AW 7 vs. AW Ultra - GPS

[spartan1967]

Finally remembered to do this cutting the grass in my back yard. The following is my AW 7, cellular only, no Wi-Fi, no iPhone connection on an active outside walk in the Workout app.

The heat map even shows where I spent more time, which was were I was turning the mower. The blank spot is my maple tree.

The AW Ultra has an additional band for GPS? How does it get any better than this?

 

[BenGoren]

There’s not going to be any meaningful difference in good conditions. Where you’re most likely to notice the difference is when you don’t have as clear a view of the sky — especially in canyons (artificial or otherwise).

There are lots of ways that the Ultra outperforms the other watches. Most significant is the battery and the display. While GPS is on the list, it’s not very high on the list … I’m hard pressed to think of a real-world scenario where the GPS functionality is going to be the deciding factor in a consideration between the two. As you’ve observed, the older models are already superlative in that regards.

b&

 

[chadamorrill]

For a more true-to-life example, this is a path I take while one of my kiddos is swimming. As you can see from the google map, there is a grassy parking area with paved strips down the center of lanes (the pavement is for driving only, not parking, so it's not super wide). The AW6 struggled with the very tight, back and forth nature of this section, but the AWU tracked it exceptionally well.

 

[BillGates1969]

For a more true-to-life example, this is a path I take while one of my kiddos is swimming. As you can see from the google map, there is a grassy parking area with paved strips down the center of lanes (the pavement is for driving only, not parking, so it's not super wide). The AW6 struggled with the very tight, back and forth nature of this section, but the AWU tracked it exceptionally well.

I just upgraded to an ultra from a S7 and when I looked back at my dog walk I too was amazed at the accuracy- not that the S7 wasn’t accurate, but the ultra was pinpoint sharp - even to the extent when I veered 3ft off to the left to put some doggie doings in the bin. Admittedly not enough of a feature for me to buy it on that alone, but quite impressive anyway.

 

[chadamorrill]

I just upgraded to an ultra from a S7 and when I looked back at my dog walk I too was amazed at the accuracy- not that the S7 wasn’t accurate, but the ultra was pinpoint sharp - even to the extent when I veered 3ft off to the left to put some doggie doings in the bin. Admittedly not enough of a feature for me to buy it on that alone, but quite impressive anyway.

Exactly. Not enough to sway a purchase decision in and of itself, but very nice to have. I've not run in a big city with this watch (Austin and Dallas, but mostly on running paths, and not in any extreme density), but I am definitely curious to see if it makes a difference during a downtown run.

 

[NME42]

Exactly. Not enough to sway a purchase decision in and of itself, but very nice to have. I've not run in a big city with this watch (Austin and Dallas, but mostly on running paths, and not in any extreme density), but I am definitely curious to see if it makes a difference during a downtown run.

DC Rainmaker did a test of the AW Ultra in NYC:

Apple Watch Ultra vs New York City: GPS Accuracy Test!

In the event you aren’t subscribed over on YouTube, I’ve posted a full comparison of the Apple Watch Ultra vs Garmin Epix in New York City, on an epic route through the city, including up and down some of the

www.dcrainmaker.com

 

[spartan1967]

Good stuff folks. Thank you.

 

[canyonblue737]

Finally remembered to do this cutting the grass in my back yard. The following is my AW 7, cellular only, no Wi-Fi, no iPhone connection on an active outside walk in the Workout app.

The heat map even shows where I spent more time, which was were I was turning the mower. The blank spot is my maple tree.

The AW Ultra has an additional band for GPS? How does it get any better than this?
View attachment 2205981

you won't notice a difference under open skies... you will notice a difference in heavy tree cover, nearby terrain (hills to one side) or in urban canyons (downtown city running.)

 

[spartan1967]

DC Rainmaker did a test of the AW Ultra in NYC:

Apple Watch Ultra vs New York City: GPS Accuracy Test!

In the event you aren’t subscribed over on YouTube, I’ve posted a full comparison of the Apple Watch Ultra vs Garmin Epix in New York City, on an epic route through the city, including up and down some of the

www.dcrainmaker.com

you won't notice a difference under open skies... you will notice a difference in heavy tree cover, nearby terrain (hills to one side) or in urban canyons (downtown city running.)

Did I notice the AW Ultra perform worse than the AW 8 in this video with the GPS testing?

 

[NME42]

Did I notice the AW Ultra perform worse than the AW 8 in this video with the GPS testing?

Partially, yes. Partially better.
Would be good to do a new test now after all updates.

 

[xDKP]

Will also say the speed the Ultra aquires GPS signal is amazing! And with precision start it's way better in the start than my previous S7 that could be all over the place in the beginning of a run - not lock on from start to finish

 

[NME42]

Just had this article in my reader.
The author compared the AWU to several watches:

What training with the Apple Watch Ultra taught me about multiband GPS and failure

Turns out, running is a mental sport.

www.theverge.com

 

[Howard2k]

Just had this article in my reader.
The author compared the AWU to several watches:

What training with the Apple Watch Ultra taught me about multiband GPS and failure

Turns out, running is a mental sport.

www.theverge.com

Thanks for posting.