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The Apple Watch Ultra 2 replaces the first-generation model that was introduced last year in Apple's smartwatch lineup, but how different are the two successive smartwatch generations?

Apple-Watch-Ultra-vs-Ultra-2-Buyers-Guide.jpg

In 2023, Apple unveiled the Apple Watch Ultra, introducing a more durable design and titanium casing, a larger and brighter display, additional speakers and microphones, considerably longer battery life, and more. The first-generation Apple Watch Ultra has now been discontinued by Apple, and as a year-old model, prices at third-party resellers are falling. As such, some customers may be weighing up whether to upgrade to a first- or second-generation Ultra‌.

The two Apple Watch Ultra models share the overwhelming majority of their features, so should you consider buying or sticking with the first-generation to save money? This breakdown also serves as a way to see all the differences that the Ultra 2 brings to the table.

Apple Watch Ultra (first-generation)Apple Watch Ultra 2
Retina display with up to 2,000 nits of brightnessRetina display with up to 3,000 nits of brightness, Apple's brightest display ever
FlashlightFlashlight boost via Digital Crown
Double Tap gesture to stop timers, play and pause music, snooze alarms, answer and end phone calls, take photos with the Camera Remote, open the Smart Stack, and scroll through widgets, all without touching the display
S8 chip (based on A13 Bionic chip)S9 chip (based on A15 Bionic chip: 60% more transistors, 30% faster)
Neural Engine4-core Neural Engine (up to twice as fast)
Siri processed in the cloud via internet connectionSiri processed on-device for requests that do not need information from the internet, resulting in quicker and more reliable responses
Siri can access health and fitness data
Dictation25% more accurate dictation
First-generation Ultra Wideband chipSecond-generation Ultra Wideband chip
Precision Finding for iPhone 15 models, providing distance and direction, as well as visual, haptic, and audio guidance to a misplaced iPhone
HomePod integration: When a user gets within four meters of a playing HomePod, the Apple Watch launches Now Playing to control playback. If nothing is playing, media suggestions appear at the top of the Smart Stack.
32GB storage64GB storage


Overall, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is a very minor upgrade over the first-generation model, with the S9 chip, Double Tap, and Precision Finding for iPhone 15 models being the most significant changes. As a result, it is very difficult to recommend upgrading.

Most users of the existing Apple Watch Ultra will not be able to justify upgrading to the Ultra 2, but some customers coming from an older Apple Watch or those who do not have one at all could still have good reason to prefer the latest model, namely those who heavily use a HomePod, plan to buy an iPhone 15 model and can take advantage of Precision Finding, need additional storage for downloaded media, or think one-handed use with the Double Tap gesture would be useful.

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is very similar to the first-generation model, so most customers who are interested in buying an Ultra model may prefer to look for a discounted first-generation model. If the original device can be found for a substantially lower price, it remains a solid buy. The Ultra 2 is priced at $799, so if you are not interested in its new features and can find the original model for less than ~$650, it may be worth getting that instead.

Article Link: Apple Watch Ultra vs. Ultra 2 Buyer's Guide: 12 Differences Compared
 

PsykX

macrumors 68030
Sep 16, 2006
2,741
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What the hell does "60% more transistors" mean ? Apple is rarely that technical about those things...
It sounds as if it's a marketing twist for us to think it's 60% faster.

Edit : On Apple.com, they basically just talk about transistors. Where did MacRumors find out about it being in fact 30% faster?
 

alexandr

macrumors 603
Nov 11, 2005
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I honestly see zero reason to upgrade.

Gestures are covered in accessibility.

I've run on a sunny day and never had a problem with the brightness of the screen. I can't imagine a situation where the 2000 nits was too low.
I know — out of all the tech reviewers I watched — only one person mentioned that this has already been available. Granted it doesn't work too well (at least for me), but nothing NEW here.
 

alexandr

macrumors 603
Nov 11, 2005
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Because when you put together multiple incremental updates over the years, it will become significant enough such that you may then want to upgrade from your S6 ;-)
Yes, except I still see no reason to. And I like the look and feel of the Ultra, but they didn't even add the thermometer function which I had specifically asked for several times!
 

msackey

macrumors 68030
Oct 8, 2020
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To me, the most important upgrade for the Ultra 2 is, surprisingly, having Siri processed on device. I have encountered a number of situations quite a few times when the Ultra is not processing my Siri commands, usually having to do with Map navigation and I need to finagle and try and try again. Usually this is while I'm driving too :(
 

msackey

macrumors 68030
Oct 8, 2020
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You’d be crazy to upgrade from Ultra 1 to Ultra 2.
I did look into it just to see what it would cost to do a trade-in and purchase the Ultra 2. Trade-in for Ultra 1 is about $340, so one would be paying a little over half to upgrade to an Ultra 2. I'm a little surprised that the trade-in value was so good (or tell me my assessment is wrong. :) )
 

ilikewhey

macrumors 68040
May 14, 2014
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Because when you put together multiple incremental updates over the years, it will become significant enough such that you may then want to upgrade from your S6 ;-)
agreed, however on the transistor side, apple has been using the same chip for s6, s7, and s8, this is the first time apple has made a upgrade to the chip since s6 in essence!
 

msackey

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Oct 8, 2020
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Yes, except I still see no reason to. And I like the look and feel of the Ultra, but they didn't even add the thermometer function which I had specifically asked for several times!
It's good to see no reason to upgrade! We all need less e-waste! :)

What's the thermometer function you're referring to? Surely not the wrist temperature detection which already exists. You mean like infrared thermo function to detect the body temp?
 

CaptMarvel

macrumors 68000
Sep 20, 2014
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Will WatchOS 10 allow AWU to have some of these features that AWU2 has? Like is precision finding a backwards compatibility feature if the current hardware can handle it? Same with Double Tap, theoretically should owners of AW8 and AWU be able to do these with WatchOS 10? (Yes I know Apple usually doesn’t work this way often and saves new features for new device releases)
 
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msackey

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Oct 8, 2020
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Apple are nuts not improving battery life, this doesn't compete with more advanced fitness watches, like Garmin epix or fenix. Apple Watch Ultra doesn't last long enough to track an ultra marathon and seems like an ultra waste of money.
How long is the battery life of an Ultra if you turn off wifi and cellular? Is that not long enough? It's usually the radio becaons (wifi and cellular) that zaps most energy and it's not really needed during exercises like ultra marathons.
 

alexandr

macrumors 603
Nov 11, 2005
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It's good to see no reason to upgrade! We all need less e-waste! :)

What's the thermometer function you're referring to? Surely not the wrist temperature detection which already exists. You mean like infrared thermo function to detect the body temp?
I love upgrading to new devices, but I hate doing it when I see no reason to — it makes me feel like I'm being scammed :)

Yes, I know the ovulation part, but I want something to tell me when I have a fever. I don't care if they want to add that functionality to the airpods, but do it already!
 

thefredelement

macrumors 65816
Apr 10, 2012
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New York
How long is the battery life of an Ultra if you turn off wifi and cellular? Is that not long enough? It's usually the radio becaons (wifi and cellular) that zaps most energy and it's not really needed during exercises like ultra marathons.
If you want to run a 100 mile race and gamble hoping that turning off watch radios is enough to track the whole thing - go for it. I'm sticking w/garmin.
 

supremedesigner

macrumors 65816
Dec 9, 2005
1,101
943
This is a great time to upgrade from AW4 to AWU2. I am waiting for att.com to update their website, as there may be a "BOGO" deal with AWU2 and AW9.

EDIT: Thank you, MR, for providing the chart comparison. It was beneficial since I couldn't find the comparisons for AWU and AWU2 on the Apple website.
 
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