TechSmartwatchesThe Apple Watch Ultra is not pushing Garmin off my wrist… yetThe new rugged Apple Watch is cool and all, but it has its issuesWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
TechSmartwatchesThe Apple Watch Ultra is not pushing Garmin off my wrist… yetThe new rugged Apple Watch is cool and all, but it has its issuesWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
The new rugged Apple Watch is cool and all, but it has its issues
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Apple)
(Image credit: Apple)
Big day today, people:Appleannounced its most rugged and capableApple Watchvariant, the Apple Watch Ultra. The new outdoor version of the popular wearable addresses some of the most pressing issuesI rambled abouta few months ago, like adding an extra button, so the watch can be operated with gloves on/during workouts, but this supercharged Apple Watch can’t quite take on Garmin and its vast selection of outdoor and dive watches. Not yet, anyway.
What is the Apple Watch Ultra? Is it thebest Apple Watch? The new wearable introduces a 49mm titanium case and flat sapphire front crystal; it also features the biggest and brightest Apple Watch display yet. It has a customisable Action button and the best battery life of any Apple Watch, reaching up to 36 hours. I assume this is in smartwatch mode, not when the new dual-frequency GPS is turned on.
There is a new low-power setting which can extend battery life to reach up to a whopping 60 hours. This disables some less essential features but leaves other tracking features intact. A new Wayfinder watch face is designed specifically for the larger Apple Watch Ultra display and includes a compass built into the dial, with space for up to eight complications. Apple Watch Ultra also brings three new bands – Trail Loop, Alpine Loop, and Ocean Band; many cool features, as you can tell!
(Image credit: Apple)
(Image credit: Apple)
Triathlon ready
There is also a new Multisport mode, ideal for triathlons, duathlons, or activities with any sequence of swimming, biking, or running – this includes autodetection to easily switch between workouts. Maybe I’ll have to add an Apple Watch to ourbest triathlon watchguide soon?
(Image credit: Apple)
(Image credit: Apple)
Into the night
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(Image credit: Apple)
(Image credit: Apple)
Dive in
The Apple Watch Ultra is even more competent as a dive watch. It’s said to be the perfect choice for water sports, including extreme activities like kitesurfing and wakeboarding, along with recreational scuba diving to 40 meters with the new Oceanic+ app.
To support these underwater adventures, Apple Watch Ultra is certified to WR100 and EN13319, the latter of which is an internationally recognised standard for dive accessories, apparently, and includes stuff such as depth gauges. Utilising this new depth gauge, the watch features a Depth app which displays time, current depth, water temperature, duration underwater, and max depth reached. Users can program the Action button to instantly launch the Depth app.
(Image credit: Apple)
(Image credit: Apple)
Should Garmin be worried?
First of all, it isn’t cheap (£849 in the UK); you can get aGarmin Fenix 7Xor aGarmin Epix Gen 2, and the Epix Gen 2 has an AMOLED display and, well, actually decent battery life. Garmin’s dive watches – like the Garmin Descent Mk2 – also have a way longer battery life, albeit a less attractive MIP display.
And, of course, there is the battery life. Apple is right to assume outdoor people love a long battery life, but 36 hours in 2022 isn’t long battery life. I appreciate that the Apple Watch Ultra has a bright screen, but so does theHuawei Watch GT Runneror other smartwatches with week-long battery power.
All that said, I’m excited to give the Apple Watch Ultra a try. It’s an exciting concept, but Apple needs to offer more than okay battery life and an extra button to get people to abandon their Garmin watches en masse and pick up an Apple Watch Ultra.
If you’re interested in getting one for yourself, people in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, Japan, the UAE, the UK, the US, and more than 40 other countries and regions can order Apple Watch Ultra now, with availability in stores beginning 23 September 2022. For more info, visitAppletoday.
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