Apple Watch Ultra 2 vs Apple Watch Ultra: Clash of the titans
The Apple Watch Ultra broke new ground as Apple’s first rugged wearable, but now that its successor is here, is there a new king in town?
Prior to the release of the Apple Watch Ultra, there wasn’t really a device within Apple’s range that could be easily recommended to marathon runners and outdoor adventurers. Watches from the likes of Garmin and Coros were a far better bet for their impressive battery life and GPS capabilities, not to mention all of the additional metrics they’d offer in the realm of health and fitness.
With the Apple Watch Ultra on the market however, Apple’s been able to tap into the fitness end of the market with a new vertical, and since its release we’ve wondered exactly how a successor might top it. Now that the Apple Watch Ultra 2 has been officially unveiled, the wait is over and we know exactly what separates the two devices.
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is much brighter
The Apple Watch Ultra brought about a huge leap forward in screen technology for the range, boasting a peak brightness of 1000 nits. That’s impressive enough already, but the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is here to decimate that feature.
Thanks to newer screen tech, the Ultra 2 can hit a peak brightness of 3000 nits which is such a leap that it’s almost difficult to comprehend, but it does mean that the newer watch should be an even better buy for any underwater divers where screen brightness is essential.
The Watch Ultra 2 will be a lot faster
Just like the standard Apple Watch 9, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 will pack the new S9 chipset which has been designed with a significantly upgraded CPU for increased speeds and a few neat software touches too.
For instance, the Ultra 2 can now perform Siri tasks on-device, without the need to funnel requests over to a phone or the internet first. This is particularly handy as it means you can perform functions like requesting a new route destination via Siri on the Watch Ultra 2.
There’s no price increase on the Watch Ultra 2
As with any new piece of tech, there’s always the worry that there’ll be a higher price to go along with all the new features but for anyone holding their breath, you can exhale calmly because there’s no price increase to speak of on the Apple Watch Ultra 2.
Just like the original Watch Ultra, the Watch Ultra 2 retails with a starting price of £849/$799, so if you’ve been waiting to buy into the ‘Ultra’ line for the first time then you won’t be penalised by opting for the newer kit.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.