Apple’s keynotes in September were once the showcase for new iPhones, and users eagerly awaited the new smartphone features that the California manufacturer would conjure out of a hat. This time, the Apple Watch stole the show from the new iPhone 14. Above all, Apple’s new Lucky Punch: the Apple Watch Ultra.
And it basically has everything you’d expect from an Apple Watch: longer battery life, more robust housing, more accurate GPS, larger display, easier controls, better speaker and microphone quality, night mode, live compass, depth sounder for diving. Apple markets it as the “ultimate sports watch”:
Above all, in the presentation embedded above, you’ll notice one thing you haven’t seen from Apple in a long time: a kind of playfulness. There’s finally a product that the manufacturer really wanted to blow off steam with, make dreams come true and let the spirit of innovation flow into them. An Apple Watch Series 7 or 8 or just SE is nice to have. In comparison, an Apple Watch Ultra is the device that should bring the ultimate pleasure.
Apple Watch 8 vs Apple Watch Ultra
| Apple Watch Series 8 | Apple Watch Ultra |
|---|---|
| 45 or 41mm body, always-on Retina LTPO OLED display with 1,000 nits | 49mm case, always-on Retina LTPO OLED display with 2000 nits |
| S8 chip with 64-bit dual-core processor, Aple W3 wireless chip, U1 ultra-wideband chip | S8 chip with 64-bit dual-core processor, Aple W3 wireless chip, U1 ultra-wideband chip |
| Dustproof according to IP6X, housing made of aluminum or stainless steel (sapphire glass also for stainless steel), swim-proof and water resistant to 50 m | IP6X dust resistant, military standard 810H tested, sapphire crystal on the front with edge protection, titanium case, swim proof, water resistant to 100m, diving to 40m |
| 4G/3G and GPS (on mobile models), WiFi n, 2.4 and 5 GHz, Bluetooth 5.0 | 4G/3G and dual frequency GPS, WiFi n, 2.4 and 5 GHz, Bluetooth 5.3 |
| Battery life up to 18 hours (even more with the upcoming power saving mode) | Battery life up to 36 hours (even more with the upcoming power-saving mode) |
| Blood oxygen app, ECG, temperature detection, cycle log with ovulation estimates, emergency SOS, international emergency calls, fall detection, accident detection, compass app with waypoints and backtack, always-on altimeter, mobile with international roaming, SpO2 sensor, electrical and optical heart sensor | Blood oxygen app, ECG, temperature detection, cycle log with ovulation estimates, emergency SOS, international emergency calls, fall detection, accident detection, compass app with waypoints and backtack, always-on altimeter, mobile with international roaming, SpO2 sensor, electrical and optical heart sensor |
| 2nd generation speakers and microphone | Depth sounder with water temperature sensor, 86 decibel siren, Customizable action button, Dual speakers, Ring of three microphones, Beamforming |
| Price: GPS version only: 499 euros, GPS + mobile: from 619 euros, with titanium case and mobile: from 849 euros | Price with GPS + Mobile: 999 euros |
999 euros – too expensive?
Is the Apple Watch Ultra at the right time? Here I would say yes and no. On the one hand, the corona pandemic has shown many people their own movement profile again. Many have used the pandemic to rediscover sport for themselves and always have a smartwatch on their wrist as a sort of personal coach. Meanwhile, others realize they want to catch up. And now Apple is offering a watch that is completely dedicated to sports and would even be suitable for extreme athletes.
But we also want to talk about the price. 999 euros – that’s twice as much as you have to pay for at least one Apple Watch Series 8, which is also new. Or three times as much as for the new Watch SE if you’re only interested in the secret killer features of an Apple Watch, like hassle-free mobile payments.
Let’s not kid ourselves: times are uncertain, inflation is rising, money isn’t so easy anymore. Here, people will weigh very carefully whether they want to spend as much on a sports watch as they do on a smartphone – the iPhone 14 with 128 GB, for example, costs the same amount. Unlike the “regular” Apple Watch, the Watch Ultra is in a price range that doesn’t even allow you to use a few convenience functions.
What is Apple planning for the Watch Ultra?
On the other hand, the Watch Series 8 only starts at 499 euros. If you also want to communicate mobile, then you are at 619 euros. If it is titanium and sapphire glass, then that is at least 849 euros. Here the step to the 150 euro more expensive Watch Ultra is not so big anymore.
Apple will see it the same way and will approach it with cautious expectations, having initially ordered small quantities. To accustom users to premium prices for the most important product in the long run, the Apple Watch? That is also possible, because the concept of the Watch Ultra is certainly not reminiscent of the iPhone X from five years ago. Apple broke through the magical $1,000 mark for the company’s best smartphone for the first time. Nowadays, even 1,500 euros is a common price for a well-equipped iPhone Pro. Users pay when they want the best Apple products.
And if times remain stable. Because that’s Apple’s biggest danger: that the money for something like the ultimate sports watch just isn’t there anymore. Let’s hope for the best!