Costco selling U2 with o2 sensor?

[nyy13251]

I have a AW 5 and really want to upgrade. I keep going back between a 10 vs U2. I don’t have big wrists but I don’t think the look will bother me. I went to Apple today to test them out and the 10 is definitely lighter. But I’m just very intrigued by the ultra. I can’t decide. I wear my Apple Watch for everything so I don’t know if the ultra can also be nice enough for going out, weddings etc. which ultra bands are nice and not as outdoorsy?

Anyways, Costco has the U2 on its side and it says o2 sensor enabled. Even in the recent reviews, a few people mentioned using it. How is that so? But for the jet black U2, it doesn’t say that. I know the jet black just came out. Is there any difference between the little refresh besides the color? The pulse ox isn’t a big deal for me, just curious.

 

[ravinder08]

If you don't have big Wrists get the Series 9 41mm Stainless Steel Costco UK have it as a HOT BUY for £399
I Bought the Series 8 Stainless Steel 41mm from Costco last week for £249
The SS watches are really good as they have Sapphire Glass and don't scratch up like the Aluminium ones with inferior ION X glass.
Plus you're likely want to upgrade your watch at some point so not worth spending a lot of money on a watch your going to change after 3-5 years
The Oxygen sensor is not a deal breaker we have it on the watches here in the UK. I hardly ever use it to be honest. Unless you have a health issue which requires you to monitor your blood oxygen levels you're not going to even use it.

 

[nyy13251]

If you don't have big Wrists get the Series 9 41mm Stainless Steel Costco UK have it as a HOT BUY for £399
I Bought the Series 8 Stainless Steel 41mm from Costco last week for £249
The SS watches are really good as they have Sapphire Glass and don't scratch up like the Aluminium ones with inferior ION X glass.
Plus you're likely want to upgrade your watch at some point so not worth spending a lot of money on a watch your going to change after 3-5 years
The Oxygen sensor is not a deal breaker we have it on the watches here in the UK. I hardly ever use it to be honest. Unless you have a health issue which requires you to monitor your blood oxygen levels you're not going to even use it.

Yeah, the sensor isn’t a big deal to me. Was just curious!

That’s why I’m torn. I don’t have big wrists. But part of me wants the ultra but don’t know if I would get sick of it come a few months. The 9 is nice as is the 10. Just not “wowed”. But to be honest, I don’t know what else Apple can really do to these watches to “wow” me. I’m sure they will come up with stuff. But my 5 doesn’t last a full day, it’s slower than it was years ago so I’m ready to upgrade. And if I upgrade, I would like to keep whatever I get for a number of years unless my wife wants mine and then I upgrade lol. But if I get an ultra, she would never want one that big lol.

 

[ravinder08]

Yeah, the sensor isn’t a big deal to me. Was just curious!

That’s why I’m torn. I don’t have big wrists. But part of me wants the ultra but don’t know if I would get sick of it come a few months. The 9 is nice as is the 10. Just not “wowed”. But to be honest, I don’t know what else Apple can really do to these watches to “wow” me. I’m sure they will come up with stuff. But my 5 doesn’t last a full day, it’s slower than it was years ago so I’m ready to upgrade. And if I upgrade, I would like to keep whatever I get for a number of years unless my wife wants mine and then I upgrade lol. But if I get an ultra, she would never want one that big lol.

TBH I would go to the Apple Store and try on the 42mm watch see how it fits and if you like it. Defo go for stainless steel though. If you like get the series 9 on sale at Costco or even the series 8 I think you’ll be surprised how good it looks on thinner wrists. I think it looks a lot better than the larger watches personally. The Ultra is nice but it’s over kill and for people who need to spend their money on the most expensive thing in the line up

 

[BugeyeSTI]

I have a AW 5 and really want to upgrade. I keep going back between a 10 vs U2. I don’t have big wrists but I don’t think the look will bother me. I went to Apple today to test them out and the 10 is definitely lighter. But I’m just very intrigued by the ultra. I can’t decide. I wear my Apple Watch for everything so I don’t know if the ultra can also be nice enough for going out, weddings etc. which ultra bands are nice and not as outdoorsy?

Anyways, Costco has the U2 on its side and it says o2 sensor enabled. Even in the recent reviews, a few people mentioned using it. How is that so? But for the jet black U2, it doesn’t say that. I know the jet black just came out. Is there any difference between the little refresh besides the color? The pulse ox isn’t a big deal for me, just curious.

I was looking at the U2 from Costco as a possible purchase also. The SPo2 sensor is enabled because it is most likely old stock that was manufactured before the ITC ban went into effect. If you notice, they also sell the U2 without the sensor enabled in black and natural.

 

[BigBlur]

Are you in the US? I just had a quick peek at the Costco US site and not seeing the oxygen sensor mentioned anywhere, nor in the reviews.

The oxygen sensor is only banned/disabled in the US. It's still enabled in other countries.

EDIT: Nvm, I see it now. Most likely old stock, as someone else mentioned.

 

[nyy13251]

Are you in the US? I just had a quick peek at the Costco US site and not seeing the oxygen sensor mentioned anywhere, nor in the reviews.

The oxygen sensor is only banned/disabled in the US. It's still enabled in other countries.

EDIT: Nvm, I see it now. Most likely old stock, as someone else mentioned.

Once the watch is updated do you lose it? Is there any difference between the U2 black and last years?

 

[deeddawg]

Once the watch is updated do you lose it? Is there any difference between the U2 black and last years?

No, the ban only applied to importing watches after a certain date.

Any which were imported before then will retain the capability even through OS upgrades.

I think there is no difference between Ultra2 models other than color (and availability of pre-ban old stock with SpO2 capabilities)

IMHO choose whichever watch you feel is best for you - unless you have medical conditions where blood oxygen readings are helpful, I don't see much use in it beyond a curiosity. Plus should the matter get settled now that Masimo has new leadership, it should be able to enabled with a software patch. There's no evidence Apple's created a separate sensor array for US models, and from a business standpoint it'd be easier/cheaper to not do that since they can just disable the function by software.

 

[nyy13251]

No, the ban only applied to importing watches after a certain date.

Any which were imported before then will retain the capability even through OS upgrades.

I think there is no difference between Ultra2 models other than color (and availability of pre-ban old stock with SpO2 capabilities)

IMHO choose whichever watch you feel is best for you - unless you have medical conditions where blood oxygen readings are helpful, I don't see much use in it beyond a curiosity. Plus should the matter get settled now that Masimo has new leadership, it should be able to enabled with a software patch. There's no evidence Apple's created a separate sensor array for US models, and from a business standpoint it'd be easier/cheaper to not do that since they can just disable the function by software.

It really doesn’t matter to me. I was just curious. I may honestly get the U2 and test it out. See how I like it for a few weeks and if I don’t, return and get a 10. Benefits of Costco! It’s so hard to tell from just having it on for a few minutes at Apple.

 

[BugeyeSTI]

I ordered an Ultra2 with SPo2 active from Costco on Sunday. It arrives tomorrow so I'll find out if it actually works or not. Model number is LL not LW so if it's old stock, I wonder what software it's running and if the battery has any juice in it

 

[BugeyeSTI]

Well I received the watch and it has SPo2 enabled. It was manufactured December 2023. The battery was depleted so it needed to be charged and it also needed to be updated. Not sure what version of Watch OS it was running but it's on 11.1 now and working normally. Battery capacity is showing 100%. Only issue is they only had the strap in small size so it's hard to get on. Not sure if Apple would exchange the strap for a larger one but it might be worth a try. Not a bad deal for $679+tax

 

[deeddawg]

Not sure if Apple would exchange the strap for a larger one but it might be worth a try. Not a bad deal for $679+tax

You didn’t buy it from Apple. They’re not gonna do an exchange on something sold by a different retailer. They’’ll be happy to sell you a new band though.

 

[BugeyeSTI]

You didn’t buy it from Apple. They’re not gonna do an exchange on something sold by a different retailer. They’’ll be happy to sell you a new band though.

It never hurts to ask. The watch and charging cable is covered by Apple regardless where you buy it. I'll need a new strap anyway so I'll drop coin on the new Milanese bracelet or possibly something different. I have straps from my 44mm S6 but not sure how they'll look on the Ultra2

 

[deeddawg]

It never hurts to ask. The watch and charging cable is covered by Apple regardless where you buy it.

Just setting expectations. In the past Apple wouldn’t exchange just a band even when purchased from them, you had to return/exchange the whole thing. Extremely improbable they’d exchange your Costco purchased brand. Good luck though.

Warranty coverage is not relevant to exchanges of devices purchased from other retailer.

 

[Saturn007]

Good that yours has the oxygen sensor. As many in other threads have noted it's a valuable feature and useful for catching emerging health issues and tracking oxygen levels, e.g, after exercise, or if you get COVID or another respiratory disease… or are beginning to experience a heart-related oxygen issue, and want a quick confirmation.

N.B. The O2 sensor has been validated against medical grade devices! Although there is a minor issue. It reads a bit lower when > 90% and a bit higher when < 90% — the opposite of what one would want. But several of the medical researchers who have studied it concluded that it was a viable way of measuring blood oxygen levels and good for health monitoring. So, by that light, it's more than just a curiosity.

By the way, you can set it up for to check your oxygen levels automatically — it will that every now and then.

Very good, useful feature.