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Get the Ultra 1 Now Or, Wait For Series 9 And/Or Ultra 2

MichaelMidnight

MichaelMidnight

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Feb 20, 2008
400
115
Los Angeles
Hi all! The allure of the Ultra beckons me so, especially with the battery life. But since the Ultra's internals are the same since Series 6, I'm afraid that come a years time, Fall of 2023 will produce either a super brand new Series 9 and/or a better Ultra 2. I know, I know every year will always be a better year but to be frank some years are better than others. But what say you all?
 
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I mean, i'm still on a Series 5. Having last year's tech doesn't hurt, and chances are Ultra 2's price will jump. I can't imagine it'll stay at only $799 forever.
 
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My plan is to get one more year out of my Series 5 and then make the choice to upgrade to a Series 9 or Ultra 2. In an ideal world I’d like a Titanium Series watch with the Action button but that might be hoping for too much 😀
 
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You’re assuming that Apple will refresh the the Ultra next year. They may well do or they may not. There is history of certain Apple products missing a yearly update. I’m sure there will be a Series 9 but I’m not so sure about the Ultra.
 
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Mr.C said:
You’re assuming that Apple will refresh the the Ultra next year. They may well do or they may not. There is history of certain Apple products missing a yearly update. I’m sure there will be a Series 9 but I’m not so sure about the Ultra.
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I would wager they will update it every year, as it is now their best watch, which draws a premium. Also, any sensors added to the regular watch can just as easily be added to this one, and the SOC is likely to be swap to the new one.
 
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I’m on a Series 7. I run marathons so I have Fenix 7XSS that I record all of my runs on. I primarily wear my Apple Watch for the LTE so I can stream music/podcasts, receive text messages, etc while on my run without having to take my phone. I typically upgrade my Apple Watch every other year. When they announced the Ultra I was tempted for the extra battery and what I thought was going to be a larger screen. It in no way can replace my Fenix 7 for marathon training so that wasn’t a consideration but once I realized the screen was essentially the same size as what I had and the chip was basically the same one they‘ve used for two years I decided against it. Looking forward to see what changes they make to it in a year.
 
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Ultra 2….why not then wait on the Ultra 3? If you like it, buy it. Something better is always on the horizon.
 
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MichaelMidnight said:
Hi all! The allure of the Ultra beckons me so, especially with the battery life. But since the Ultra's internals are the same since Series 6, I'm afraid that come a years time, Fall of 2023 will produce either a super brand new Series 9 and/or a better Ultra 2. I know, I know every year will always be a better year but to be frank some years are better than others. But what say you all?
Click to expand...
If you don’t have a watch, don’t wait. If you do and your current watch meets your wants/needs, wait. I always try and ask myself the same, is it worth it to upgrade or should I wait. I try and use my personal bias as to what will and won’t work for me. What other people decide to do isn’t relevant to my situation. I am still using a 11 pro max because it absolutely meets my needs and the 14 pro is just a “spec” upgrade. I use a “real” camera so phone cameras don’t mean anything to me. Will the 15 ultra bring enough to the table for me to upgrade? Well, my battery is at 82% so I will likely have to upgrade due to degradation next year or two. If the ultra came out next year with better specs, will it make this years ultra “not work for me?” Nope. For my situation I am 100% this watch will meet my needs/wants for at least 3-4 years. I guess you could say I am waiting for the Ultra 5😎 Do what makes sense to you personally. Don’t get lost in the hype machine or you will just do without and always want something that isn’t there yet.
 
I wouldn’t think we see an Ultra 2 until 2024. Feels like the right product to put on a two-year cycle.

Actually thinking about this briefly a bit more, it seems like the Ultra stands to gain a lot more in the short term via software updates (w/ added exclusive features, like topo maps) than anything hardware related.
 
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MichaelMidnight said:
Hi all! The allure of the Ultra beckons me so, especially with the battery life. But since the Ultra's internals are the same since Series 6, I'm afraid that come a years time, Fall of 2023 will produce either a super brand new Series 9 and/or a better Ultra 2. I know, I know every year will always be a better year but to be frank some years are better than others. But what say you all?
Click to expand...

I’d say wait if series 6 still does job for you. Besides a larger screen you won’t see much difference. But then you may as well look for a series 7 on clearance
 
T'hain Esh Kelch said:
I would wager they will update it every year, as it is now their best watch, which draws a premium. Also, any sensors added to the regular watch can just as easily be added to this one, and the SOC is likely to be swap to the new one.
Click to expand...
i wonder if the name ultra indicates otherwise. Ultra is a first of its kind in terms of naming convention for any of its products. Not Pro, so could be an unprecedented release.
 
Cryates said:
I wouldn’t think we see an Ultra 2 until 2024. Feels like the right product to put on a two-year cycle.

Actually thinking about this briefly a bit more, it seems like the Ultra stands to gain a lot more in the short term via software updates (w/ added exclusive features, like topo maps) than anything hardware related.
Click to expand...
I can see the logic in a 2 year cycle and I totally agree that software upgrades are most important for the Ultra right now. However a significant CPU upgrade really should be coming soon and it would be weird for the “best-of-the-best” Apple watch to be stuck on the previous generation, especially if it brought lower power usage.
 
blackNBUK said:
I can see the logic in a 2 year cycle and I totally agree that software upgrades are most important for the Ultra right now. However a significant CPU upgrade really should be coming soon and it would be weird for the “best-of-the-best” Apple watch to be stuck on the previous generation, especially if it brought lower power usage.
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I’m wondering if the S9 will be relatively incremental as well. Then S10 will bring a new chip and battery life, so the Ultra 2 also benefits. I can’t see them wanting to close the battery life gap between the two watches as it takes away from one of the Ultra’s advantages.

(This is based off the idea the Ultra is a two year device)
 
You should be able to get a good few years of use out of it if you get the current version, Apple stuff usually take quite a few years before it’s unusably slow.
 
I have decided to wait personally. I am still rocking the S6 and had no intention to upgrade until I saw the Ultra.

While it looks awesome I am planning to wait due to minimal upgrades for cyclists.. I doubt it will come until watchOS 10 or higher but the lack of connected sensors (cadence, speed, power) just means that the ultra only brings battery life and durability for me. In the end I just feel like ultra 2 will be much better.

Full caveat that I’m still a little on the fence.. if one were to “pop up” at my local Apple Store then I might need to edit this post, but right now I’m telling myself “wait until next year”.
 
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<s>Wait.....wait for ever....there is always a new device around the corner</s>
 
It's pretty clear that Apple's left some room for growth in the current design (screen size and processor, with corresponding battery improvement). Given how the resale value of AWs plummet after a year, waiting for a V2 if those improvements matter to you isn't unreasonable.
 
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