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We're only days away from Apple's "Awe dropping" fall event scheduled to take place on Tuesday, September 9 – and along with the new iPhone 17 series, we're going to get a new version of the Apple Watch Ultra for the first time since 2023.

Apple-Watch-Ultra-2-Complications.jpg

By the time the Ultra 3 is unveiled, it will have been two years since the previous model arrived. The intervening period has left plenty of room for enhancements, especially for users coming from a first-generation Apple Watch Ultra. Here are all of the major new features we're likely to see in the Apple Watch Ultra 3.

Larger Display

Evidence from a recent iOS 26 beta points to a slightly larger display for the upcoming Apple Watch Ultra 3. MacRumors uncovered an image with a resolution of 422 x 514 pixels – higher than the current Ultra 2's 410 x 502 panel.

apple-watch-ultra-snow.jpg

No increase in case size has been rumored, but the larger resolution suggests Apple could be trimming bezel width to expand the viewing area without altering the watch’s overall dimensions. If accurate, this would give the Ultra 3 the biggest Apple Watch display yet, enhancing readability and making better use of the rugged design's expansive front surface.

Newer Processor

Given it's been two years since an update, it's highly likely the Apple Watch Ultra 3 will debut with a new chip.

s9-chip-apple-watch.jpg

The current model uses the S9, while the 2024 Apple Watch Series 10 introduced the S10. Although the S10 doesn't improve performance over the S9, its smaller design creates more internal space for other components. In the Ultra, that could allow for a larger battery, additional sensors, or new connectivity hardware.

On the other hand, leaked internal information suggests Apple could introduce an S11 chip this year, and while the underlying technology is the same as the S9 and S10 chips, Apple could make other tweaks. With the S10, for example, Apple redesigned the chip with a thinner profile so it would take up less space inside the watch. Major performance gains may not arrive until the S12 chip next year, however.

Faster Refresh Rate

By skipping a hardware refresh for the Apple Watch Ultra in 2024, Apple inadvertently allowed the Apple Watch Series 10 to leap ahead in display technology. This imbalance is unlikely to last long, with the next Ultra almost certain to catch up.

Apple-Watch-Series-10-Jet-Black.jpg

The Series 10 debuted with an LPTO3 OLED always-on Retina display, a step up from the Ultra's LTPO2 panel. The upgrade gives the Series 10 a faster refresh rate in always-on mode, making it possible for watch faces to feature a continuously ticking seconds hand.

Wide-Angle OLED

Apple also introduced a wide-angle OLED on the Series 10, which delivers up to 40% more brightness when viewed off-axis compared to the Ultra's OLED display. Taken together with the LPTO3 panel, these advancements make it seem all but inevitable that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 will inherit the same improvements.

apple-watch-series-10-display.jpg


Satellite Connectivity

The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is expected to become the first Apple Watch with satellite connectivity, extending its reach far beyond cellular towers and Wi-Fi. Like the iPhone 14 and later, it will tap into satellite networks for off-grid texting, giving wearers a lifeline in remote areas.

Emergency-SOS-via-Satellite-iPhone-YT.jpg

Earlier this year, Bloomberg reported that Apple was working to bring the feature to the Ultra line. On iPhone, satellite support originally handled only emergency SOS messages, but iOS 18 expanded it to allow standard text conversations. If Apple follows the same model, Ultra 3 owners could message anyone, even when entirely off the grid.

On iPhone, two years of service come free, and it's likely the same arrangement will apply to the Ultra 3 when it launches.

Faster Charging

With the Series 10, Apple debuted a redesigned rear casing made of metal, complete with a larger charging coil and an integrated antenna. The change replaced the ceramic and sapphire crystal back seen on earlier models.

apple-watch-series-10-back-sensor.jpg

The Ultra still uses that older rear design, but the advantages of the Series 10's update make it probable that the Ultra 3 will adopt the same metal back. Beyond structural changes, the redesign improves cellular performance and significantly boosts charging speeds.

In practice, the difference is stark: the Series 10 can reach 80% charge in just 30 minutes, shaving 15 minutes off the Series 9's time. By contrast, the Ultra 2 – with its older back and larger battery – needs a full hour to hit the same mark. A switch to the new casing would close that gap, giving the Ultra 3 much faster top-up times alongside stronger connectivity.

5G Cellular

Reports from Bloomberg and The Information indicate that Apple intends to drop Qualcomm modems from the Apple Watch Ultra with the third-generation model. Instead of relying on Qualcomm hardware or on its own custom modem, Apple is expected to turn to MediaTek, one of the few companies developing 5G solutions for wearables.

apple-watch-ultra-sandy.jpg

The shift would mark a major connectivity upgrade. Current cellular Apple Watch models still depend on 4G LTE, despite the iPhone adopting 5G back in 2020. MediaTek's chip is designed for 5G RedCap, a streamlined version of 5G tailored for connected devices that don't require the... Click here to read rest of article

Article Link: Apple Watch Ultra 3 Coming Next Week: Eight Reasons to Upgrade
 
Upgraded my SBSS AW4 last year to a SB AWU2. Hoping that I didn't pull the trigger to early but I've really enjoyed the Ultra this past year.
 
Thankfully none of those are compelling reasons to make the jump from my Ultra 2.

The only ones that are of even slight interest for me is the faster refresh and faster charging. But the capacious battery in mine already makes the latter a non-issue.

Now if they somehow make the battery life jump considerably? THEN I might take a good hard look. Or if the series 11 takes some radical battery leap to Ultra 2 levels somehow…
 
Larger Display

Evidence from a recent iOS 26 beta points to a slightly larger display for the upcoming Apple Watch Ultra 3. MacRumors uncovered an image with a resolution of 422 x 514 pixels – higher than the current Ultra 2's 410 x 502 panel.
Woohoo an extra .93 mm on the length and width of the screen
 
Please give us longer battery life to compete with Garmin. I'd like to only need to charge every 3-4 days instead of every other day.

Garmin does not have longer battery life. Not if it’s doing all the same functions as an Apple Watch. You’d get barely a day out of it with everything “on”.

This was just discussed the other day.
 

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Garmin does not have longer battery life. Not if it’s doing all the same functions as an Apple Watch. You’d get barely a day out of it with everything “on”.

This was just discussed the other day.

No Garmin user anywhere, "turns everything on". My Forerunner 265, out of the box, with no cutomization from me, lasts a week with daily hour gps-recorded trail runs.

Let's look at it another way, where is Apple's options to turn some of that stuff off so I can make it last a week? I can't find any reason in this article to go back.
 
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Looking forward to upgrading from my original Ultra. I've liked some of the upgrades the Ultra 2 got, those combined with what we might get with the 3 make it sound like an appealing upgrade.
 
I hope this is not true.

"Major performance gains may not arrive until the S12 chip next year"
 
No Garmin user anywhere, "turns everything on". My Forerunner 265, out of the box, with no cutomization from me, lasts a week with daily hour gps-recorded trail runs.

Let's look at it another way, where is Apple's options to turn some of that stuff off so I can make it last a week? I can't find any reason in this article to go back.

That changes nothing I said. OP wanted 3-4 day battery life and there’s no device on the planet that has battery life that long AND has the same functionality.

It’s asinine to compare the 10 day battery life of a Garmin to an Apple Watch and then claim Apple has poor battery life life. It’s a textbook example of apples & oranges.
 
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That changes nothing I said. OP wanted 3-4 day battery life and there’s no device on the planet that has battery life that long AND has the same functionality.

It’s asinine to compare the 10 day battery life of a Garmin to an Apple Watch and then claim Apple has poor battery life life. It’s a textbook example of apples & oranges.

They are definitely different devices, but people have been begging Apple for years to increase battery life.

I'd love to see an Apple Watch with maybe a MIPS screen, and less smartwatch flashiness/animation/etc., that at least lasted 3-4 days, while still recording biometrics and workouts. The more-fitness and less-smartwatch market doesn't seem to be interesting to Apple, though.
 
Nome of those given reasons affect me or would cause me to give up my Ultra 1 yet. Looks like it’s going to be a very quiet month for me, apart from AirPod Pros I will be saving my cash for now.
 
Blood pressure monitoring is the only feature of interest for me, but it is vague again in this article so I'll wait and see what Apple actually announces.
The other 7 reasons - meh for me
 
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