The Differences Between the Apple Watch Ultra and Ultra 2

The Apple Watch Ultra was a game changer when it released last year: finally, a larger and more rugged wearable for those obsessed with the outdoors. This year, Apple launched an upgraded Ultra that offers some additional features while still retaining the same look and feel as the original. So: How do the Apple Watch Ultra and Ultra 2 stack up against each other, and is it worth upgrading to the Watch Ultra 2 if you already have the first one?

Small improvements

Looking at the watches side by side, both of Apple’s high-end, rugged smartwatches look almost identical. That’s because Apple hasn’t updated the overall look or feel of the device—but that doesn’t mean there aren’t improvements under the hood.

For starters, the Ultra 2 has a brighter screen, offering up to 3,000 nits of brightness. While you’ll have no trouble seeing this screen in bright sunlight, it’s not like the original Ultra is dim: It has a 2,000 nit display, which means it is plenty bright, but you will notice those extra 1,000 nits when put to use. There’s also the improved Ultra Wideband Chip, which makes it possible to track down your Ultra 2 and iPhone 15 down to the meter, so long as it has power and is transmitting a signal.

Perhaps one of the biggest “additions” that Apple touted this year with the Ultra 2, as well as the Series 9, is the “double tap” gesture. This gesture lets you stop timers, play music, snooze alarms, answer and cancel phone calls, and more, by simply double-tapping your index finger and thumb together. You can use a similar gesture using an accessibility feature on older Apple Watches, but it won’t work quite as well as the official feature on the Ultra 2.

There are, of course, small improvements throughout, like a faster processor, a flashlight boost option that makes the on-screen flashlight brighter, as well as more accurate dictation thanks to improved neural engines and machine learning techniques.

Apple Watch Ultra specs

Watch size: 49mmMaterial: TitaniumDisplay: 1.91-inch, 410 x 502 pixel OLEDProcessor: S8 SiP with 64-bit dual-core processorConnectivity: LTE and UMTS, wifi, Bluetooth 5.3Memory and storage: 32GBBattery life: Up to 36 hours; 18 using LTEDimensions: 44 x 49 x 14.4 mmWeight: 61.3gColor: Natural titaniumAlways on display: YesAutomatic workout detection: YesCompass: YesAltimeter: YesWater resistance: Up to 100mMicrophone: YesSpeaker: YesVoice assistant: YesSleep tracking: YesPeriod tracking: YesSensors: SPo2 (blood oxygen), ECG, optical heart, ambient light, high dynamic range gyroscope, high-g accelerometer, water temperature, depth gauge + appGPS: YesEmergency features: International emergency calling, Emergency SOS, crash detection

Apple Watch Ultra 2 specs

Watch size: 49mmMaterial: TitaniumDisplay: 1.91-inch, 410 x 502 pixel OLEDProcessor: S9 SiP with 64-bit dual-core processorConnectivity: LTE and UMTS, wifi, Bluetooth 5.3Memory and storage: 64GBBattery life: 36 hours; up to 72 hours on low power modeDimensions: 44 x 49 x 14.4 mmWeight: 61.4gColor: Natural titaniumAlways on display: YesAutomatic workout detection: YesCompass: YesAltimeter: YesWater resistance: 10ATM (100 meters) and recreational scuba diving up to 40 metersMicrophone: YesSpeaker: YesVoice assistant: YesSleep tracking: YesPeriod tracking: YesSensors: SPo2 (blood oxygen), ECG, optical heart, ambient light, high dynamic range gyroscope, high-g accelerometer, water temperature, depth gauge + appGPS: YesEmergency features: International emergency calling, Emergency SOS, crash detection

Is it worth upgrading?

The short answer? No. While the additional improvements are nice on the Apple Watch Ultra 2, there aren’t enough changes to justify spending $800 only one year after purchasing the OG Ultra.

If you haven’t picked up an Apple Watch Ultra yet, though, and are eyeballing the Watch Ultra 2, then I’d recommend going ahead and buying the newer model, unless you can find a killer deal on the first-generation watch. It’s the same with most tech these days: Things don’t change too much model to model. It’s only after multiple iterations of a product do you start to see drastic improvements.

You can learn more about the latest model in my Apple Watch Ultra 2 review, or you can purchase the Apple Watch Ultra or Apple Watch Ultra 2 from Amazon.