Apple Watch Ultra Reviews: Bigger and Better, But Not a Garmin Killer Yet

[Lounge vibes 05]

The ugly bulge that sticks out, the orange action button, and the huge bezels are a turnoff to me. When they fix that, I'll consider buying.

Those are selling points.
Thick bezel is so if you hit it against the side, you don’t destroy the screen.
Thick and extended crown and button is so you can easily press it with gloves on.
Very intentional decision, if Apple wanted this thing to be “beautiful” it wouldn’t exist.

 

[alee]

Not for everyone?
Those who wants something new...that realised that its the same price, maybe cheaper than the AW stainless steel with good band...they will go for it just for the battery life alone

It always starts out with the right intentions. Then you have folks that go from a 12 Mini to a 14 Pro and can't adapt and end up returning it. Or those that bought a 14 Pro because it's the "best one", but realized that if you really want the best cameras, you need bigger cameras.

This will be no different. It will take a while for the reality to set in that you may want every Apple product, but not every Apple product is meant for you.

 

[oofio2461]

Just one look at this monstrosity would tell you it’s not for everyone.

Apple Watch 8: elegant
Apple Watch Ultra: aggro

I seen Watches Worse than the Ultra. *Cough* Google. *Cough*

 

[Adoniram]

SCUBA diving is extreme? Who knew I was so crazy?

Well, it's an extreme environment for electronics, but I agree, I usually feel very relaxed while diving.

Too bad not a single reviewer actually used the watch in its intended environment, like long hikes above 14,000 feet (longer than the casual 2 hour hike mentioned), scuba diving, or in heat/cold extremes.

 

[rtr1985]

Better (or just more?) mics is a welcomed addition.

 

[ghanwani]

The ugly bulge that sticks out, the orange action button, and the huge bezels are a turnoff to me. When they fix that, I'll consider buying.

It’s not for everyone.

 

[Eldaerenth Faexidor]

For me the Ultra is the only option as I don’t like the series 7 en 8. I went to the Apple Store and tried them both but they looked dated and kinda boring to me. Looking forward to Friday!

 

[MajorFubar]

They should of skimmed the bezels and given us a bigger screen

The bezels are thick for a practical purpose. The kind of people this is aimed at will choose that over a bigger screen and thinner bezels that will break when they tw-t it against the side of a mountain.

 

[coolbreeze2]

See if you can work out how to watch all the videos on the Apple Watch. There’s a workaround to get the browser using Siri.

What is the workaround?

 

[BrownyQ]

The Ultra is just too large for my thin wrists. Even the 42mm Series 7 (and before that, the 38mm Series 3) is a bit too large for me.

Add to that the watch is just not for my super basic, virtually non-existent use. The battery life is a nice plus, but hardly worth going extra large when the S7 does well by me.

 

[h1r0ll3r]

Can't wait for mine to come although it'll be next Tuesday apparently. I like the look/design of this watch. I much prefer the beefy/chunky look for my watches. While I won't be doing anything "extreme" with this, will be nice to have should I desire to go diving or mountain hiking.

 

[cardfan]

Don’t need a brick on my wrist just to get notifications. Sorry Apple.

 

[Spaceboi Scaphandre]

I don't do extreme activities and I still want one because it's beeg and I like beeg.

It's seriously the coolest Apple Watch yet and the fact it can be used for all these activities including scuba diving is absurd.

 

[coolbreeze2]

Wish the series 8 had the brighter display and new features, the action button shouldn’t be orange it looks odd I wish it was silver

You indeed are Queen Liz!

 

[Eldaerenth Faexidor]

The Ultra is just too large for my thin wrists. Even the 42mm Series 7 (and before that, the 38mm Series 3) is a bit too large for me.

Add to that the watch is just not for my super basic, virtually non-existent use. The battery life is a nice plus, but hardly worth going extra large when the S7 does well by me.

Wow. How small are your wrists?

 

[mattwolfmatt]

Dumb question: If I want to actually put this on my wrist and see if it’s too huge, do I need to wait til Friday? Or is it in Apple Stores now?

 

[macvicta]

The ugly bulge that sticks out, the orange action button, and the huge bezels are a turnoff to me. When they fix that, I'll consider buying.

The Ultra looks like the type of big ugly timepiece I came to Apple to get away from. I honestly wonder if Apple created it to improve the perception of the regular Apple Watch.

I went through a photo gallery of the Ultra, thinking maybe I’m not seeing something, and then I looked at photos of the regular Apple Watch—it’s like an elegant, more refined version of the Ultra. Such a classic design.

 

[Born Again]

if extreme means off my couch then I’m extreme!

Looking forward to dc rainmakers review.

He is a real YouTube athlete folks.

 

[JM]

What is the workaround?

I have no idea if YouTube would actually work but I’ll try it now.

You ask Siri about something, and sometimes it gives “open page” and you can view browser. If you say “Apple.com” or “YouTube.com” it will always give option to view the page.

But I just found that YouTube video won’t play. Whomp whomp :C

 

[decypher44]

Dumb question: If I want to actually put this on my wrist and see if it’s too huge, do I need to wait til Friday? Or is it in Apple Stores now?

Wait, or, if you have a 3D printer, you could make a mock-up. The files are out there.

 

[MajorFubar]

The Apple Watch Ultra. Aimed at people who undertake 'extreme' activities, but like Land Rovers which mostly only go off-road when they're parked on the pavement opposite Tarquin's primary school 100yds from his house, it will mainly be used as a fashion-accessory.

 

[SactoGuy18]

Don’t need a brick on my wrist just to get notifications. Sorry Apple.

Then get a Series 8 Apple Watch instead.

 

[Johnny Steps]

Not for everyone?
Those who wants something new...that realised that its the same price, maybe cheaper than the AW stainless steel with good band...they will go for it just for the battery life alone

I always feel as if it's a bit of a "gatekeeping" statement in how one should be spending their money. What they really want to say is that the consumer who buys this product, the Apple Watch Ultra, should be one with professional athlete levels of fitness. But you're right, what if someone wants it for the longer battery life? Hell, really anyone with good financial standing and can afford it can go ahead and buy it. What you do on a day-to-day basis shouldn't really be a huge factor, only your wallet should lol.

 

[BrownyQ]

Wow. How small are your wrists?

Don't have a tape measure handy, but with a ruler my wrist measures about 5.5cm across?

The way it looks on my wrist is ultimately subjective, but when you were used to very small watches that even the S3 dwarfed in size... you see where I'm coming from.

 

[bookofxero]

still depends on your wrist size a little though. I have fairly small wrists and I don’t want to have an iPod touch hanging on my arm

You would have to have really small wrists. People were wearing an iPod Nano as a watch before the AW. In fact, the AW is just a Nano with some more sensors and a few other tweaks. I dare you to change my mind.

ETA: I have a Timex Expedition and the AWU is basically the same size, but squared off. I might still return it if I do not feel it offers enough value to justify its price tag over the Timex for my use cases.