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

[KarimLeVallois]

I may see if my wife wants to buy me one for my birthday, I can't really justify another watch. Currently rocking my Titanium Series 6 with AppleCare until Feb 2023.

That and my Series 3 ceramic that I use for heavier workouts as it can take a knock or 73.

 

[Murdock12]

Reviewers really shouldn’t be comparing the Ultra to the Garmin Epix 2 - they’re totally different use cases. The Epix 2 is pretty much the most full-featured watch Garmin offers but with an OLED screen. I assume it’s that the price category is roughly the same?

The actual Garmin analogue, if there is one, is the Venu 2 ($399) or Venu 2 Plus ($449). OLED screen, microphone for making calls, fitness tracking, GPS, etc., but not the navigation features. The Venu 2 still has 9 days of smartwatch mode and 24 hours of GPS though. When compared appropriately, the Ultra is actually about twice the price of a comparable Garmin.

Garmin Venu® 2 Plus | Health & Fitness Smartwatch with GPS

Venu 2 Plus is a fitness smartwatch with the ability to make and take phone calls from your wrist, connect to your phone’s voice assistant, and health monitoring.

www.garmin.com

 

[Shh]

How can I trust The Verge's opinion on Apple Watch's form & function when their website design is horrible?

Their how-to-build-a-pc video is even worse than their new website design.

 

[jdawgnoonan]

I am in the Garmin camp, and as a long distance cyclist the Ultra doesn't offer me anything that is even slightly tempting. But if I was a diver the Ultra would be the watch I assume that I would want. That said, if I was in the Apple camp, to me the Ultra would be the only one I would consider due to the battery alone, plus I do not care for the protruding glass on the standard Apple Watch.

 

[Hudzilla95]

I'm definitely not in the demographic for the Ultra, but comparing it to a Regular SS S8 with Braided loop it is only £20 more expensive to get the Ultra... No brainer for double the battery life in itself!

 

[KarimLeVallois]

I'm definitely not in the demographic for the Ultra, but comparing it to a Regular SS S8 with Braided loop it is only £20 more expensive to get the Ultra... No brainer for double the battery life in itself!

Exactly, no brainer indeed!

 

[crsh1976]

I dig how one got 56 hours out of it by doing next to nothing with the watch (except look at alerts/notifications), sure makes this thing worth while.

 

[msackey]

From a quick read of the article, it looks like most of the issues that does not make the Ultra a Garmin "killer" is software based issues and I think I'd agree. I had mentioned on other threads that we are in iteration 9 of WatchOS and it is still rather crazy that the following very basic software-based features are not available on a rather expensive device (and my criticism has to do with Apple software; some of my issues can be resolved through 3rd party apps):

• No offline maps
• After a workout, there's no way to view the GPS tracks. There's also no way to review a recorded workout and have it "play" through showing how the heart rate, pace, cadence, elevation changes in sync.
• marking segments using touchscreen is inaccurate because it's not always clear when a touch has been registered during those time-critical moments (the addition of a 3rd button looks to be a solution and unfortunately not available in any edition of the Watch other than Ultra)

These are basic basic issues; not anything fancy. I'm keeping my Series 4. I don't expect it will happen though I hope it will, but may next year the Action button will also be available on the Series 9?

(C'mon Apple! Do better! )

 

[Tevosn]

For me the S4 was a garmin killer 🙃

 

[SnappleRumors]

The button is iconic. Apple did a good job with the color of it. You can't miss it and it also differentiate from other Apple Watches in the market.

Like the red dot on the old watches? I guess if you’re into that ‘See, I’m special’ sort of thing.

 

[azentropy]

I dig how one got 56 hours out of it by doing next to nothing with the watch (except look at alerts/notifications), sure makes this thing worth while.

Well when you are doing nothing for 56 hours you sure don't want to have to take time out of that to charge a watch!

 

[GuruZac]

Land rovers are for pretenders. Elite wannabes waste the amazing German engineering of the G-wagon getting groceries.

In my past life working at Porsche (prior to medical school) I was fortunate enough to drive many G63s and even a G65. G Wagons drive like **** but I still love them. And the new ones look great. I'm still taking a Cayenne GTS...maybe post medical school reward 😎

 

[WWPD]

This will be perfect for me. It will go great with my Patagonia mountaineering jacket for my extreme treks to Starbucks for my latte.

 

[aacemyan]

I used to own the Series 0 and Series 4 Apple Watches and moved over to the Fenix 7 this year. While I miss some of the smartwatch features (mostly rich notifications, messages, calendar), the Fenix is in a different league entirely from an active lifestyle standpoint.

To me the killer Garmin feature is the guided training for runs as well as the insight it give me on my training readiness (read more there: https://www.garmin.com/en-US/garmin...hysiological-measurements/training-readiness/). Garmin takes sleep score, 24/7 HR, stress levels, body battery, rolling HRV history, 7 day accute training load, etc. to let you know if your training is productive, unproductive, or if you're overexerting. Battery life is also wonderful - I sleep with this watch everyday and recharge it once every 1.5 weeks.

I did in fact pre-order an Ultra watch since I'm super curious about what the watch will accomplish, but I find it highly unlikely that it will replace my Fenix 7. Apple watches are just not good at motivating or providing insight for me and the 'close your rings' mentality doesn't jive with my on / off exercise regimen of my lifestyle.

 

[npmacuser5]

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.

For some reason, tough needs the Rambo look.The really tough outdoor watches are black or camouflage. The larger on one’s wrist the more impressive they are. Apple challenges every market. The Navy Seal bad ass look is under siege by Apple. Interesting to see how it plays out.

 

[StuBeck]

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

My only concern regarding that is I'm not positive the battery life is as big of a deal as is being advertised. I've gotten two days out of a Series 0, so to only get a little more than that on the Ultra is a tough sell. I'm sure we're going to hear from some users that they get 3-4 days out of it, but 56 hours isn't impressive.

 

[parseckadet]

These YouTubers don’t leave their room. Of course they don’t understand or need the features of the Ultra.

MKBHD, the very first video linked, is a professional ultimate frisbee player in addition to being a tech YouTuber. But yeah, you go on believing they're all just 40-something man babies living in their mom's basement. 🙄

 

[markosb]

I’m not extreme but I’m still excited for Friday.

I’ll become extreme when I wear it, I’ll have a coffee while I am riding my bike; at the same time.

 

[Knowimagination]

Screen size alone will eventually wear me down and make my buy one.

The screen size seems to be almost the same as the 45mm version its a very marginal difference.

 

[macsplusmacs]

The screen size seems to be almost the same as the 45mm version its a very marginal difference.

From one of the reviews. Sometimes more is more:

"That larger, powerfully lit screen can show six lines of data versus five lines while using Apple's Workout app."

 

[Jacoblee23]

Give me more battery life and a brighter screen on the Series 9 next year and I won't even be remotely interested in the Ultra. Until then my series 8 will due just fine on my small wrist.

 

[Rogue AI]

The people who will buy and use this watch will be overweight middle aged tech dads, weekend state park trail walkers, and people who go to the gym and walk on the treadmill for a half an hour and call themselves an "athlete". You know, the same people who'll buy a huge pickup truck and drive it in the city and complain about how much it costs to fill up the tank and don't actually use the truck for hauling or pulling anything.

The key demographic for this watch - marathon runners, backcountry hikers, and ocean explorers - won't buy this watch because there's other brands that offer exactly what they need with weeks-to-months long battery life to boot.

I'll pass on this. I'll buy a Garmin if I absolutely need this type of watch (I don't).

 

[Momof2.1107]

Me too I’m only getting it for better battery, larger screen and the redesign -I still feel 45mm is too small for a watch.

I’m getting it for the same reasons, and for temperature sensor and the fact that I need to upgrade my S4.

 

[Rogue AI]

From one of the reviews. Sometimes more is more:

"That larger, powerfully lit screen can show six lines of data versus five lines while using Apple's Workout app."

Yes, but is that extra line really necessary? Will that one extra line change your life?

 

[Momof2.1107]

Love everything about the Watch Ultra. For my needs, it'll be a nice upgrade.

For all who have ordered with Sept 23rd delivery dates-any of you still showing Preparing to Ship? I even pulled up UPS app and there is a tracking number that shows but it says no details can be provided at this time. Hoping for a Friday delivery still!

Yes mine says that and has been sitting in Louisville, KY since yesterday evening.