
Naturally, you have to consider the Galaxy Watch Ultra as one of the biggest rivals to the Apple Watch Ultra 3. The second generation of Samsung's best wearable was launched a few months ago and is definitely one of the better WearOS smartwatches available for Android and the Galaxy ecosystem in particular.
Another more niche option could be the aforementioned OnePlus Watch 3, which is a dual-chipset, dual-OS smartwatch with exceptional battery life. It pairs WearOS with the custom RTOS and is a very decent and great-value mix between proper and semi-smart watches.
Of course, none of these is a proper alternative, as it doesn't really work with the iPhone. In that case, the only real alternative to the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is none other than the regular Apple Watch 11, which is slightly less feature-rich, but has a sleeker design and is more affordable.
Let's be honest, how many of you would dive? Few among the Apple Watch Ultra's potential customers, and in that case, a regular Series 11 could be better value in the long run.
Should you buy it?
The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is an excellent smartwatch and easily the best one if you're locked in the Apple ecosystem. For iPhone users, nothing comes close in terms of features and functionalities.
That said, it still doesn't feel as if owners of the first and second generations of the Apple Watch Ultra have to upgrade to the Apple Watch Ultra 3. The overall differences are still pretty much negligible, and if it isn't for some specific new feature that the Watch Ultra 2 or 3 introduced, then you might as well still keep on using your original Apple Watch Ultra, which doesn't feel outdated at all.
However, if you're only now considering an Apple Watch and want the absolute best offering on the market, there's little doubt that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is the one to get if the budget is a none-issue.
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