It’s rare that an Apple product comes along that so definitively beats every other device in its class, including Apple’s own offerings. But according to the first round of reviews, the Apple Watch Ultra is more than just a bigger Series 8–it’s “one of the best debuts in a new product category.”
All reviewers agreed that the Apple Watch Ultra was large but not too bulky, even for smaller wrists. The Verge’s Victoria Song admitted that the Ultra “dwarfs” her wrist but it also felt smaller than some round watches she’s tried: “The watch is large, but believe me when I say it somehow doesn’t feel that big in person.”
She also appreciated the large screen, which is “great for readability.” CNET’s Lexy SavvidesThe garment is also light, which Song described as deceptively easy to wear. Like Song, she said it will overwhelm smaller wrists but she was still “able to get a snug and comfortable fit.” In Men’s Journal, Michael Frank wrote that the Ultra fits great and “didn’t feel bulky during cycling, lifting, or running.”
Reviewers loved the new Action button.
Jason Snell/Foundry
Song tested the Apple Watch Ultra and concluded that the 36-hour battery lifespan is an optimistic estimate. She stated that the battery life was so long that she did not need to switch on low-power mode. Savvides called the battery life “my favorite new hardware feature,” while CNBC’s Sophia Pitt found the Ultra had “the right amount of battery life to use as a sleep tracker.” At the Wall Street Journal, Nicole NguyenThe battery was monitored for 13 hours and 20 minute of GPS tracking over two days. It still had approximately 20%.
Liz Plosser from Women’s Health appreciated the Action button for both fitness (instantly beginning a workout) and non-fitness (starting a stopwatch) reasons, while Song said the Action button is “a much-needed addition” that Apple should bring to other watches.
While there were some issues with the Apple Watch Ultra in reviews, these were minor. Song was positive about the new Compass app and Backtrack features, but she also lamented the absence of offline topographical maps and turn-by-turn navigation. CNET’s Savvides wants the Ultra “to do more in terms of recovery metrics, like some other sports and endurance watches.” And Pitt at CNBC said the Ultra “just doesn’t feel like it was created for a woman’s wrist.”
Finally, I am a GPS watch fan. Frank summed up the Ultra’s biggest advantage over similar Garmin entries: “Being able to ditch your smartphone and go for a two-hour bike ride, booking takeout halfway through to pick up on the drive home, is an ace in the Watch corner that’s very hard to top.”
