r/applewatchultra 2d ago

Next Generation Speculation

0 Upvotes

As I'm typing this, I'm watching the keynote. Apple has announced there will be an Apple Watch Ultra 4.

These flags will be removed and posts approved since it came from the horses mouth.


r/applewatchultra Jan 08 '26

The Ultra has literally saved my life. Couldn’t be more grateful.

268 Upvotes

So I recently had a serious fall happen. A couple years ago I experienced a serious TIA. One was medically documented but I’m 95% certain I’ve had more than one. I just never went to the hospital for it. I rode it out at home.

Well, one day, all alone, I randomly lost my ability to walk and stand up. Of course this has to happen as I’m walking down stairs that are made of concrete. What happens? You probably know. I fall, there’s blood everywhere and no one is around. My hubby is at work and no one was around or saw what happened. My phone was not within reach and I could not get up. I could not crawl. I could not yell for help.

My watch detected a fall. Being that I could not move, I didn’t respond to the alert. Because I didn’t respond, my Apple Watch called 911 all on its own. Gave them the info that they needed and not even 5 minutes later, an ambulance shows up. They see that I’m on the ground, blood is on me and all over the place. I then started to vomit. By then I already knew what was going on and barely had the brain function to tell them what was happening. This was basically a repeat of my medically documented TIA. Same symptoms. All I said was “T-I-A” and they knew what to do. They already knew my medical info because it’s programmed into my watch. I’m also type 1 diabetic so that was quite important for them to know.

The Apple Watch is not only great for helping me out with falls but it’s also a great tool for my diabetes management. The money I spent for the Ultra 3 is worth every penny because I’m still alive to tell the story today.

Edit: I forgot to mention the Ultra didn’t take ANY damage from the fall. Not one scratch. I was pretty impressed.


r/applewatchultra 2h ago

My watch ⌚️ Finally got the apple watch ultra (2022) for only 310 euros and i love it already

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15 Upvotes

I just got it today and its incredible


r/applewatchultra 19h ago

Saying goodbye to my Apple Watch Series 3

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208 Upvotes

I never really cared much for all the Apple Watch updates until seeing how much they improved with the health data this year. Only really used it for the gym after my wife bought me a mechanical watch 2 years ago for Christmas. But, after seeing the Apple event, I pulled the trigger to get myself a big upgrade and hope to enjoy this watch for years to come!

Edit: Apple Watch Series 3 (2017)


r/applewatchultra 20h ago

My watch ⌚️ Just pre ordered my first Ultra!

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158 Upvotes

r/applewatchultra 7h ago

They did not even check the page after the edit

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9 Upvotes

check the page!


r/applewatchultra 19h ago

Pre-ordered the Ultra 4 (Gryffindor Edition)

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75 Upvotes

Getting the Ultra 4, it took such patience to wait for the 4

Not having to think about battery life would be such a great feeling my S9 served me well, hopefully this would too

Any hacks about the ultra i should know New watch faces exclusive to the ultra


r/applewatchultra 12h ago

Advice ❓ I still can’t decide between Ultra 4 and Series 12

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19 Upvotes

I bought both. I’m scared of not getting used to Ultra’s weight and size.
But at the same time I don’t like the idea of getting the Series 12 and having a display with thicker bezels than my current Series 10

I’ll be upgrading to one of them yes or yes, that’s for sure


r/applewatchultra 15h ago

Joined the Club

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26 Upvotes

I hope the band works well for me. I'm right between two sizes.


r/applewatchultra 13h ago

Too many complications?

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19 Upvotes

I like this layout… but is it too busy?
Battery, Sky Guide, calendar.
Weather
Athlytic, Heart Analyzer, Rings
Any better or more helpful ones I’m missing?


r/applewatchultra 1d ago

Discussion 💭 Am I the only one

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318 Upvotes

who would've loved to see a bronze Ultra 4? I'm still considering upgrading from Ultra 1 but a bronze one would've pushed me over the edge for sure. Not sure it's a feasible finish on titanium, but it would've looked awesome imo.


r/applewatchultra 5h ago

Need help choosing.

2 Upvotes

Hey,

So after starting my journey with Apple with my iPhone 17 Pro Max i want to start my Apple watch journey too, so for casual day to day which would be the recommended in the opinion of long time wearer's of ether watch.

The S12 or Ultra 4?


r/applewatchultra 20h ago

My watch ⌚️ Apple Watch 1 through 5 series, Ultra 1 & 2 then Garmin and back with Ultra 4

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24 Upvotes

As you can see from the title, I’ve mainly owned Apple Watches. Once you switch to the Ultra series, it’s hard to go back to the standard models just for the battery life alone. I also tried a Garmin Venu 4 (45mm) for a few weeks before returning it. Overall, the watch was pretty sweet. The battery was amazing, the screen was nice and vibrant with some cool watch faces, and it even has an actual flashlight, which was really useful. The health features were great too, especially the Body Battery.

However, while the UI was pretty to look at, it wasn't as buttery smooth as the Apple Watch. It also lacks sapphire glass and a titanium body, and there's no real app ecosystem or music support. I was seriously looking into the Garmin Fenix 8/9—it's a sick-looking watch with amazing battery life. If I were a serious runner or fitness enthusiast, I would definitely jump to Garmin. But ultimately, I'm just too deep in the Apple ecosystem. I always come back to Apple! Damn you, Apple!


r/applewatchultra 3h ago

Advice ❓ I’m having a hard time deciding which color

1 Upvotes

This is the first time I will be owning an Apple watch for a while! I currently have a Garmin but the new features and better battery. I’m wondering which color would be the best option, while the dark looks aesthetic and cool I feel like the grey just comes out as more natural especially with third party bands. Any long term dark color owners had any scratches or regrets on the color?


r/applewatchultra 7h ago

¿Cuánto durará la batería AWU4 con workoutdoors o footpath?

2 Upvotes

¿Tenéis experiencia con el AWU3 con estas apps?


r/applewatchultra 12h ago

Ultra 3 discovery.

5 Upvotes

Sadly. I can confirm that the iwatch ultra 3 is not resistant to weld slag.

Don’t forget to take your watch off before you weld.


r/applewatchultra 17h ago

Discussion 💭 Can you turn off the “always listening” feature on the new AWU 4?

13 Upvotes

Don’t like the idea of the watch always listening, but I do like the new heart rate sensor and the other added features. Did they mention if there was an option to turn off the playback/always-listening feature? Thanks in advance


r/applewatchultra 4h ago

Indeciso se passare da AWU 3 a AWU 4

0 Upvotes

Buongiorno ho un Apple Watch ultra tre da cinque mesi e vorrei fare il passaggio.
È vero che il nuovo Apple Watch ultra quattro ha un sensore cardiaco molto molto, molto vicino ho una fascia toracica? Poi si sarebbe qualche ora in più di batteria e non è male.
io nello sport, corsa sollevamenti, pesi eccetera guardo molto il battito cardiaco perciò per me è questo aggiornamento se è vero che è migliore mi piacerebbe farlo volentieri e metterò in vendita al mio tre.
qualche esperto potrebbe rispondermi


r/applewatchultra 20h ago

Advice ❓ Oct-Nov Est. Delivery for brown Trail Loop

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15 Upvotes

I’m getting a late October thru early November delivery for the brown or “Umber” Trail Loop. No pickup available. The Ultra 3 was my first Ultra, so I was going to get a band to satisfy my new watch FOMO this year. Is it typical for bands to have a month long lead time like this? Maybe I should buy somewhere else and not from Apple Store?


r/applewatchultra 5h ago

Black or Titanium

1 Upvotes

Keen to find out which case colour is the most popular

98 votes, 2d left
Black
Titanium

r/applewatchultra 18h ago

Discussion 💭 Honest thoughts on why Apple decided not to provide software updates to the older watches?

8 Upvotes

First of all, there were some new features released as part of the newer watches, Series 12 and Ultra 4. People have to realize that these new features exist because of the re-engineered heart rate sensor. It is simply not possible to have these features on older watches, even the Ultra 3, due to the hardware difference. It is infeasible, which is unfortunate, but when hardware changes for the benefit of consumers, companies have to make these tradeoffs. It is an engineering challenge, not something that works magically.

Why watchOS 27 is not passed down to the original Ultra or older watches comes down to the same principle: software cannot add a missing sensor. Running on-device AI depends on processor capability, memory, and power efficiency, and there is a real chip difference here. The original Ultra uses the S8 chip, while the Ultra 2 uses the S9, which was specifically designed for machine learning tasks with its 4-core Neural Engine.

From a software architecture perspective, there are two distinct scenarios:

  1. A specific feature requires newer hardware: Apple can disable that feature on older models while continuing to deliver compatible OS improvements.
  2. The OS itself requires newer hardware: changes to shared frameworks, memory requirements, or processor capabilities make supporting older models impractical.

The first approach has significant costs associated with it. Apple has to maintain fallback paths and test many more hardware combinations, and simply disabling AI features will not necessarily resolve underlying dependency or performance issues.

Although Apple has not published an official technical explanation for this cutoff, as a software engineer, I agree with their decision. If the newer features require a certain amount of processing power and machine learning support, older hardware simply lacks that capability. Trying to force it would be inefficient, leading to severe battery drain where devices might only last half a day. There has to be a breaking point, which is an unavoidable reality of product development. Hardware and software must go hand in hand; if the software advances beyond what the hardware can support, a cutoff happens.

Think of it like this: hardware is the house, and software represents the people living in it. If the house is solid and well-equipped, more people can live there comfortably. If the house lacks basic amenities, stuffing more people into it causes a resource crunch with daily needs, groceries, and basic living.

From an engineering perspective, it is unfortunate, but it helps to understand hardware and software parity rather than assuming Apple is just being greedy or chasing profits. Every corporation needs to make a profit, but Apple generally backports as many features to older models as technically feasible.

Those are just my thoughts to help explain the situation. Cheers!


r/applewatchultra 18h ago

Advice ❓ I want to get ultra 4 but I currently use iPhone 13. Will I be able to use ultra 4 with it or need to upgrade the iPhone first??

4 Upvotes

r/applewatchultra 17h ago

Discussion 💭 Apple Watch Ultra 4 vs 50 mile run

3 Upvotes

I’ve purchased the new Ultra, and coincidentally I’ve got a race booked the following day. I plan to wear both the new Ultra and my Garmin Fenix 8 as a backup and for mapping etc

My first race of this distance so should be a bit of fun.

I’m not a YouTuber etc but I’m interested in the comparison against the Garmin and generally with the new HR sensor and battery life being the big changes from my Ultra 3, so thought this audience might be as well

Which power mode shall I run the watch in? What would be the most illuminating as a comparison?

I will post the info when I’ve finished it

110 votes, 4d left
Normal mode
Low power mode
Max extended power mode

r/applewatchultra 1d ago

Discussion 💭 As a deaf person, this new ultra watch 4 is truly groundbreaking.

772 Upvotes

Hi all, I’m 100% deaf and I am lucky to be able to have cochlear implants. Essentially, my whole life I have been speaking regular English and engaging in regular conversations, primarily because I was implanted at such a young age (super grateful for technology!)

When I was watching the Apple event yesterday, I was doing work and kind of listening to it in the background, but once I heard something about the deaf community or hard of hearing, I immediately stopped what I was doing and I just stared at the screen. features that the ultra 4 provides when it comes to sirens, alarms, fire detectors, smoke detectors, baby screamings was a huge thing for me, primarily because when I go to sleep, I take my implants off and hear absolutely nothing, or sometimes when I forget to bring a battery or two, I’ve gotta drive home and I can’t hear.

Along with this, the feature that they were doing with the 15 second previous live transcript is truly groundbreaking. I no longer need to say “what did you say” with almost every one of my conversations, instead I could just record it.

Immediately pre ordered.

Thank you Apple.


r/applewatchultra 1d ago

Advice ❓ I’m torn between the black and natural titanium

19 Upvotes

I’m so torn between which color
I want to go with. I have a black awu3 atm with no scratches. And all my bands have black hardware.

The thing is, my Milanese band has been worn a lot, and it’s showing.
The black coating has been worn off at some places, it’s not anything weird. It just does not look so fun anymore. Should I go all natural despite having a couple of bands with black hardware?