Apple Watch Ultra [GPS + Cellular 49mm] Smart Watch w/Rugged Titanium Case & Midnight Ocean Band. Fitness Tracker, Precision GPS, Action Button, Extra-Long Battery Life, Brighter Retina Display

This is my first Apple smartwatch. I refused to pay hundreds of dollars for a device that required recharging in less than 24 hours. I was also not impressed by the lack of durability of Apple watches -- everyone I know with one, it is scratched-up and looks like crap. So for many years I owned cheaper brands with 1 week or more battery life. When the Ultra was released in 2022, despite the high cost and only 3 days of battery life, I purchased one. My company covered 75% of the cost through our health wellness program, so it was not a painful purchase. Boy, is there so much to love about this watch. Both the body and band are tough and high quality -- so much so, it only has one small scuff mark after more than 2 years. The iPhone and overall Apple ecosystem integration makes this a joy to wear, as I don't need to carry the phone around at work and home. Despite not enabling a mobile phone number, I can receive phone calls on the watch while outside in the yard. And finally, the use of apps on the phone is much easier than anticipated despite the small screen. In closing, this is truly a smartwatch I can keep for 6-10 years and will not hesitate to pay for a battery replacement.

This is my first Apple Watch. It replaced a Versa 2, which replaced a Versa. I always was afraid of the poor battery life that Apple Watches have (my wife has an Apple Watch 8 and can barely make it through the day and sometimes doesn’t) especially compared with my Fitbit, but I decided to take the plunge when after several years my Fitbit battery had finally had it. I do miss the ease (in my judgement) of the Fitbit app for checking on my “moving” progress throughout the day but the Fitness app will suffice. I have never had less than 60% battery left when I take my watch off in the morning to charge before jumping into the shower. The watch is responsive, and I love that I can read and respond to texts on my watch if needed. (I don’t have my phone in my pocket). With my Versa, texts didn’t always come through and because I have an iPhone and. It Android, could never respond. It is not as easy to respond as it is on my phone, but works well enough. I also like that I can play my playlists while I exercise and don’t have to have my phone, yet it still track my walks or other exercise. I have tried to stream my playlists from Spotify, but that is a mixed bag. Sometimes it works and others it does not. I also like all of the apps that I can run, some being more than others useful in a small screen. I am glad I waited until the Ultra for the larger screen, longer battery life, and tough titanium casing. I also like how the screen is protected by metal on the sides and doesn’t wrapped around the watch face. I do still keep a screen protector just in case.

Best gift and he loved it!!!

The battery lasts for days. If you like to wear your watch at night to track sleep, now you can do that. If you want to get away for the weekend and forget your watch charger, no problem. The larger size is more dude friendly compared to other watches out there these days with the larger faces. New left side button is programmable and great for stuff you use often or need in a hurry. I use it for workouts. One tap and I am there. Also, the larger screen is much easier to read if you have less than perfect vision. Previous upgrades have been unremarkable. This is the first upgrade that actually makes a difference. I have an original Apple Watch and a Series 7 to compare to the Ultra. Also, the ocean band is so substantial that I won’t use my assortment of other bands. They seem too dainty now to me. I will say this might be too big for most women’s wrists and taste. My wife barely tolerates her 45mm Series 7 and there is no way she would ever wear the Ultra at 49mm and extra thickness.

This problem will soon come up and bite you. If you have an iPhone 8 or older the ULTRA watch will not be upgraded to WatchOS 10 and may no longer communicate with the phone. First, you don't buy a watch at this price because you need it; you buy it because you WANT it. My Apple Watch Series 7 did basically the same thing at much less cost. All my life I have settled for less than the best, refurbished vs new, used cars, etc. This time around I decided to go for broke. This is my first brand spanking new Apple Watch (It is my 4th one), also the most expensive one. Don't kid yourself, this watch is heavy. With a metal band it weighs 1/4 pound. The supplied charger has a USB-C connector vs a USB connector, so you might require an adapter. The band I used on my Series 7 45mm watch fits this watch also, but I ended up buying a metal band to match the Titanium color of the watch. One minor complaint: The position of the "new Function" button places it nearly under your thumb (when worn on left hand) making it easy to accidently press when using the crown, to measure ECG for example. The new Wayfinder watch face is great looking and offers 10 complications. As with all Apple watches initial setup was easy. As another customer observed, this watch won't be made obsolete by Apple very soon.

I'm legally blind so use Voiceover with the Apple Watch Ultra as well as my Mac and iPad pro. This review may be a little different than those from sighted users... I decided to go for the Apple Watch Ultra for a few reasons: 1. The sound output is clearer/louder than the standard Apple Watch. This is good because when you only rely on speech output to use the watch and you're in an environment with background noise etc, you aren't struggling to hear the audio output as much. 2. The battery life is amazing! It's great to not have to worry about that every day. 3. The sound quality is really clear when recording with the voice memos app. (Although that may be the same on the S9;I'm not sure.) 4. The siren is a useful thing to have...although I hope I never need it for anything serious. 5. Voiceover is really snappy on the Ultra! I mainly use the watch for the time, (of course) the weather, notifications, the health features, recording things, and sometimes for Facetime audio calls. It seems really durable although just to be safe, I do have a screen protector installed. To wrap this up, if you are blind/legally blind, this smart watch is an excellent choice! I can't wait to see what they come up with in regards to future watch generations.

The large face gets dirty easily. I use it for tracking my training program. Also for tracking my health. It’s everything that it’s supposed to be. Get the black or clear snap on cover it will save you some dings that I already have. The black watch band needs to be longer. My wrist go out to next to last hole. When I use my gym gloves they constantly set off the alarm app, which doesn’t go on unless I activate the alarm.Get the covers for the watch and save yourself a cracked glass. Get the extra insurance which will save you from breaking the watch and getting it fixed, which is costly. It’s a good watch and does lots of things left to your imagination. I wish I could program my own alarm music instead of picking out their noise.

Love: -BATTERY BATTERY BATTERY.... I love that it lasts 3 days. -I like that it's big. Looks more masculine. -The speaker is pretty loud and convenient to take calls -Works well in the gym with Apple Music and my AirPods Pro 2. I leave my phone in the locker. Hate: -You can ONLY use Apple Music without your phone. That's another $10.99 a month ($131.88 per year) -Cellular data is another $10 a month ($120 a year) -Steps count isn't accurate on the treadmill -Uconnect to start my car doesn't work on the watch app with only cellular. Needs iPhone close.