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If you’ve been waiting for Apple to build the ultimate Apple Watch, look no further: this is the best Apple Watch ever made, and it finally delivers on the key promise of a true Ultra experience.
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The Apple Watch Ultra 3 joins a recent industry trend of thinner and lighter devices, which has yielded the ultra-thin Galaxy Z Fold 7 and the Apple iPhone Air. It’s considerably thinner than the Apple Watch Ultra 2, thereby addressing the biggest challenge of the previous generation: its considerable heft.
The difference is remarkable. I commented last year that the impressively thin Apple Watch 10 persuaded me to give up my Apple Watch Ultra 2. However, the same changes have transformed the Apple Watch Ultra 3 into a still hefty yet elegant smartwatch. It’s definitely thicker than some of the best smartwatches, but no longer as noticeable in everyday usage.
Of course, it takes more than just a thin smartwatch, but the Apple Watch Ultra 3 also delivers in this regard. The display is up to 50% brighter, reaching a peak brightness of up to 3,000 nits, while the wide viewing angles are surprisingly useful in day-to-day usage.
Then there’s the 1Hz Always-On refresh rate, which finally allows the Apple Watch to have a live-updating seconds hand on the watch faces. That’s the headline feature, but the ability to drop to just 1Hz also helps extend the battery life considerably.
Ultimately, the Apple Watch Ultra 3 sets a benchmark for the best smartwatches to aspire to. If you can handle the larger size, this is the best Apple Watch ever made.
Specs
There are four key areas in which the Apple Watch Ultra 3 has notable improvements, making it the most comprehensive Apple Watch ever produced. These address the final key areas in which the Apple Watch Ultra 2 fell short.
Small design changes have a huge impact
The biggest improvement in the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is also the least visible: the thinner design. This addresses the key challenge with past Ultra watches — their size — and makes them comfortable to wear every day.
The Apple Watch Ultra 3 measures 12 mm thick, which is a significant reduction from the Apple Watch Ultra 2, which is 2.4 mm thicker. There are negligible differences in the weight, but the reduced thickness ensures it’s comfortable to wear for extended periods. Notably, it feels just as comfortable as any other smartwatch.
The new LTPO3 display is the largest yet on an Apple Watch, surpassing the Apple Watch 10, which took that crown last year. It now offers a 1Hz Always-on refresh rate, allowing you to have a live-updating second hand on your watch face, as well as a maximum brightness of 3,000 nits.
Both are solid upgrades, particularly the increased brightness, but the biggest is the new wide viewing angle; every smartwatch needs to copy the wide viewing angles of the Apple Watch Ultra 3. It makes the Always-on display infinitely more useful when moving your watch, such as when raising it to eye-level, or rotating your wrist to see it more clearly. The latter was a particular problem with previous watches, but the upgrade here makes it far more useful.
The Apple Watch finally offers full sleep tracking
Of course, a new Apple Watch means updates to Apple Health, and there are two core new features on the Apple Watch Ultra 3, although both are also available on past Apple Watches as part of the watchOS 26 update.
First, there’s an all-new Sleep report, complete with a Sleep Score. The Apple Watch has been notable for lacking this feature, and while this doesn’t add anything new for smartwatches — and simply matches the same feature on the Galaxy Watch 8 and Pixel Watch 4 — it is a much-needed improvement for the Apple Watch.
Alongside this, the Apple Watch Ultra 3 now also offers deeper insights into the different sleep stages you enter while asleep. This is particularly useful if you’re suffering from Sleep Apnea, which the Apple Watch Ultra 3 can also detect.
Hypertension warnings are a big addition to health
The other new feature is hypertension alerts, which is also known as high blood pressure.
This represents a significant step forward for Apple’s cardiovascular health offerings. After a period of learning, the Apple Watch Ultra 3 — and previous Apple Watches — will be able to alert users to potential high blood pressure.
High blood pressure is a silent killer, and was one of the causes of my heart attack five years ago at 33 years old. Being able to alert to the possibility of this could help save even more lives, particularly as it could also be used for new diagnoses.
Of course, it’s also worth noting that this isn’t as useful as it could be. I hope this is the first step towards on-demand blood pressure monitoring, similar to the Galaxy Watch 8. Perhaps, one day, the Apple Watch will come with a medical-grade blood pressure cuff built into the band, similar to the Huawei Watch D2.
Outstanding battery life and fast charging
The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is a series of small upgrades, but one of these has a surprisingly profound impact on day-to-day usage: faster charging.
Thanks to slightly faster charging, the Apple Watch Ultra 3 can now charge to 80% in approximately 47 minutes — two minutes shy of the official estimate — while a full charge takes 75 minutes, as promised by Apple.
Notably, the claim is that five minutes is sufficient for 8 hours of sleep tracking, and a 15-minute charge should provide 12 hours of normal usage. In my testing, the Apple Watch Ultra 3 lived up to both of these claims, although further testing is likely needed on the sleep tracking feature to confirm its accuracy.
The biggest surprise with the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is the battery life. Apple claims 42 hours of usage, but in my testing, it lasts much longer. I’ve used it for a weekend away — Friday evening to Monday morning — and the battery lasted until Monday evening.
Granted, this was with the Always-on display disabled, but battery life has been incredibly impressive overall. The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is an endurance champion, serving as a testament to the capabilities of a smartwatch battery.
Should you buy the Apple Watch Ultra 3?
This is the most complete Apple Watch ever made, and even if you don’t need the advanced benefits while diving or running, the outstanding battery life likely makes this a must-have for most people.
The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is the first Apple Watch that I feel confident could last a weekend away, meaning I don’t need to worry about carrying a charger with me. That’s a powerful feeling, and it means that this is a true multi-day battery life champion, even with the AOD enabled.
However, if you have the Apple Watch Ultra 2, you don’t need to upgrade unless the thickness is a current problem. The rest of the experience is a solid upgrade, but it’s challenging to justify spending several hundred dollars on it.
You should buy the Apple Watch Ultra 3 if…
You want the best Apple Watch money can buy
You want the best battery life on an Apple Watch
You want a fantastic, large display
You should not buy the Apple Watch Ultra 3 if…