Apple Watch Ultra (2022)

Highly durable build ; Luxury materials ; Three-day battery life ; Expertly judged special features ; Characterful design ; Does everything the normal Apple Watch does ; LTE as standard

Twice the price of the Series 10

“The Apple Watch Ultra's expertly made special features give it surprisingly wide appeal, with the long battery life and characterful, luxurious design making it a fantastic choice even for those not planning any daring adventures.”

Surprisingly comfortable Very durable and tough Solar and USB charging Software isn't intrusive

No sapphire crystal Much too big for sleep tracking

“The Casio G-Shock GPR-H1000 Rangeman is a brilliant hybrid smartwatch.”

Comfortable for the size ; Best battery life of any Apple Watch ; Comprehensive safety features ; Action button! ; Big screen is good for readability ; Improved durability ; All models come with cellular

Lacks recovery metrics ; No offline maps or turn-by-turn navigation ; More aspirational than hardcore ; Size may be too big for very petite wrists

Update, December 21, 11:00 AM ET : Updated to include results from further testing and the Ultra review video.

Comfortable and breathable ; Secure and highly adjustable ; The lightest, thinnest strap you can get ; Very secure, thanks to the G-hook ; Comfortable ; Good if you’re hiking in the rain ; The most fashion-forward of the three ; Definitely waterproof

It’s $99! ; So-so color options ; It’s $99!! ; G-hook is hard to take off quickly ; The orange one is ; so ; orange ; Did I mention it’s $99?! ; The removable clasp is finicky ; Not great for small wrists

If it’s simply a matter of aesthetics, I’d rather buy a third-party band. For $99, you could get at least six or seven attractive bands on Amazon, Etsy, and a dozen other places. Truly, there’s no limit to the styles and aesthetics you can find outside...

Highly rugged and water resistant ; Much better battery life than other Apple watches ; Customizable Action button ; Emergency siren ; Cellular connectivity comes standard ; Louder speaker than Series 8 ; Tactile buttons work with gloved hands ;...

Large ; Expensive ; Digital Crown may irritate skin

Though bulky and expensive, the rugged Apple Watch Ultra is an excellent adventure-focused wearable with features that encourage exploration and keep you safe in the wild.

Bold, utilitarian design ; Gorgeous display ; Action button unlocks a ton of functionality ; Really strong battery life ; Impressive athlete-tier fitness tracking

Not for small wrists ; Expensive ; You could probably get away with the Series 8

For professional athletes, the Apple Watch Ultra is the most fitting option, but what about regular people like me? It’s still an optimal choice for the average Joe with a big, beautiful display, that customizable action button and a ridiculous battery...

Large bright 49mm display ; Durably built ; Extra buttons and dual speakers ; Excellent battery life ; Integrated cell service for tracking

Expensive at $799 ; Too large for smaller wrists ; No offline mapping ; Limited metrics for athletes

I was pretty nervous about taking my $800 Apple Watch Ultra out on this grueling Tough Mudder event, given all of the crawling, climbing, and other physical obstacles I had to tackle. To my surprise, it held up really well and I still cannot believe...

Cool, indestructible design ; Outstanding smartwatch features ; Extremely accurate heart rate measurement ; Very accurate multi-band GPS

Works only with iOS ; Improved battery life compared to its predecessor ; No GPX import/export, no on-device navigation

At the end of the day, the Apple Watch is a fantastic smartwatch and an absolute no-brainer for the vast majority of iPhone users. There is no smartwatch that is so diverse and so successfully integrated into any ecosystem. On the sports and outdoor...