Bit the bullet with the Ultra 2

[danpass]

Almost bought the Ultra 1 a couple of months ago.

No rush and the rumor mill about a possible new one coming soon gave additional pause.

I tried a Watch 3 way back and it was the days of constant notifications, with no apparent way to shut the thing up. There always seemed to be yet another notification to shut off and ones that seemed to have been shut off came on again.

It had me returning it within the week lol.

Let’s see how this latest WatchOS works out.

Also the prior watches looked small on my 7.75in wrist. The Ultra size works for me.

The dive option (Depth app or Oceanic app) was another selling point.

Then, the battery life. Seems like it is finally useful IMO.

I know the AWU1 had been out for a bit, so yeah, I had been back and forth lol

One speed bump is needing iOS 17 on the phone so I’m sitting here in the Apple Store. Figured I’d set it all up here and now.

Once complete I’m flipping the watch so that the wheel works with my right thumb.

 

[Shirasaki]

I tried ultra before briefly and the unbox experience was quite unique and nice Ngl. Battery life is the main selling point to me compared to other Apple Watch.
I opted in alpine loop because that ocean thing wasn’t super comfortable to use. Guess I will do the same today if I buy one.

 

[xraydoc]

The Ultra 2 (didn't own the first version) has been the biggest upgrade for me since the original first Apple Watch came out, or maybe since they added cellular on the Series 3. While it still does the same "watch things", it's been remarkably fluid and responsive, the display is amazing and while I was worried that the form factor was going to be too big, I'm kind of enjoying the aggressive styling (and my wife says it's not too big at all). And although I've only had it a couple days, obviously, ending the day with ~75% battery left was pretty impressive, and that was even after a 1 hr walk on my treadmill. I finally feel like I'll be able to go out for several hours without my phone and just have the watch on cellular and not worry that I'll run out of juice too soon.

 

[danpass]

Unexpected observation concerning the ocean band:

My wrist doesn’t get sweaty and in addition the band/watch combo is fairly unnoticeable on the wrist. The ocean band is pretty comfortable.

Concerning weight, I don’t mind a heavy watch regardless but the Ultra isn’t so light as to feel cheap.

-

 

[xraydoc]

Unexpected observation concerning the ocean band:

My wrist doesn’t get sweaty and in addition the band/watch combo is fairly unnoticeable on the wrist. The ocean band is pretty comfortable.

Concerning weight, I don’t mind a heavy watch regardless but the Ultra isn’t so light as to feel cheap.

-

Totally agree. I've also got an Ocean band and it does a good job of supporting the watch. I'm used to the stainless 45mm, so this isn't really that much heavier. And the thickness of the Ocean band balances the bulk of the watch case itself.

 

[Apple_Robert]

Congrats on the new watch. I have been enjoying mine as well.

 

[jjohnstonjr]

I ended up getting the AWU2 after buying the AWU1. Came into a little extra cash and wanted something new. No real difference honestly. But the new modular duo, Snoopy faces are cool. One thing I noticed outside of the brightness is that Midnight Ocean Band is lighter in color than the one that comes with the AWU1.

 

[ndouglas]

Unexpected observation concerning the ocean band:

My wrist doesn’t get sweaty and in addition the band/watch combo is fairly unnoticeable on the wrist. The ocean band is pretty comfortable.

Concerning weight, I don’t mind a heavy watch regardless but the Ultra isn’t so light as to feel cheap.

-

Good to hear, so it’s somewhat porous or breathable? It doesn’t look like it but I’m glad to hear it doesn’t get sweaty… I’m always looking for that aspect in bands and so far I’ve only found the Nike ones with the many holes in them to be noticeably less stifling than the regular plastic/rubber...fluoroelastomer? material.

 

[pugxiwawa]

Upgraded from 44mm S6 and love it. The bigger screen really makes difference reading messages and notification. It's noticabley faster as well. Pretty sweet upgrade.

 

[danpass]

Good to hear, so it’s somewhat porous or breathable? It doesn’t look like it but I’m glad to hear it doesn’t get sweaty… I’m always looking for that aspect in bands and so far I’ve only found the Nike ones with the many holes in them to be noticeably less stifling than the regular plastic/rubber...fluoroelastomer? material.

It seems impermeable. I had put some thought into it previously and my guess is that the cross hole design allows for ventilation, to carry heat away from the layer right against the skin.

 

[Supermallet]

I upgraded from a 1st gen SE and this is SO much better. The display, while only a tiny bit bigger than the S7/8/9, really looks amazing with the flat glass compared to the curved glass of the regular watches. I was worried about the added weight of the Ultra because even the 44m SE sometimes felt uncomfortable on my wrist but the change of angle in the strap connectors actually has made the watch more comfortable than the SE. On device Siri is a big upgrade to me because I use Siri more on my watch than on my phone. I will be very happy with this watch for many years.

 

[mentaluproar]

Mine arrives tomorrow. An upgrade was available and while I always liked the styling of the traditional AW I thought $11 a month difference is nothing so I’ll try something new. I’m excited for it as Ive never had an aggressive or stand-out watch before.

 

[madge28]

I ended up getting the AWU2 after buying the AWU1. Came into a little extra cash and wanted something new. No real difference honestly. But the new modular duo, Snoopy faces are cool. One thing I noticed outside of the brightness is that Midnight Ocean Band is lighter in color than the one that comes with the AWU1.

Good thing the modular duo and Snoopy faces are also available on the first Ultra!

 

[the future]

Good thing the modular duo and Snoopy faces are also available on the first Ultra!

But maybe on the U1 Snoopy is less snappy? 😉

 

[Jackbequickly]

For me Siri is so much more responsive on the U2 and can now do things it could not do before. Siri used to pause or not work at all.