The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is the pinnacle of Apple’s wearable lineup, purpose-built for endurance athletes and outdoor adventurers. To meet these demanding lifestyles, Apple equipped the Ultra 2 with a rugged 49mm titanium case, a large battery, and advanced features like precision dual-frequency GPS, customizable Action button, and water resistance up to 100 meters. It’s not drastically different from the first iteration, the Apple Watch Ultra, but the refinements make a difference during everyday use.
“It’s better in the little ways that will make it more useful in the long run,” Williams said in his review of the Ultra 2. It’s a more finely-tuned version of the Ultra, with a brighter 3,000-nit display for better visibility in direct sunlight and a sleek satin black color that gives it a more sophisticated, professional look. At 14.4mm thick, it’s notably larger than the 9.7mm Series 10, but the rugged build delivers impressive durability and the best battery life in the Apple Watch lineup—up to 36 hours of normal use, or 72 hours on lower-power mode.
The Ultra 2’s customizable Action button remains one of its standout features, providing instant access to preferred workouts or functions quickly. Combined with the enhanced altimeter and precision GPS, the watch excels at everything from trail running to deep-sea diving. The upgraded S9 chip enables new features like double-tap gestures and on-device Siri processing, making interaction more intuitive than ever. Beyond extreme scenarios, I’ve found double-tap surprisingly helpful as a busy dad when my hands are full and I need to answer or end a phone call.
For outdoor adventurers, the Ultra 2 includes an automatic night mode, which switches to a red display to preserve your night vision. In emergencies, the built-in siren can be heard up to 600 feet away, helping rescue teams locate you if you’re lost of injured. The Ultra 2’s water resistance goes beyond the Series 10. It’s built to handle extreme water sports like wakeboarding and jet skiing, and meets EN13319 certification for recreational scuba diving. When paired with the Oceanic+ app, it becomes a capable dive computer, allowing you to plan and log your dives, track depth and time, and see the current water temperature.
The $799 price tag puts the Ultra 2 at the premium end of the market, but its combination of rugged durability, extended battery life, and advanced features make it the ideal option for athletes and adventurers. And thanks to some great Ultra 2 bands, you can still wear it for those dressier occasions if you want. According to Williams, if you own the original Ultra, it’s not worth upgrading to the Ultra 2. But if you’re a new adopter, the Ultra 2 is an excellent place to start.
