Apple Watch Ultra 2 review

The Apple Watch Extremely is squarely geared toward adventurers: divers, hikers and different athletes who want a rugged, long-lasting smartwatch that may deal with endurance occasions and excessive climate.

However in precisely the identical means that folks purchase 4x4s with completely no intention of ever driving them off highway, the Extremely has additionally confirmed common with extraordinary people which might be by no means going to check its water resistance to a depth of 100m or depend on following waypoints out within the wilderness. They simply love its seems to be and the actual fact it lasts twice as lengthy between fees in comparison with an everyday Apple Watch.

It has nearly turn into a standing image due to its excessive worth, though not fairly to the extent that the unique Version fashions did. The very fact it’s so distinct from a Watch Collection 7, 8, or 9 means it’s simple to face out, not like if you happen to purchase an iPhone 15; nearly no-one will know you’ve got the most recent mannequin.

So the Apple Watch Extremely 2 is a superb vogue accent, however is it a great smartwatch? Thankfully, it’s.

Design & show

• 49mm, 3000 nit OLED show
• Ambient mild sensor
• 2^nd-gen ultrawideband chip

If you happen to’re unfamiliar with the Watch Extremely, it’s like an everyday Apple Watch on steroids. It has a bigger 49mm show, an even bigger crown that’s simpler to make use of whereas sporting gloves and an additional button – the Motion button – which might be customised to do varied issues, alongside activating the built-in 86-decibel siren.

As an alternative of curved cowl glass, which regular Apple Watches have, the Watch Extremely 2 has a flat sapphire crystal that’s provided just a little further safety by the steel case which sits simply pleased with it.

That case is constructed from 95% recycled titanium however isn’t provided in a alternative of finishes just like the iPhone 15 Professional. If you happen to purchase a Watch Extremely 2, it’s naked titanium or nothing. I’m positive the rationale behind that is that it’s essentially the most sturdy possibility when it will get scuffed or scratched because it received’t lose its color.

To assist stop unintended urgent of the crown and facet button in addition to to guard them, there’s a raised crown guard.

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With out a strap, the Watch Extremely 2 weighs about 62g, round 10g greater than the 45mm Watch Collection 9. It’s over 14mm thick so doesn’t simply slip below shirt cuffs, nevertheless it’s not designed to do this and it’s usually simply as snug to put on all day (and evening) as an everyday Apple Watch.

Three microphones assist to scale back wind and different background noise so anybody you converse to on a name can hear what you’re saying. There’s additionally an ambient mild sensor (an addition for the reason that unique Watch Extremely) that permits the show to change to nighttime mode routinely and it’s capable of dim to simply 1 nit, so it’s by no means dazzling at evening.

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When it comes to ruggedness, the Extremely 2 gives the identical specs as the unique Watch Extremely: IP6X water and dirt resistance, which permits it to be taken as deep as 100m in water.

New is a second-gen ultrawideband chip which makes it simpler to seek out your misplaced iPhone. As long as that’s an iPhone 15 (or another mannequin with the identical chip) you’ll see how distant it’s in addition to, crucially, by which course to maneuver in the direction of it.

One other improve is brightness. The display screen can now produce 3000 nits, which is outstandingly brilliant, but additionally arguably pointless when the Extremely’s 2000-nit show was already simple to learn in direct  daylight. The place you’ll discover the distinction is whenever you want a torch: you may flip the crown to quickly ramp as much as peak brightness.

It’s the scale of the display screen that makes the most important distinction if you happen to’re coming from an older Apple Watch. It lets you see way more data in a single go, and the Extremely-specific watch faces are an important demonstration of that.

Jim Martin / Foundry

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I’m a fan of the Modular face anyway, however Modular Extremely packs in seven issues and shows elevation in each ft and metres on the edges. There’s additionally Wayfinder which gives eight issues and is predicated round a conventional analogue clock.

Though the Extremely 2 is appropriate with 44- and 45mm straps, Apple recommends you match a 49mm strap for something apart from informal use. There are three kinds: Alpine, Ocean and Path.

Apple despatched the brand new orange/beige Path band for this assessment, and it is available in two sizes: S/M and M/L. The small one matches wrists from 130-180mm, and the massive 145-220mm. It’s stretchy, however I discovered it a little bit of a problem to get the S/M band over my hand, and I’m a small man.

Apple

Each the Path and Alpine Loop are carbon impartial, which is sweet, and the Ocean band (above, proper) is constructed from pliable silicone for diving and water sports activities.

Well being & health monitoring

• Excessive and low coronary heart fee notifications
• Irregular coronary heart rhythm notification
• ECG app
• Sleep phases

Sitting behind the 49mm show is Apple’s newest S9 chipset. It’s precisely the identical one used within the Watch Collection 9 and together with the identical set of sensors, it means the Extremely 2 does precisely the identical well being and health monitoring.

A lot of it’s precisely what you’d anticipate from any health tracker: steps, distance, energy burned, flights climbed. That’s all packaged up in a slick system of ‘rings’ which helps you to see at a look how a lot progress you’ve made in the direction of your every day transfer, train and stand objectives.

Jim Martin / Foundry

There’s hundreds – tons – extra information accessible within the Well being app in your telephone out of your bodily effort in METs to the pace you stroll up steps and your strolling step size.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

Naturally, you too can monitor your exercise whenever you train: it’s one of many Apple Watch’s strengths. Apple has broadened the number of sports activities, and it’s potential to customize every one with the actual objectives you need to obtain. And you can begin a exercise rapidly by urgent the Motion button, if you happen to’ve set it to do this.

All of it works brilliantly, particularly for operating, strolling and biking. The one criticism, actually, is that not each type of exercise information your route utilizing the built-in GPS. So if you happen to decide snowboarding, for instance, you received’t have the ability to see the place you went. Hopefully this shall be addressed over the following 12 months or so.

For cyclists there are a few new options together with the power to make use of your iPhone as a motorcycle pc, mirroring the small print from the Extremely to the bigger display screen. It’s additionally now potential to pair the Watch with Bluetooth equipment resembling energy meters, permitting you to get much more information within the Exercises app. These had been added in watchOS 10, although, and aren’t unique to the Extremely 2.

I didn’t check it, however there’s a selected Depth app for divers which can show your stay depth right down to 40m, present the present water temperature, the utmost depth you’ve hit and the time you’ve been below.

Climbing is a selected focus, simply because it was on the unique Extremely. Once more, the Motion button might be set to file waypoints, and whenever you press and maintain it you may select the Compass Backtrack choice to retrace your steps, even if you happen to don’t have a cell sign, both to your telephone or on to the Extremely 2 itself.

The Compass app is a extra useful gizmo nowadays with a wide range of views which you could change between by rotating the crown. Tapping the elevation readout toggles it between 2D and 3D views, displaying any waypoints you’ve marked.

The system is designed for point-to-point hikes, although, so isn’t massively helpful for round routes.

Jim Martin / Foundry

When mountaineering, now you can zoom in utilizing the Maps app to see topographical data resembling trails and contour traces in addition to factors of curiosity. These can be found solely within the US for the time being so UK walkers within the Lake District, say, received’t see something helpful when climbing Scafell Pike, which is irritating. Hopefully it received’t be too lengthy earlier than these maps develop to cowl the UK and different nations.

Surprisingly, given the Extremely 2’s 64GB of on-board storage, maps aren’t cached domestically: they’re saved in your telephone. This implies there’s a little bit of a delay whenever you transfer to a unique space and begin zooming in.

One other new characteristic is routinely detecting whenever you’re at a operating monitor and can present a route map and let you choose which lane you’re operating in.

Past health and exercise monitoring, the Watch Extremely 2 also can monitor varied elements of your well being from the standard your sleep to your coronary heart fee, and lots extra. A lot of the measurements aren’t meant for use for medical functions, however the information is usually very correct, with coronary heart fee specifically.

Similar to the Collection 9, the Extremely 2 might be set as much as warn you if an irregular coronary heart rhythm is detected, in addition to unusually excessive or low coronary heart charges.

It could possibly additionally detect a tough fall or extreme automobile accident and, if arrange and there’s a usable information connection, it should notify your emergency contacts and may routinely name emergency providers if you happen to don’t transfer or reply after the occasion.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

A pores and skin temperature sensor screens for modifications and is primarily used for feminine cycle monitoring. Anybody can see historic information (once more within the Well being app) however there’s not quite a bit us blokes can do with it.

Yet one more sensor can measure blood oxygen, and you may take an ECG (which can also be mentioned to be very correct by medical professionals).

Proper now, it’s as much as you to take a look at the information and do one thing with it: neither the Watch Extremely 2 nor the Well being app try and interpret it and, say, warn you that you just is likely to be coming down with a virus, and even life-style modifications you would possibly need to make to be more healthy.

Sensible options & watchOS

As I mentioned in my assessment of the Watch Collection 9, watchOS 10 introduces some pretty radical modifications. One is that rotating the crown upwards shows the brand new Sensible Stack, a sequence of informational playing cards which you’ll be able to customise.

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They’re issues resembling a climate forecast, subsequent calendar occasion, information headlines and exercise information, however just about each default app has a card. You may advance via the playing cards utilizing the digital crown, nevertheless it’s additionally potential utilizing Double Faucet – one of many unique options of the Collection 9 and Watch Extremely 2.

It’s – admittedly – laborious to know the distinction between this and the Double Pinch accessibility gesture that has been in watchOS for a couple of years now. Apple definitely hasn’t accomplished an important job of explaining it, saying that the S9 chipset allows it. What it appears to imply by that is that Double Faucet is ‘all the time on’ so you need to use it at any second.

The thought is that you just don’t want your different hand to faucet on the display screen to reply a name, dismiss a timer and even begin a exercise when the Extremely 2 detects that’s what you’re doing. It’s definitely helpful, however not a compelling sufficient purpose to purchase the Extremely 2 as a substitute of the Extremely.

One of many massive benefits Apple has over different smartwatch makers is that it makes each the iPhone and Watch, so they’re the right companions for one another. You get wealthy notifications from apps, you may reply to messages, see instructions for navigation, music playback controls and way more.

It’s additionally an actual drawback if you happen to don’t personal an iPhone as a result of you may’t use the Watch Extremely 2 in even a restricted means with an Android telephone. To be clear, you canuse an Apple Watch with none telephone in any respect because of Household Setup, however somebody within the household should have an iPhone for the preliminary setup, and that also doesn’t assist a lot if you need it to work with an Android telephone.

One characteristic the Extremely 2 holds – or will maintain – over the unique Extremely is the power to course of Siri instructions with out an web connection because of the S9 chip’s neural engine. However let me make clear that: you may say solely a small choice of issues. Plus, any query or command which might require an web connection received’t work.

This implies you will get Siri to set timers, change settings and name contacts. A knowledge connection is required for issues like unit conversions, climate forecasts and, nicely, every part else.

The neural engine additionally does a couple of different issues resembling dashing up Siri’s response time whereas the always-on mics imply there’s two seconds of buffering, so audio is captured earlier than you increase your wrist which might additionally assist pace up these responses.

By the tip of the 12 months – which is mere weeks as I write this assessment – Apple says you’ll have the ability to ask Siri for well being information and likewise log it. This implies you ask for data resembling “How a lot did I sleep final evening?” and supply particulars like “I simply took my antacid medicine”.

Battery life

One of many predominant points of interest in regards to the Watch Extremely 2 (and its predecessor) is battery life. The place the common Watch lasts 18 hours, the Extremely 2 doubles that to 36 hours, then doubles it once more in low-power mode.

In case your psychological arithmetic is something like mine, it received’t be apparent that this implies you may go a full three days between fees – longer than the 60 hours of low-power mode you get from the primary Watch Extremely.

Jim Martin / Foundry

Importantly, low-power mode doesn’t take away any important options: it’s eminently usable. It turns off the always-on show, doesn’t monitor coronary heart fee and different issues as continuously and limits cell information and Wi-Fi in order that they’re not frivolously burning via the facility reserves.

The excellent news is that these numbers are simply achievable, too. As long as you’re not hammering the battery by utilizing the GPS for hours on finish (about 17 hours is the utmost in that case) you may take pleasure in not having to pop the Extremely 2 on its charger day by day.

I discovered that, on a standard working day with an hour-long exercise that used the GPS to file a route, I’d find yourself with just about precisely 50% remaining by bedtime (having begun it with 100%). It then used about 5% in a single day and instructed me to cost earlier than mattress the next night.

Value & availability

The Watch Extremely 2 prices £799 / $799. That’s the identical worth as earlier than within the US, however £50 much less within the UK.

The plain place to purchase one is straight from Apple, however small reductions might be discovered if you happen to store round.

There’s one worth as a result of not like the common Apple Watch, each Extremely has built-in LTE. You may select any of the three straps when shopping for an Extremely 2, and extra straps price a faintly ridiculous £99 / $99. Third-party straps are broadly accessible and less expensive.

It’s some huge cash for a smartwatch, nevertheless it’s certainly not the one costly one. Garmin’s Fenix 7 Sapphire Photo voltaic is one other rugged watch geared toward adventurers and prices round £700 / $700.  The Photo voltaic Version is known as due to its capability to recharge utilizing daylight.

One other profit is that it has pre-loaded TopoActive maps which cowl the area by which it was purchased. Plus, it’s appropriate with Android in addition to iPhone.

For extra, see our roundup of one of the best smartwatches.

Ought to I purchase the Apple Watch Extremely 2?

If cash is not any object and also you merely need one of the best Apple Watch, sure, purchase an Extremely 2. Nevertheless, with pretty vital reductions now accessible on the first-generation Extremely, a smart transfer can be to purchase one and get monetary savings.

You’ll miss out on auto-switching to nighttime mode, however you’re unlikely to note the opposite variations in day-to-day use, resembling the additional display screen brightness. The quad-core neural engine is likely to be put to make use of in future however, proper now, it actually isn’t doing quite a bit.

The additional half a day of battery life in low-power mode is a bonus, however not if you happen to’re paying £200 / $200 extra. Precision Discovering is nice too, however solely when you’ve got an up-to-date iPhone.

And if you happen to don’t want the additional battery life and aren’t an adventurer, the Watch Collection 9 has principally the identical options for round half the worth.

Finally, the Watch Extremely 2 is one of the best smartwatch Apple has made but. It’s simply that isn’t not all that a lot better than the Extremely.