WHY’D you do it? Upgrade to the AW ULTRA3?

[terryw1]

I had said in the past that the only way I’ll upgrade from aw ultra1 is if it got better battery life and hypertension.
It got both plus a few other features. I did my trade in today and preordered the 3. Also got the Milanese band which I have on my ultra 2 and love it. I switch between watches and this feels good.

What caused you to go with ultra 3?

 

[doogm]

What caused you to go with ultra 3?

1. It's three years old.
2. Battery health/max capacity is 88%.
3. Satellite connectivity - I may use it once or twice, but useful - I do workouts a lot in places with very poor cellular signals.
4. Way down the list - 1 Hz refresh screen and some of the other features that came in the last two years (double-tap, flick). My blood pressure has always been and remains fine, I sleep OK and don't have sleep apnea, so these features - which I think are great - are not necessary for me.

 

[4sallypat]

Having had S4-S9, the only reason I want to try out the U3 is the satellite messaging and 5G.

I fly small unpressurized planes and need those features plus SpO2 & heart rate while at altitude.

 

[ArchEtech]

My ultra 1 is down to 79% primary reason.
Good bump in screen quality.
AUW1 still is worth something to trade or sell to help pay for the upgrade
Because I am fortunate enough that I can.

 

[Bichon]

My blood pressure has always been and remains fine, I sleep OK and don't have sleep apnea, so these features - which I think are great - are not necessary for me.

Actually I think they are. Someone diagnosed with hypertension would want to keep tabs with a accurate upper arm blood pressure monitor and someone being treated for sleep apnea will get much better data from their CPAP machine. The feature on the watch is great to alert someone that hasn't been diagnosed with these conditions to get checked out if the sensors see evidence of them.

 

[A1000]

Like others battery life noticeably worse now (down to 86% max but feels worse) + reasonable tradein price that will probably drop disproportionately going forward. My AWU is probably one of the most used pieces of kit I have so the new features will be useful also.

 

[ruffage]

My trade in price was on par with recent eBay sales, assuming Apple stick with their quote.

 

[jekim]

Trade in of $355 with Apple and veteran discount for the U3 was $719. Had the U2 since launch

 

[Merc66man]

I run every day without my phone, so better radios is a nice safety feature. I also hope that satellite messaging solves the issue that Apple Watches don’t roam to other countries…so I can message if I need to with just the watch.

 

[perezr10]

I run every day without my phone, so better radios is a nice safety feature. I also hope that satellite messaging solves the issue that Apple Watches don’t roam to other countries…so I can message if I need to with just the watch.

Same here. I run without my iphone and my Ultra 2 is my only connection to the outside world. The 5G and Satellite connectivity are really tempting me to upgrade.

 

[burgman]

My Ultra 2 has had some odd errors last couple of updates, like not connecting to WiFi, or cell automatically, optimized charging not working and other weirdness, support tried and failed several times. I do work around very high electrical fields. Good excuse to trade. Trade has dropped to $335 I just ordered. Silver end of month black end of November. Went with silver.

 

[doogm]

My blood pressure has always been and remains fine, I sleep OK and don't have sleep apnea, so these features - which I think are great - are not necessary for me.

Actually I think they are.

A few months along and I think I can say with confidence that I was right - they are great features, and I am glad that Apple has them, but they are not necessary for me.

 

[martint235]

Because I keep telling myself I need an Apple watch. It’s currently in a drawer as I wear it for max 5 days, get fed up of charging it and go back to my Garmin

 

[VampyricGentleman]

I bought mine second hand and it was only a month old, the seller wanted less than the price of a standard 42mm series 11 for it, so I couldn’t really resist. I use it now in tandem with my Ultra 2. I’ve noticed the battery life seems a little better and it’s more responsive to my movements so I am happy with it!

 

[Paul1964]

Came from a Series 7. Battery was lucky to last until bedtime from 100% in the morning. So - needed a much better battery, it now lasts 3 days. It looks great also.

 

[tcuprof]

There aren't any new features that would lead me to upgrade, but the battery health on my Ultra 1 is 83%, so I'll eventually upgrade just to improve that.

 

[Howard2k]

I went from the Ultra 1. I was able to sell it for a half decent price, employer paid for the balance, and so I got a new battery, on device Siri, SOS etc.

Not a huge update but for neutral dollars it made total sense and I'm super happy with it.

 

[Paul1964]

... employer paid for the balance ...

Nice - are there any vacancies where you work?

 

[Chevyguy2021]

Just upgraded. I had a silver U2, bought it from swappa for $420 last year. Sold it for $400 and got a black like new U3 for $550. Total after fees and shipping about $200 to upgrade. I’ll always buy pre owned watches going forward.

 

[FreakinEurekan]

I upgraded from S7, employer benefit meant it cost me less than $50 to get the U3. I certainly like the longer battery life; I've started wearing it at night for sleep tracking too so just charge it up once every couple of days while at my desk. I did need to get one size smaller Solo Loop because of the larger case of the Ultra.

 

[robvalentine]

Because I keep telling myself I need an Apple watch. It’s currently in a drawer as I wear it for max 5 days, get fed up of charging it and go back to my Garmin

Same, I prefer the Garmin, it works if I switch back to android (I flip flop a lot) and battery... BUT I think the heart rate sensor is better on the WU3 than my Fenix 8. And I hate that Apple gimp notifications on the Garmin, on Android I can reply, and mark stuff as read, on iOS I can only clear. The Garmin also doesn't have a stupid lip around the screen with 90 degree edges, so despite being bulky is less prone to catching on stuff.

 

[chiefs1968]

Anyone actually ever used the satelite capability of the Ultra 3? I have the Ultra 3 and purchased it because of my Illness called Impulsiveness. For me to have that ability to ever use it comes down to .... No Wifi in the house, no cell service in my area and a complete blackout in my area in central Florida. So the likely hood is I will never have that opportunity

 

[doogm]

Not yet. But in the summer I am often running in locations that have no cell service, so I may need to be able to send a text then. I did last summer with my phone.

 

[martint235]

Same, I prefer the Garmin, it works if I switch back to android (I flip flop a lot) and battery... BUT I think the heart rate sensor is better on the WU3 than my Fenix 8. And I hate that Apple gimp notifications on the Garmin, on Android I can reply, and mark stuff as read, on iOS I can only clear. The Garmin also doesn't have a stupid lip around the screen with 90 degree edges, so despite being bulky is less prone to catching on stuff.

I’m just off another 12 hour attempt with the AWU3 but on my walk this morning my sleeve kept pausing the walk or setting a new interval and it got really annoying. I totally get what you mean about apps and I’m thinking of getting a OnePlus 15. If I don’t switch before I’ll definitely be switching at my autumn/winter upgrade point.

 

[FHayek]

I've been thinking about upgrading to a U3 from my non-cellular AW8. I don't exercise with my phone, so Cellular connectivity is becoming more important for a few reason.

Not a deal killer, but more curiosity - when running with my AW8, using WOD's, the watch does not seem very sensitive to changes in my pace. I have WOD's set to poll/refresh at a higher frequency. Will cell connectivity aid in more accuracy?

FH