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Worth it to move from a Series 4 to an Ultra?

mdhaus72

mdhaus72

macrumors regular
Original poster
Dec 29, 2018
249
340
Hello! I currently have a stainless steel Series 4 Apple watch and I'm debating moving to a new Ultra. I bought a MacBook earlier this year and it came with a $150 credit to use at the Apple Store. So with that gift card credit dropping the watch price down to $650, I'm debating if it's worth it. I'm curious if anyone else has made a similar move and has some thoughts on it. Thanks!
 
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Just asking us if it’s worth it is too vague. Everyone has a different idea of worth and value. Something is only worth to someone what they’re willing to pay for that product. As stated in post #2, the battery alone is worth the price of admission to me for the convenience factor. I’m not an adventurer, cross country hiker, deep sea diver or mountain climber. I do love the convenience of the action button as well and added to the worth of my purchase.

That said, anything in particular you’re looking to gain out of it, to make it worth it to you? In other words, what feature(s) that you’ve read up on about the Ultra that intrigued you and would make you believe you spent your money wisely. Then we can touch on that to let you know if it works the way you’re hoping it will.
 
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I just did exactly this upgrade and am very happy. Better battery. Better screen (plus always on). Better GPS. New blood oxygen sensor. Crash detection. Siren (just in case). Water resistant to 40m. Upcoming dive computer app!
 
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Somehow neither crash detection nor fall detection activated during the bike crash I had last Saturday... while the Garmin head unit offered to call emergency services.

I was thrown to the air with my head hitting the ground (fortunately it was protected well by a helmet) before my shoulder and leg had another impact.

chabig said:
I just did exactly this upgrade and am very happy. Better battery. Better screen (plus always on). Better GPS. New blood oxygen sensor. Crash detection. Siren (just in case). Water resistant to 40m. Upcoming dive computer app!
Click to expand...
 
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haruhiko said:
Somehow neither crash detection nor fall detection activated
Click to expand...
Wow. I'm sorry to hear that, but glad you're ok. Are you sure you have fall detection turned on? It's only on by default if you are 55 years or older. If you are younger you have to turn it on manually.

Use Fall Detection with Apple Watch - Apple Support

If Apple Watch detects a hard fall, it can help connect you to emergency services if needed.
support.apple.com support.apple.com

Crash detection is designed specifically for automobile crashes.

Use Crash Detection on iPhone or Apple Watch to call for help in an accident - Apple Support

If your iPhone or Apple Watch detects a severe car crash, your device can help connect you to emergency services.
support.apple.com support.apple.com
 
Buying a Lamborgini to Drive for groceries every few days.

If you use it at least in 20% of what it gives - go for it, if it has to be an Apple Watch with better battery, better save the money and go for S7/S8 which with fast charging via usb-c cord is not a problem to charge every 1,5 day (2x sleep)
 
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addamas said:
Buying a Lamborgini to Drive for groceries every few days.

If you use it at least in 20% of what it gives - go for it, if it has to be an Apple Watch with better battery, better save the money and go for S7/S8 which with fast charging via usb-c cord is not a problem to charge every 1,5 day (2x sleep)
Click to expand...

But then an s7/s8 isn’t worthwhile over s4. Better to wait for faster processor and other features with s9.
 
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I did the same. Upgraded from the series 4 to the ultra. I have a garmin fenix 6x sapphire as well, but currently the ultra is taking up all my wrist time. Very satisfied with the battery life, the flat glas display and the larger screen compared to series 4.
 
I water wet? Is the Pope Catholic? Is a quantum particle in an infinite square well mathematically equivalent to a continuous uniform random variable in the limiting case as energy increases? Do bears do their business in the woods?

I, too, went from the 4 to the Ultra. I don’t know what the guy in that video embedded above does with his watch, but the responsiveness alone is night-and-day. I’m now at the point where my phone no longer lives in a pocket; it lives in a backpack, and is little more than a camera / tablet-reader.

b&
 
I upgraded from a SBSS S4 to the ultra. I might have been conflicted if they still offered SBSS or SBTi with the S8, but they didn’t, so the ultra was the way to go.

The battery life and action button are great. I quite like the trail loop. The slightly larger screen is a noticeable upgrade.
 
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I also just moved from a stainless S4 to the Ultra and love it! As was mentioned, the extra battery life alone is a huge upgrade and makes it worth it. I just put it on the charger in the morning when I'm in the bathroom and when I shower at night, and it stays on my wrist at all other times. With that routine, the most the battery ever gets down to is ~70-80%.

Given the battery life, I love being able to track my heart rate all day and use the new sleep tracking without having to plan a specific charging time and wait for it to fully charge up.

The other one for me is the durability of it. I'm on my mountain bike 4-6 days per week and like not having to worry so much about breaking it in a crash. I do still use my Garmin as my primary recording device, as the AWU unfortunately doesn't support ANT+ to connect to all my bike sensors (power/cadence, speed), but I am able to use the AWU as an auxiliary HR sensor (using the Echo app) to connect to my Garmin, since I don't like chest straps.

Additionally, although I typically stay disconnected from my phone and keep it on Do Not Disturb while riding, I like having the ability to have quick access to my phone, all from my wrist.

For shorter ~1-1.5 hour rides, I've also been about to head out without my phone and just had the watch on cellular. I can unlock my car without the keys, so it's nice to be able to go ride with nothing at all in my pockets.

I also ski and occasionally hike, and I've found that the WorkOutDoors app lets the AWU do everything a Garmin will do, minus the lack of ANT+ connectivity. I think that's pretty much just a cyclist problem though, as I don't think any other sports use ANT+ sensors. The AWU with WOD will be great once ski season is here and for hiking.

To answer the original question - I definitely think it's worth it for my needs. I originally debated between a Garmin Fenix 7X and the AWU - bike computer on wrist with some smart watch capability vs a more dedicated, true smart watch with a bit of ruggedness. Given that I already have a Garmin head unit for my bike, I picked up the AWU thinking I'd just test it out and return if I didn't like it, but I was pretty much sold within the first day.
 
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I went from the  WATCH 4 to the 8. Only because the mrs gifted it for my birthday. Even though it’s not the ultra but my experience has been exactly the same as the 4. Other than the always on display there’s literally no difference and I don’t see why anyone should upgrade. This one will stay with me for the next 4/5 years at least.
 
Me too. owning a 4 series apple watch. Should I upgrade to Ultra? well, the price is a big issue, Specially since the lifespan of the watch is that long before you need to upgrade. I getting a series 8.
 
mdhaus72 said:
Hello! I currently have a stainless steel Series 4 Apple watch and I'm debating moving to a new Ultra. I bought a MacBook earlier this year and it came with a $150 credit to use at the Apple Store. So with that gift card credit dropping the watch price down to $650, I'm debating if it's worth it. I'm curious if anyone else has made a similar move and has some thoughts on it. Thanks!
Click to expand...

Go to the Apple Store and see it in person, try it on. It is a large watch and after weeks, I decided it was more than I wanted to put up with and I went back to my series 7 SBTi.
 
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mdhaus72 said:
Hello! I currently have a stainless steel Series 4 Apple watch and I'm debating moving to a new Ultra. I bought a MacBook earlier this year and it came with a $150 credit to use at the Apple Store. So with that gift card credit dropping the watch price down to $650, I'm debating if it's worth it. I'm curious if anyone else has made a similar move and has some thoughts on it. Thanks!
Click to expand...
If you like the style and the size then go for it.
The design is not to everyone's liking, but I like it and have been very pleased with mine.
I find the screen excellent and find it being flat makes a good differencde.
 
akash.nu said:
A different type of perspective on the Ultra

Click to expand...
Sums up my experience nicely.
Won my Ultra.
Love it, but moved from a S6 Nike to this, so it didn't feel like a Quantum Leap.
I really do appreciate the long battery life though. Charging every third day is awesome. Almost as good as my old Pebble Watches from back in the day.
Functionally - it's much the same. Used the same software/firmware. Does things the same way. I love the action button, but only use it to track walks and MTB rides, so it doesn't get a massive amount of use.
Overall, if I was buying, I would get this over the SS S8, but probably not a S8 AL. Simply because of the cost difference here in NZ.
 
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I had a Series 4, my first Apple Watch, that my dad didn’t get along with. After a couple of months, I moved up to an Ultra. I absolutely love mine: the screen brightness, the size, the battery life, and especially the AOD. It was a truly worthwhile upgrade.
 
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honcho said:
I had a Series 4, my first Apple Watch, that my dad didn’t get along with. After a couple of months, I moved up to an Ultra. I absolutely love mine: the screen brightness, the size, the battery life, and especially the AOD. It was a truly worthwhile upgrade.
Click to expand...
Ahh yeah I totally forgot to mention the AOD - I love that too!
 
I upgraded from S4 SBSS to an Ultra. Worth it? Depends on your uses and finances. I'm enjoying the battery life and brighter screen.
 
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