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As a current stainless steel watch user, I would never consider the Ultra in the first place. Not because of the price, as the SS costs the same, but because of the size and looks. I get turned off by the tacky and obnoxious brand logos on clothes, shoes etc, and Ultra sends me the same vibes for whatever reasons - dont know why.
 
i wouldn’t say you’re stupid as its a matter of personal preference, but i love my ultra 2. After stepping up from the s6 i was using previously it feels much less like a toy, way better battery life, etc. I cracked the screen in my s2, and i really don’t think i’ll manage that with the ultra due to the titanium surrounding the edge of it.

But, YMMV and it is fairly large. My GF could never use one for example as her wrist is small even for a 41mm apple watch.


also out of curiosity, just weighed my 3 “in rotation” watches (all the larger 44mm size except the ultra) in case anyone is wondering on the differences.

S4 sport with velcro band: 47 grams
S6 stainless with milanese loop: 87 grams
Ultra 2 with alpine loop: 74 grams.

I knew there was a significant difference between the sport/aluminium and the stainless, but didn’t expect the ultra2 to come in actually under the stainless with milanese loop. figured it was about the same.
 
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I've just done this myself as I've been doing longer running sessions again and the Ultra just can't compete with a Garmin in terms of battery life for long days in the hills, races, multi-day events etc. I've also been wearing a traditional mechanical watch recently, so I've decided to go back to a normal series Apple Watch which is smaller & more subtle.
 
I have the Ultra 2 and I got used to the size. I started out with the series 8 GPS and everything was ok but having cataracts it was difficult to see the complications and then try to touch the spot on the watchface. After the wife kept swiping my series 8 I went for the Ultra. So I unpaired the series 8 from my phone and setup the Watch on the wife’s iPhone. I do agree that the Watch is bulky but I eventually got used to it.

Side note next month I will be having cataract surgery on both eyes

Good luck on your Cataract surgeries. Had both mine done June 22. Was an awakening experience. Had no real perception just how bad they were other than my Optometrist explaining over the past few years (kept putting it off.)

When he removed the cataract in the L eye (was significantly worse then R) it was literally like watching a Window Shade being pulled up. The progression of the cloudiness was so slow in my case I didn't notice it was like having sunglasses on at the time.

18m out and everything is great.
 
Good luck on your Cataract surgeries. Had both mine done June 22. Was an awakening experience. Had no real perception just how bad they were other than my Optometrist explaining over the past few years (kept putting it off.)

When he removed the cataract in the L eye (was significantly worse then R) it was literally like watching a Window Shade being pulled up. The progression of the cloudiness was so slow in my case I didn't notice it was like having sunglasses on at the time.

18m out and everything is great.
Yes I know as it is the same for my left eye. The problem for me the surgeon told me they normally do the worse eye first and that is fine for me. I know that one thing is I can't focus at all with the left eye it is a cloudy blur. On the 15th I go in for measurements then they schedule the operation. I just glad that this will get rid of the biggest problem in seeing the wonderful world we live in.
 
Yes I know as it is the same for my left eye. The problem for me the surgeon told me they normally do the worse eye first and that is fine for me. I know that one thing is I can't focus at all with the left eye it is a cloudy blur. On the 15th I go in for measurements then they schedule the operation. I just glad that this will get rid of the biggest problem in seeing the wonderful world we live in.

Yes, L eye was first then R eye 2 weeks later in my case.
 
Besides the size, the biggest difference will be the battery life.

Even if you don't track sports/activity related things there are other battery consuming things to consider. Like cellular usage, music/audiobook/podcast listening through AirPods and the like, times where you aren't near your phone.

If those aren't a factor than it seems reasonable to switch based on comfort
 
Dont think of the AW9 as a downgrade over the Ultra. It isn't. They have different use case scenarios.
I still have a Series 7 as it does everything I need and I didn't see any reason to upgrade, but if I did I would still opt for a Series 9 now, just because the Ultra is a little too OTT for me, and would look huge on my wrist!
 
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Dont think of the AW9 as a downgrade over the Ultra. It isn't. They have different use case scenarios.
I still have a Series 7 as it does everything I need and I didn't see any reason to upgrade, but if I did I would still opt for a Series 9 now, just because the Ultra is a little too OTT for me, and would look huge on my wrist!
That's my thinking also. Besides the Modular Ultra watch face, there's absolutely nothing I can think of where I would want an Ultra to make it better. I don't mind charging once a day.
 
That's my thinking also. Besides the Modular Ultra watch face, there's absolutely nothing I can think of where I would want an Ultra to make it better. I don't mind charging once a day.
I agree but the thing with have the Ultra is the larger brighter screen at least for my poor eyes (until I have my cataract operation next month). The other thing is my retirement hobbies are tough on any watch as I love working on vehicles and heavy yard maintenance of my five acres.
I had a series 8 GPS and it was fine but if I left it on the charger and was doing something my wife kept swiping it oh well unpair the series 8 buy a Ultra 2 and call it a day.
 
I agree but the thing with have the Ultra is the larger brighter screen at least for my poor eyes (until I have my cataract operation next month).
Oh yes, I can completely see the reasoning behind that and would absolutely be getting the biggest watch screen possible.
 
I switched. I got the Ultra because I thought it was cool - and it is. I liked everything about it but the size. It was just too big and bulky for my wrist, at least for every day use. Maybe they should come out with a pocket watch version (Ultra 3) that could also be worn on your wrist when diving or doing extreme sports.
 
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I downsized from the ultra to an S9 Hermes mainly for aesthetic reasons; found the Ultra too sporty looking for my daily aesthetic and it just didn't pair well with dressier straps for when I needed to dress up. Been totally fine. I can easily do 24 hours with the S9 45mm including sleep tracking, ~1 hour of phone-free workout tracking with music or audiobook streaming (LTE is activated but I'm usually on the gym wifi), and then my daily activity which is very mobile. The Ultra could make about 36 hours with the same routine, but that still meant charging before the 2nd day regardless.
 
As a current stainless steel watch user, I would never consider the Ultra in the first place. Not because of the price, as the SS costs the same, but because of the size and looks. I get turned off by the tacky and obnoxious brand logos on clothes, shoes etc, and Ultra sends me the same vibes for whatever reasons - dont know why.
Im a sucker for SS, if the Ultra came out with SS I would consider it more but the titanium finish just isn't that visually appealing to me.

As for the the original post, there is nothing wrong from wanting to go from an ultra to a series 9. The only thing that might cause hesitation is the decreased battery life, but if thats something one is ok with then go for it. Everyone has different tastes.
 
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I found the upgrade hard from a 40mm series 4 and was tempted with both series 9 versions, but jumped on the Ultra 2 due to price of cellular series 9 devices being so close to the Ultra. This is a precursor to possibly upgrading my Mini, as I cannot run with a full size iPhone -- I ditched my old top of the line Samsung S? for the first SE for the same reason (people at the store thought I was mad)

I took the chance due to the ease of returns and.... love it, barely comes off my wrist. Being able to use the device for more than a day is a killer feature

It's fine, I guess I've used big Garmin / COROS devices before -- but I actually wear this all day. With a Garmin, I'd only wear it whilst running

===

I'd buy a slimmer model if battery tech / lower power components meant the batter was the same or better. When the first Ultra came out my initial thought was "get the redesign!"
 
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