Apple Watch Ultra review: Reliable or not gadget?

Is the Apple Watch Ultra a Reliable Gadget? A Comprehensive Review


For whom?

Occasional and urban sportsmen. Not for pros athletes (Garmin remains a leader). Targets Apple users demanding autonomy and robustness without giving up smartfeatures.

See the Apple Watch Ultra and the opinions on Amazon

Design & Comfort

  • Solid : Aerospace titanium, flat sapphire glass, waterproof 100m. Survivor of extreme shocks and environments.

  • Bulky : 49mm, 61g. Acceptable for wrists> 17cm. Overwhelmed by hybrid watches (withings) in discretion.

Features

  • Serious sensors : Double frequency GPS (precise in town/forest), reliable optical cardio, barometric altimeter.

  • Limited gadgets : 86DB siren useful, customizable action button. Diving (30m max) and water temperature add little real value.

Autonomy

  • Real 36h in normal use (vs 6 p.m. for a series 9). 72 hours in energy saving mode (GPS every minute).

  • Insufficiency For trails of several days. Far from the 20+ days of the Garmin Fenix.

Strengths

  • Best OLED screen (3000 Nits), readable in the sun.

  • Perfect integration iOS (contactless payment, custom notifications).

  • Detailed health file (Sleep apnea detection, ECG).

Weak points

  • Prohibitive price (€ 899).

  • Absent offline cartography. No ANT+ for pros sensors.

  • Too tech design for formal outfits.

Verdict
Top For Apple users ready to pay a premium for a versatile urban/outdoor tool. Flop For extreme sports purists or tight budgets.

Alternative ::

  • Garmin Fenix ​​7 Pro (€ 1,000): autonomy of madness, carto topo, advanced metrics.

  • Withings Scanwatch 2 (€ 299): hybrid elegance + medical follow -up.

  • Casio G-Shock GBD-H2000 (400 €): Useful brutalism, 1 year of battery.

If Apple ecosystem> Everything : Ultra 2 is essential. If endurance/performance priority : Garmin crushes.

Comparison table: Apple Watch Ultra vs. 4 other watches

Characteristic Apple Watch Ultra Garmin Fenix ​​7 Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro SUUNTO 9 PEAK Polar Grit x Pro
1. Release date September 2022 January 2022 August 2022 June 2021 October 2021
2. Watchos 9 (or later) Owner (Garmin OS) Wear modified os (One Ui Watch) Owner (SUUNTO OS) Owner (Polar OS)
3. Titanium (Apple Special) Reinforced polymer + steel/titanium telescope Titanium Stainless steel + polymer Stainless steel
4. Bracelet material Rubber, nylon or other (depending on options) Silicone or metal/leather bracelet (various models) Silicone or leather bracelet (customizable) Silicone or textile bracelet Silicone or leather bracelet (multiple options)
5. Dimensions (approx.) 49 x 44 x 14.4 mm 47 x 47 x 14.5 mm (standard model) 45 x 45 x 10.5 mm 43 x 43 x 10.6 mm 47 x 47 x 13 mm
6. Weight (without bracelet) ~ 61 g ~ 79 g (steel version) ~ 46 g ~ 52 g ~ 79 g
7. screen OLED (Retina LTPO) MIP (transflective) Color Amoled Color matrix Always-On Mip Color
8. Screen type Tactile + Digital Crown Tactile and 5 physical buttons Tactile + virtual telescope Tactile + pimples Tactile + pimples
9. Screen size (approx.) 1.92 inches 1.3 inches 1.4 inches 1.2 inches 1.2 inches
10. Resolution (approx.) 502 x 410 px 260 x 260 px 450 x 450 px 240 x 240 px 240 x 240 px
11. Luminosity max. Up to 2,000 nits N/A (transflective screen, readable in full sun) Up to 1,000 nits ~ 300 Nits Readable in full sun (transflective)
12. Digital crown Yes, Apple signature No No (touch control + virtual bezel) No No
13. 100 m 10 ATM (100 m) 5 ATM (50 m) 10 ATM (100 m) 10 ATM (100 m)
14. MIL-STD certification Yes (Mil-Std-810h) Yes (MIL-STD-810G) Unofficially Yes (Mil-Std-810h) Yes (MIL-STD-810G)
15. Heart frequency sensor Advanced optics + ECG Garmin Elevate Samsung optical sensor SUUNTO optical sensor Optical Precision Sensor Prime
16. ECG (electrocardiogram) Yes No Yes No No
17. Integrated GPS Yes, multiband Yes, multi-gNSS Yes, GPS + Glonass Yes, GPS + Glonass Yes, GPS + Glonass
18. Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
19. Altimeter Yes (still active) Yes Yes Yes Yes
20. Gyroscope Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
21. Accelerometer Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
22. Bousson Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
23. SPO2 (blood oxygenation) Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
24. Sleep monitoring Yes (via watchos + third -party apps) Yes (Garmin Sleep Tracking) Yes (Samsung Health) Yes (Suunto App) Yes (Polar Sleep Plus Stages)
25. Contactless payment Apple Pay Garmin Pay Google Pay / Samsung Pay No (not native) No (not native)
26. Internal storage 32 GB 16 GB (depending on model) 16 GB 8 GB 8 GB
27. Micro and integrated speaker Yes Yes (limited functions) Yes No (microphone not present on certain models) No
28. Cell Log (LTE) LTE option No Yes (optional LTE) No No
29. Autonomy announced 36 hours (up to 60 in low consumption mode) Up to 18 days (GPS activated ~ 57h) ~ 3 days in mixed use ~ 7 days (GPS mode ~ 25h) Up to 7 days (GPS ~ 40h)
30. Fast load Yes No, standard load Yes (quick charge wireless) No No
31. Wi-fi Yes (802.11 b/g/n) Yes Yes Yes Yes
32. Bluetooth 5.3 5.0 5.2 5.0 5.0
33. NFC Yes, for Apple Pay Yes, for Garmin Pay Yes, for Google Pay / Samsung Pay No No
34. Offline music Yes (Apple Music, Spotify, etc.) Yes (Spotify, Deezer, etc.) Yes (Spotify, YouTube Music) Yes (limited) Yes (Polar Flow / Thirds)
35. Application ecosystem Dedicated app Limited Garmin apps Google Play (but limited on watches) SUUNTO APP + PARTNERS Polar Flow + few third -party apps
36. IOS compatibility Excellent (native) Good (Garmin Connect iOS) Compatible via Wear OS, lower features Yes (SUUNTO AP IOS) Yes (Polar Flow iOS)
37. Android compatibility Limited (certain unavailable functions) Excellent (Garmin Connect Android) Total (Google integration) Yes Yes
38. Advanced sports functions Running, swimming, triathlon, etc. (via apps) Ultra complete (trail, hike, VO2 max, etc.) Good, but more oriented overall fitness Focused on the extreme outdoor Focused cardio and outdoor training
39. Followed by stress Yes (via heart sensor + apps) Yes (Garmin stress score) Yes (Samsung Health) Basic (via heart rate) Yes (Polar Precision Prime)
40. Approximate price ~ 999 € ~ € 699 (depending on versions) ~ 469 € (without LTE), ~ 519 € (LTE) ~ 499 € ~ 499 €

The ultra -watch apple watch incorporates a water temperature sensor and a depth gauge for diving, allowing to measure the depth until 40 meters and record thermal variations during immersions. This data is used by specialized applications to optimize underwater performance.

Another little -known technical detail: sound Double GPS (L1 and L5) Combines two antennas for increased precision, even in an urban or forest environment. This feature is crucial for demanding runners or hikers.

THE Action buttoncustomizable, can trigger specific shortcuts such as torch mode, training or recording a benchmark via the compass app.

Finally, his screen reached 2,000 nitsmaking it perfectly readable in full sun, and switches to Red Fashion Night (activated via the crown) to preserve night vision.

An unusual detail: the aeronautical titanium housing includes a Couronne protector Reinforced, designed to avoid accidental triggers during extreme activities.

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