Going back-and-forth between the ultra two or ultra three

[JSENNY25]

Hey folks!

As the title says, I have an Apple Watch Ultra 2 with O2 sensor at 96% battery.

Been in the Apple Watch ecosystem since the original. I normally upgrade every 2 to 3 years and use the watches aggressively.

Considering the ultra 3 for some of the extra niceties.

Larger screen, and the display with the refresh rate would help because I also coach a few sports and use my watch for time ed splits.

I also am a huge fan of sleep and sleep metrics and am wary to give up the O2 sensor on watch.

I do hike, and there are a few places where cellular signal is a bit spotty, but I have never once found myself in the situation where I feared for not having reception.

So, couple of questions… When do you think the O2 sensor will show up natively on a newly purchased Apple Watch again? Is the better screen that refreshes really worth it?

Anything else I’m missing that would sway me one way or the other? I like saving money, but I am OK spending money when it is warranted.

Best Buy also has an extra 10% for trade-in promo that I believe is ending today and on top of that, I have an OK amount Best Buy points available so the economic difference is less than a pair of AirPod pros.

Really comes down to bigger / better screen and satellite vs the O2 sensor and waiting till next year.

Somebody tell me that the O2‘s were sensor would’ve returned to on device sometime in 26. I’d be pretty certain I’d go for it, but I haven’t found that exact information anywhere.

Thanks for your time!

 

[doogm]

The blood oxygen sensor is on the Ultra 3 - Apple is merely prevented from showing the data on the watch itself, but only on watches imported into the USA. So, yes, the Vitals app on the watch does not show blood oxygen sensor data, BUT the data *is* in the Health app on the iPhone, and the third-party sleep app that I use (Sleep++) shows the data for blood oxygen during sleep. The Vitals and Sleep categories in the Health app on the iPhone also do not show blood oxygen data, likely because the Health app syncs data with the Vitals app on the watch.

The patent(s) (I can't recall if there are two or if there is only one left) that Masimo hold that prevent Apple from showing this data on watches imported into the US expire in 2028. What I do not know is if Apple will still be prevented from activating the blood oxygen data on the watch itself after the patent expires, or if they will then no longer be prevented from showing this data.

All that said: as somebody who upgraded from the Ultra to the Ultra 3 last month, I actually wonder if I should have waited another six months, just so I can continue to go 3.5 years between Ultra upgrades rather than every 3 years. Many of the new features on the U3 are great - particularly the updated seconds on the AOD display - but I could probably continued to get by without that. I upgraded because battery health was at 88% and it was starting to require charging strategies to fully get through a day while also sleep tracking.

 

[JSENNY25]

The blood oxygen sensor is on the Ultra 3 - Apple is merely prevented from showing the data on the watch itself, but only on watches imported into the USA. So, yes, the Vitals app on the watch does not show blood oxygen sensor data, BUT the data *is* in the Health app on the iPhone, and the third-party sleep app that I use (Sleep++) shows the data for blood oxygen during sleep. The Vitals and Sleep categories in the Health app on the iPhone also do not show blood oxygen data, likely because the Health app syncs data with the Vitals app on the watch.

The patent(s) (I can't recall if there are two or if there is only one left) that Masimo hold that prevent Apple from showing this data on watches imported into the US expire in 2028. What I do not know is if Apple will still be prevented from activating the blood oxygen data on the watch itself after the patent expires, or if they will then no longer be prevented from showing this data.

All that said: as somebody who upgraded from the Ultra to the Ultra 3 last month, I actually wonder if I should have waited another six months, just so I can continue to go 3.5 years between Ultra upgrades rather than every 3 years. Many of the new features on the U3 are great - particularly the updated seconds on the AOD display - but I could probably continued to get by without that. I upgraded because battery health was at 88% and it was starting to require charging strategies to fully get through a day while also sleep tracking.

thanks for the insights! I do understand the O2 sensor information is till available, just presented differently on the watch. But, I was unfamiliar with the Sleep +++ app you mentioned. I may have to check that out.

 

[jz0309]

Hey folks!

As the title says, I have an Apple Watch Ultra 2 with O2 sensor at 96% battery.

Been in the Apple Watch ecosystem since the original. I normally upgrade every 2 to 3 years and use the watches aggressively.

Considering the ultra 3 for some of the extra niceties.

Larger screen, and the display with the refresh rate would help because I also coach a few sports and use my watch for time ed splits.

I also am a huge fan of sleep and sleep metrics and am wary to give up the O2 sensor on watch.

I do hike, and there are a few places where cellular signal is a bit spotty, but I have never once found myself in the situation where I feared for not having reception.

So, couple of questions… When do you think the O2 sensor will show up natively on a newly purchased Apple Watch again? Is the better screen that refreshes really worth it?

Anything else I’m missing that would sway me one way or the other? I like saving money, but I am OK spending money when it is warranted.

Best Buy also has an extra 10% for trade-in promo that I believe is ending today and on top of that, I have an OK amount Best Buy points available so the economic difference is less than a pair of AirPod pros.

Really comes down to bigger / better screen and satellite vs the O2 sensor and waiting till next year.

Somebody tell me that the O2‘s were sensor would’ve returned to on device sometime in 26. I’d be pretty certain I’d go for it, but I haven’t found that exact information anywhere.

Thanks for your time!

For me, and I have the U2 from 2 years ago, it was absolutely not worth it to go with the U3, didn’t care about any of the new features and dont’t like the workaround for SpO2, but that’s just me. I did get the 17PM (from13PM) so do get satellite …

 

[JSENNY25]

For me, and I have the U2 from 2 years ago, it was absolutely not worth it to go with the U3, didn’t care about any of the new features and dont’t like the workaround for SpO2, but that’s just me. I did get the 17PM (from13PM) so do get satellite …

Good points

I do have an iPhone with the cellular option.

 

[terryw1]

I have both an ultra 2 & 3. I upgraded my ultra 1 to the 3 and am glad I did, having said that, I do not believe you will see any real differences in the display. I’m holding both together now and they look identical. I had BO on the 1, but rarely used it on the watch and used my iPhone.

The battery life (3-4 days) on my 2is better than the 3. Probably due to the indiscernible display differences.all the new software features are available on the 2.

I would not upgrade unless you are yearning for a color change. I have the natural on the3 and black on the 2. Prefer the black.

 

[doogm]

thanks for the insights! I do understand the O2 sensor information is till available, just presented differently on the watch. But, I was unfamiliar with the Sleep +++ app you mentioned. I may have to check that out.

It is an iPhone app that uses data collected by the watch, is free to try, has a nominal payment to remove ads, and works just fine along with the stock sleep functions - it's just better at determining sleep vs. wakefulness, collects some interesting stats and trends, etc.

Sleep++

sleepplusplus.app

 

[Ron3945]

Battery life is notable better on the UW3 compared to my previous UW2 (although battery health was still 100%)

 

[JSENNY25]

Hey folks, just as a follow up....I purchased the Ultra 3.
Between the price matching amazon ($20 is better than nothing), using rewards points, and a $275 trade for the Ultra 2 the cost fell to a place where I could be ok with it without monumental changes and any new sensors.

The screen's ticking seconds is nice, the battery does in fact seem a little better, and the sleep++ suggestion is great for keeping tabs on the missing native feature.

All in all, I am good with it. Especially because at some point in time, my sapphire screen received the faintest scratch... the oddest thing. Must have been my wife's ring...but it was only visible at a specific angle in direct light. It didn't bother me too much- but I knew it was there lol. I have only ever owned apple watches with the sapphire screen, so that was a new issue for me.

As many others have said, it is not an earth shattering update, but a few extra niceties are welcomed.

 

[bakron1]

I was also on the fence between the ultra 2 and 3 models, but I had a $200 off coupon from Best Buy I had to use before the end of October, so I bought the Ultra 3 black model with the ocean band.

I found a used Titanium Milanese loop band on eBay for $100 shipped, installed it yesterday and the watch and band look great. Played 18 holes of golf this morning with the watch on my wrist and worked like a charm and the TI loop band is super comfortable.