Apple Watch Ultra Review: It's About Time

I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I am not scuba diving with the Apple Watch Ultra. I’m not climbing a mountain or heading into the wild and getting lost. What I wanted to find out is whether the Apple Watch Ultra works as a normal Apple Watch for a fairly normal person. Does it improve how it tracks my exercise? How well does it track my sleep? Is it too big to wear in bed? Come with me.

Apple used their marketing brilliantly here, selling this watch to explorers and marathon runners while knowing full well it would land on wrists like yours and mine. And they nailed it. I do a bit of running and cycling and I go to the gym every week, but I’m not running marathons or climbing anything. For the last few years Apple hadn’t given me a reason to move on from my trusty Series 5. If it wasn’t for the Ultra I’d have skipped the Series 8 too.

As always with Apple products, I bought this one myself.

The display and the feel of the thing

The sapphire crystal display is the most beautiful display on any digital watch I’ve tried. It’s big, but even on my fairly thin wrists it sits fine. The always-on Retina display is extremely bright in a pleasing rather than aggressive way, and everything feels smooth and easy to navigate.

My favourite thing? Turning it to Night Mode. That red looks so cool.

The haptics are incredible and the feel of the glass is outstanding. Apple have disappointed me recently more than once, but with the Watch Ultra everything is a delight to use. The buttons have a great feel, they’re easy to find, and gloves or water won’t be a problem.

I chose the Alpine Loop, entirely on looks rather than function. The trail loop is probably the more sensible pick, but look at this thing. I had to take the small size to get delivery on time, so it’s a little tight coming off, and I’ll try a medium.

Cellular, and calls that changed how I use a watch

Setting up with your carrier varies, and here in the UK it was a challenge. I spent 45 minutes on the phone and had to speak to an actual human being to get it done. It dented the experience, though not for long.

Then the part I didn’t expect. The three-microphone array filters out noise and picks the best mic for your voice. I could make calls on my old watch, but people complained about the quality, so nine times out of ten I’d reach for the phone instead. On the Ultra, I took a couple of calls mid-run out in the countryside where signal is patchy, and they were flawless. That alone changed how I use this thing.

A month in: mud, comfort and the things you only find by living with it

That’s the launch impression. Here’s what a month of daily wear added.

I coach football, and cleaning boots after training got the watch splattered in mud. The Alpine Loop turned out to be surprisingly easy to clean: run it under the shower, or use mild soap for grease. This is meant to survive extreme weather, so I’ve been relaxed about it.

The thing I value most is the comfort. People fixate on how big it looks, but my wrists are 19cm and it sits comfortably enough that I was genuinely shocked I could sleep in it.

I was also braced for scratches. I bought a screen protector, then let you lot talk me out of using it on the basis that sapphire crystal would cope. You were right: a couple of proper knocks on door frames and in the car, and not even a micro scratch.

One thing I hated about my Series 5 was how sensitive the screen was to accidental touches. Crossing my arms would open random apps. I have a weather app called Carrot Weather that says some very rude things out loud, and I once crossed my arms in a serious work meeting. You can imagine. With the Ultra, despite the bigger display, that has been a non-issue.

Spotify was rough for the first couple of weeks, pausing songs for no reason, until the 9.0.2 update fixed it. Now it’s great, and the extra display size makes everything easier to hit. And the action button makes starting a workout quicker, with action plus side button to pause.

Siri outdoors is a genuine problem

One of the points of cellular is leaving your phone behind. I leave mine in the gym locker and run the trail outside. If I want to ask Siri to skip a track and there’s any wind, it’s virtually impossible. Nine times out of ten I have to stop running and almost shout.

There are variables here, including the AirPods Pro 2 mics as well as the watch’s own. The workaround I found is lifting the watch to my mouth or holding the button, which breaks the rhythm of a run. On a bike, asking for directions, it could be worse than annoying. I expected better from this combination.

Sleep: half a game changer

One of the big issues with previous Apple Watches was how badly they tracked sleep. This is better, and in one way it isn’t.

The positive first: I thought there was no way this would be comfortable in bed, and it was. It’s light and it didn’t change how I sleep. You do need Sleep Focus so you’re not lighting up the bedroom.

The problem is the alarm. With all the data and intelligence in here, it still won’t optimise your wake-up time. I use an app called Sleep Cycle that works out the best moment to wake you so it isn’t mid-REM, and the result is you wake up more refreshed. A small change in how I wake up means I feel more alert all day, even on five or six hours. I just wish the Watch Ultra worked that out itself instead of me paying an app to do it. Come on Apple, or just buy one of these companies.

Where I landed

There’s plenty here I’ve barely scratched. Crash detection, fall detection and Emergency SOS will be vital for some people, though I don’t love Apple playing on our emotions quite that hard. For me it’s unlikely I’ll need them, but there’s peace of mind in knowing they’re there.

The Apple Watch Ultra is an absolute marvel of engineering. I wasn’t sure when I ordered it, and now I know it’ll be my favourite tool to have with me at all times. It’s a lot to pay for a watch, but set against the alternatives and everything you get, the price starts to make sense. Apple messed up the iPhone for me, and the iPad Pro too. This one they smashed.

That’s where I stood after a month. The story didn’t end there, and if you want the honest sequel, here’s why I eventually moved to a Garmin.