Apple Watch Ultra 2 – Full Review (2024–2025)
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is Apple’s most powerful, durable, and feature-packed smartwatch, designed for outdoor enthusiasts, athletes, divers, and professionals who need extreme performance. It builds on the original Ultra with major upgrades in display brightness, performance, and usability, while keeping the same rugged identity.
Quick Overview
- Release date: September 2023
- Positioning: Premium rugged smartwatch
- Best for: Outdoor sports, adventure, diving, endurance training
- Starting price: Premium tier (higher than Series models)
Design & Build Quality
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is built like a tank.
🔩 Materials
- 49mm titanium case (light, strong, corrosion-resistant)
- Sapphire crystal display (extremely scratch-resistant)
- Raised edges protect the screen from impacts
💧 Durability
- Water resistant to 100 meters
- EN13319 certified for recreational diving
- Works in extreme temperatures and harsh environments
- MIL-STD-810H certified (shock, dust, vibration)
👉 Verdict: One of the toughest smartwatches you can buy.
Display (Best-in-Class)
🌞 The Ultra 2 has the brightest display Apple has ever made.
- Up to 3,000 nits brightness (huge upgrade)
- OLED Retina LTPO display
- Excellent visibility in direct sunlight, snow, and underwater
- Always-On display with night mode (red tones for darkness)
👉 Verdict: Industry-leading brightness and readability.
Performance & Chip
⚡ Powered by the S9 SiP chip.
Improvements:
- Faster app loading
- Smoother animations
- On-device Siri (works without internet for basic tasks)
- Better efficiency
👉 Verdict: Very fast and reliable, especially for workouts and navigation.
Battery Life (One of Its Biggest Strengths)
🔋 Battery life is where Ultra 2 truly shines.
- Up to 36 hours of normal use
- Up to 72 hours in Low Power Mode
- Easily lasts 2–3 days for many users
- Fast charging supported
👉 Verdict: Excellent battery life compared to standard Apple Watches.
Health Features
Apple Watch Ultra 2 includes all of Apple’s top health tools:
❤️ Health Tracking
- Heart rate monitoring
- ECG
- Blood oxygen (availability depends on region)
- Body temperature tracking (during sleep)
- Sleep stages & sleep tracking
- Cycle tracking
⚠️ Note: It does NOT measure blood pressure or blood sugar.
Fitness & Sports Tracking
This is where the Ultra 2 dominates.
🏃♂️ Sports & Activities
- Running, cycling, hiking, swimming
- Triathlon mode
- Strength training
- Skiing & snowboarding
- Advanced metrics for endurance athletes
🧭 GPS & Navigation
- Dual-frequency precision GPS (L1 + L5)
- Extremely accurate tracking in cities, mountains, forests
- Backtrack feature
- Waypoints
- Compass with elevation and bearings
👉 Verdict: One of the most accurate GPS watches ever made.
Diving & Water Sports
🌊 Designed with divers in mind.
- Depth tracking up to 40 meters
- Oceanic+ app support
- Dive computer replacement for recreational divers
- Water temperature tracking
👉 Verdict: Unique among smartwatches — true dive capability.
Safety Features
🚨 Industry-leading safety tools:
- Fall Detection
- Crash Detection
- Emergency SOS
- Siren (86 dB – very loud)
- International emergency calling
Buttons & Controls
- Action Button (customizable): start workouts, mark waypoints, dive
- Large Digital Crown (usable with gloves)
- Extra side button for rugged use
👉 Very practical for extreme conditions.
Connectivity
- GPS + Cellular standard
- Bluetooth & Wi-Fi
- Precision Find iPhone (Ultra Wideband)
- Works best with iPhone (Apple ecosystem)
Pros & Cons
✅ Pros
- Extremely durable and premium build
- Brightest smartwatch display (3000 nits)
- Excellent battery life
- Best GPS accuracy
- True outdoor & diving features
- On-device Siri
- Loud safety siren
❌ Cons
- Expensive
- Large size (not ideal for small wrists)
- Only one size (49mm)
- Best features require iPhone
- Overkill for casual users
Who Should Buy Apple Watch Ultra 2?
✔️ Outdoor adventurers
✔️ Hikers, runners, cyclists
✔️ Divers & water sports lovers
✔️ People who want maximum battery life + durability
✔️ Professionals working in harsh environments
❌ Who should NOT buy it?
- Casual smartwatch users
- People with small wrists
- Users who want a lightweight, elegant watch
- Android users
Apple Watch Ultra 2 vs Series Models
| Feature | Ultra 2 | Series 9 / 10 |
|---|---|---|
| Battery | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| Durability | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| GPS | Dual-frequency | Standard |
| Diving | Yes | No |
| Size | Large (49mm) | Smaller options |
Final Verdict
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is the best rugged smartwatch Apple has ever made. It’s not for everyone, but if you need extreme durability, long battery life, elite GPS accuracy, and advanced outdoor features, there is nothing better in the Apple ecosystem.
⭐ Overall Rating: 9.5 / 10