Ok, I have had my Apple Watch Ultra since 23rd September. And I got it as an upgrade to my 44mm space gray Series 6 AW which my daughter has now laid claim to.
Background.
For many years i wore traditional mechanical watches, and when I started running had a Garmin.
And for a number of years I did not really see anything in the Apple watch that attracted me enough to invest, but then I saw the launch of Apple Fitness+ and decided it might be interesting to try it out, so decided to take the plunge and add the Apple Watch to the rest of Apple kit!
After a few runs and workouts with the AW I decided I did not need the Garmin anymore, which was no great issue as I had never really liked the interface.
Whilst I know it is not perfect the AW worked well for me, and I liked the pretty seamless integration and was happy enough with the Workout and Fitness apps.
So why did I choose to upgrade?
I choose to upgrade after seeing the new apple watch releases for a couple of reasons.
Firstly I liked the design, I have always had a preference for larger chunkier watches and the Ultra hit that spot.
The screen looked good, I liked the idea of the flat display.
The extra button looked interesting and I could see some potential benefits to that.
Whilst battery life was not a key factor for me it was obviously a benefit.
After the initial use period what do I like?
The biggest winner for me is the display. I like the flat display and the extra size is just enough to make it better and easier to use on my runs, walks and dog walks. I find the flat display a bit easier to see at a glance than the curved display on my old series 6.
The action button is a winner for me, I use it to start the workout app which saves me a complication slot, and as i generally do 3-4 workouts a day it fits well with my usage.
Battery life is good, and this has encouraged me to try the sleep monitor function for the first time, which I have found interesting.
I got mine with the orange Alpine Loop, at the time this was because that was all that I could get on pre-order, but I have found I like it and find it comfortable, to the extent I subsequently got the green Alpine Loop. Personally I do not find it fiddly but can appreciate why some might.
During day to day wear it is as comfortable as my old series 6, and I cannot say I have noticed it being heavy or uncomfortable.
The design is still working for, and I do not mind the orange accents at all.
After the initial period what has irritated me?
Ok, nothing is perfect and a few things are maybe not as slick as they might be.
I like the Wayfinder watch face, but the error on the minute bezel where each 5 minute segment is divided into 6 irritates me.
I agree with others that this update could have included maps for certain workouts, not a show stopper but still a fair point raised by many.
The fact I still need a 3rd party app to display my step count on a watch face is odd.
I have stopped using my black spacelink band as the fitting is very difficult, with the lugs not being very easy to use, whereas all my other bands fit and remove easily, a bit irritating as this was my daily wear, but I guess it forced a change in my habits!
I do find the Homekit app can take a few seconds to update on my watch, but this has always been the case, I was hoping the Homekit redesign would change the watch experience too.
Other points.
I find it comfortable to wear whilst running, and currently use a Nike Sport Loop for running. Previously I had a Nike Sport Band on my series 6 and often I would miss heart rate data at start of workout, which I accept is a fitting issue. The sport Band just did not have a closure in an ideal place on my Ultra so I got the Sport Loop, and since then not a missed heart rate in sight. Now I accept that has nothing to do with Ultra specifically, but it highlighted to me the benefits of sport loop over sport band in terms of incremental adjustment.
During other workouts such as Fitness+ sessions or walking the Ultra is also comfortable, I have not found myself having to adjust it or take it off for comfort reasons.
And I have also not had any comfort issues wearing it for sleep monitoring, I use the sport loop at night and have it set a bit looser than when I run and it works well and is comfortable enough that I do not notice it.
In day to to day use I use the Alpine Bands, a Milanese Loop or the leather strap from Bandwerk I recently got. The strap release buttons on my Ultra seem a bit easier than my series 6, but that could just be because they are new.
I am looking to forward to seeing what the Trail Loop is like when my order arrives in November.
Obviously these are my personal observations and feelings and I am sure other have different and contrary experience, and that is great we need diversity of opinion.
But for what it is worth that is what I think after just shy of a months usage.
Background.
For many years i wore traditional mechanical watches, and when I started running had a Garmin.
And for a number of years I did not really see anything in the Apple watch that attracted me enough to invest, but then I saw the launch of Apple Fitness+ and decided it might be interesting to try it out, so decided to take the plunge and add the Apple Watch to the rest of Apple kit!
After a few runs and workouts with the AW I decided I did not need the Garmin anymore, which was no great issue as I had never really liked the interface.
Whilst I know it is not perfect the AW worked well for me, and I liked the pretty seamless integration and was happy enough with the Workout and Fitness apps.
So why did I choose to upgrade?
I choose to upgrade after seeing the new apple watch releases for a couple of reasons.
Firstly I liked the design, I have always had a preference for larger chunkier watches and the Ultra hit that spot.
The screen looked good, I liked the idea of the flat display.
The extra button looked interesting and I could see some potential benefits to that.
Whilst battery life was not a key factor for me it was obviously a benefit.
After the initial use period what do I like?
The biggest winner for me is the display. I like the flat display and the extra size is just enough to make it better and easier to use on my runs, walks and dog walks. I find the flat display a bit easier to see at a glance than the curved display on my old series 6.
The action button is a winner for me, I use it to start the workout app which saves me a complication slot, and as i generally do 3-4 workouts a day it fits well with my usage.
Battery life is good, and this has encouraged me to try the sleep monitor function for the first time, which I have found interesting.
I got mine with the orange Alpine Loop, at the time this was because that was all that I could get on pre-order, but I have found I like it and find it comfortable, to the extent I subsequently got the green Alpine Loop. Personally I do not find it fiddly but can appreciate why some might.
During day to day wear it is as comfortable as my old series 6, and I cannot say I have noticed it being heavy or uncomfortable.
The design is still working for, and I do not mind the orange accents at all.
After the initial period what has irritated me?
Ok, nothing is perfect and a few things are maybe not as slick as they might be.
I like the Wayfinder watch face, but the error on the minute bezel where each 5 minute segment is divided into 6 irritates me.
I agree with others that this update could have included maps for certain workouts, not a show stopper but still a fair point raised by many.
The fact I still need a 3rd party app to display my step count on a watch face is odd.
I have stopped using my black spacelink band as the fitting is very difficult, with the lugs not being very easy to use, whereas all my other bands fit and remove easily, a bit irritating as this was my daily wear, but I guess it forced a change in my habits!
I do find the Homekit app can take a few seconds to update on my watch, but this has always been the case, I was hoping the Homekit redesign would change the watch experience too.
Other points.
I find it comfortable to wear whilst running, and currently use a Nike Sport Loop for running. Previously I had a Nike Sport Band on my series 6 and often I would miss heart rate data at start of workout, which I accept is a fitting issue. The sport Band just did not have a closure in an ideal place on my Ultra so I got the Sport Loop, and since then not a missed heart rate in sight. Now I accept that has nothing to do with Ultra specifically, but it highlighted to me the benefits of sport loop over sport band in terms of incremental adjustment.
During other workouts such as Fitness+ sessions or walking the Ultra is also comfortable, I have not found myself having to adjust it or take it off for comfort reasons.
And I have also not had any comfort issues wearing it for sleep monitoring, I use the sport loop at night and have it set a bit looser than when I run and it works well and is comfortable enough that I do not notice it.
In day to to day use I use the Alpine Bands, a Milanese Loop or the leather strap from Bandwerk I recently got. The strap release buttons on my Ultra seem a bit easier than my series 6, but that could just be because they are new.
I am looking to forward to seeing what the Trail Loop is like when my order arrives in November.
Obviously these are my personal observations and feelings and I am sure other have different and contrary experience, and that is great we need diversity of opinion.
But for what it is worth that is what I think after just shy of a months usage.
