Behold Apple’s surprise new Apple Watch Ultra model, with a different design, longer battery life

By Scott Marlette Last updated Sep 8, 2022

unveiled a few other devices besides new smartphones. Namely the Apple Watch Series 8.

The Series 8 notably comes alongside a brand new model called the Apple Watch Ultra, which has a slightly unconventional design element over the usual smartwatches from Apple. That element is a bump on the right side, holding the side key, in addition to the familiar rotating crown.

It goes somewhat against the company’s traditionally uniform design philosophy, but it also makes the Apple Watch Ultra model quite a unique one among the rest. As it should be…

Premium build, premium price, big battery, “the most rugged and capable Apple Watch yet”

The new Apple Watch Ultra is boasting a premium, rugged titanium build, as opposed to the more traditional stainless steel. And, unsurprisingly – this smartwatch comes with a $799.99 price tag to go along with the whole “Ultra” / “premium” vibe.

Perhaps this smartwatch’s most notable feature for the average user is its huge battery, which should bode well for previous Apple Watch users, looking to upgrade to something that lasts longer than a single day. But, during its presentation, Apple was pretty clear that the Apple Watch Ultra is not for the average user…

The Apple Watch Ultra is “for exploration, adventure and endurance”

Why the “Ultra” name in Apple Watch Ultra? Well, this smartwatch was built specifically for people who are heavy into workouts, exploration, scuba diving, and professional athletes in general. As its design and price suggest, if you’re looking for a casual smartwatch for basic health tracking or as a fashion accessory, you’d definitely want to go with the “normal” Apple Watch Series 8 instead.

Apple Watch Ultra’s most notable features in a nutshell:

Bigger and brighter display
Bigger battery; up to 36 hours of battery life (or up to 60 hours “with upcoming optimization settings”)
An additional, customizable Action button
A second speaker
Aerospace-grade titanium build
L1 + L5 GPS system
Built-in 86 decibel siren
Twice the water resistance of a normal Apple Watch (WR100)

The additional Action button is indeed customizable, and meant to make the Apple Watch easier to navigate if you’re diving underwater or wearing gloves (yes, this is serious business). The Watch Ultra is of course more durable than a standard Apple Watch, boasting a WR100 water resistance rating, and is EN 13319-certified, which is something professional divers in particular will appreciate. It’s a certification standard for diving computers and accessories. The Apple Watch Ultra is also designed to withstand extreme desert heat or extreme cold temperatures too.

Behold Apple's surprise new Apple Watch Ultra model, with a different design, longer battery life

Some other notable exploration features Apple showcased for this smartwatch is the ability to set waypoints as you travel through, say, a mountain, and it can help you backtrack if you find yourself in need to do just that. Related to this, the new dual-frequency L1 + L5 GPS system that only this Apple Watch gets should help deliver the most accurate GPS on an Apple smartwatch to date.

But if you happen to get lost or hurt, which hopefully you won’t, the Apple Watch Ultra also comes with a built-in 86 decibel siren, that can potentially alert anyone reasonably nearby for help.

All those impressive durability and hardcore exploration-related features aside, Apple Watch Ultra users will also be getting access to a new app Apple has developed in partnership with Huish Outdoors, called Oceanic Plus. As the name suggests, it’s going to be helping scuba divers in particular track things like depth and water temperature.

Other new features not exclusive to the Apple Watch Ultra

Noteworthy features the Apple Watch Series 8 and the Apple Watch Ultra are bringing to the table include a temperature sensor. According to Apple, that one will be helpful in detecting both ovulation and hormonal changes. It’ll also be useful for nighttime temperature tracking, which can particularly help detect certain conditions.

Crash detection is another new feature coming to the new Apple Watches. Apple says it’ll be able to detect if the user is in an unfortunate car accident, automatically call the emergency services, give them the user’s location, and alert the user’s emergency contacts.

Apple Watch Ultra official price and release date

Apple Watch Ultra with the new Alpine Loop watch band

Preorders for the Apple Watch Ultra are opening on Friday, September 9, and shipping begins next week on September 16. All Apple Watch Ultra models, each coming with a different style watch band, are $799.99. The only Apple Watch Ultra size is 49mm, and all models are with both GPS + Cellular connectivity.

Watch bands include the new so-called Alpine Loop, which Apple called its thinnest yet. That one is made from two textile layers woven together into one continuous piece, without stitching. There’s also the light and soft nylon Trail Loop band, and the stretchy, tubular, elastomer Ocean Band.

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