Apple Watch Ultra 3 review: the biggest and best smartwatch for an iPhone
The biggest, baddest and boldest Apple Watch is back for its third generation, adding a bigger screen, longer battery life and satellite messaging for when lost in the wilderness.The Guardian’s journalism is independent.We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link.Learn more.The Ultra 3 is Apple’s answer to adventure watches such as Garmin’s Fenix 8 Pro while being a full smartwatch for the iPhone with all the trimmings.
As such, it is not cheap, costing from £749 (€899/$799/A$1,399) – £50 less than 2023’s model – sitting above the £369-plus Series 11 and £219 Watch SE 3,From the outside it doesn’t look like a lot has changed for the Ultra 3 over its two-year-old predecessor,Available in natural or black titanium, it is exactly the same size but squeezes in a slightly bigger screen with smaller bezels making it the largest on an Apple Watch,The display is much brighter when viewed at an angle, which makes seeing it at a glance a lot easier, and now shows ticking seconds when idle like the Series 10 and 11,It is very bright, covered by super-hard sapphire glass and has one of the very best screens on a watch.
The Ultra 3 has the same S10 chip as the Series 11 and the same excellent touch-free gestures.Double tap your thumb and index finger to press buttons or scroll, or flick your wrist quickly away from you and back to dismiss alarms, notifications or return to the watch face.Apple has managed to fit a 6% larger battery into the Ultra 3, which lasts a good three-plus days between charges with general usage and sleep tracking over night.Most people will need to put it on the charger every third night, which is a good day longer than any other Apple Watch, although some way behind the week-long battery of adventure watch rivals from Garmin and others.The watch fully charges in about two hours, hitting 50% in 30 minutes via the included USB-C magnetic charging puck.
The watch supports 5G, if you have a compatible phone plan, and has noticeably stronger cellular reception in weaker signal areas for 4G.Apple has also brought its free satellite SOS messaging from the iPhone to the Ultra 3, which allows you to contact the emergency services via text using satellites when out of cellular signal range.Satellites can also be used for Find My location tracking and messages to friends and loved ones, although the latter is only available in the US, Canada and Mexico, and both need a compatible cellular data plan.The Ultra 3 runs the same recent watchOS 26 software as the Series 11 and other Apple Watches, which introduced a revamped design and some new watch faces.In addition, the Ultra 3 has an attractive new Waypoint watch face, which has a live compass that shows points of interest around you.
It joins a few other information-dense Ultra-exclusive faces, including the Wayfinder and Modular Ultra.Case size: 49 x 44mmCase thickness: 12mmWeight: 61.8gProcessor: S10Storage: 64GBOperating system: watchOS 26Water resistance: 100 metres (10ATM)Sensors: HR, ECG, spO2, temp, depth, dual-band GPS, compass, altimeterConnectivity: Bluetooth 5.3, wifi n, NFC, UWB, satellite, optional 5G/eSIMThe Ultra supports the same comprehensive health and fitness-tracking capabilities as the standard Apple Watch.That includes a wealth of heart health monitoring, such as ECG, abnormal rhythm notifications, blood oxygen tracking, and new hypertension alerts that analyse 30-days of readings for signs of high blood pressure.
It has Apple’s new sleep score metric, which makes it easier to understand your tracked sleep, plus wrist temperature monitoring, cycle tracking with ovulation estimation and many other tools,The Ultra builds on the workout tracking of the standard Apple Watch in a couple of ways,The extra action button in the side can be used to quickly start a workout, but unlike Apple’s other watches you can wait until you have a GPS lock before starting the exercise by pressing it again,The best bit is a dual-band GPS system that boosts tracking accuracy in tricky environments, such as dense urban areas with tall buildings or in woods,It’s a feature found on the top running watches and has been improved since the initial Ultra to become one of the most accurate on the market, matching or beating the very best in urban GPS stress tests.
It also tracks a good number of metrics including the usual distance, pace and cadence, plus running power and dynamics, training load and heart rate zones.It can be loaded with structured workouts such as intervals, and it has a very good track detection mode for doing laps.The Ultra has similarly good cycling, swimming and triathlon profiles, plus diving to 40-metre depths and at least 22 other activities.Combined with the large and bright screen, and the decent 11 to 14-hour battery life when tracking running at its highest accuracy levels, the Ultra 3 makes for a surprisingly good sports watch.The Ultra also supports Apple’s new Workout Buddy AI coach, which works with walks, runs, hikes, cycling and various other training workouts, giving you pep-talks before, during and after activities via Bluetooth headphones.
But it requires you to carry an iPhone 15 Pro or later for it to work, which is a drag.Apple says the battery should last more than 1,000 full charge cycles with at least 80% of its original capacity and can be replaced for £95.Damage repairs cost £489.The watch contains more than 40% recycled material, including cobalt, copper, gold, lithium, rare earth elements, steel, titanium and tungsten.Apple offers trade-in and free recycling for devices, and breaks down the watch’s environmental impact in its report.
The Apple Watch Ultra 3 comes in a choice of two colours and multiple bands costing from £749 (€899/$799/A$1,399).The Ultra 3 is the biggest, baddest and best Apple Watch the company makes but it isn’t a massive leap over previous models.Other than satellite SOS messaging, which could genuinely save your life in an emergency, the rest of the watch is simply a refinement of the Ultra 2.But the added battery life is very welcome, so is a bigger and fancier screen in the same size watch.New software features are great and the wrist-flick gesture for dismissing things is the best thing added to any Apple Watch in recent memory.
The Ultra is still a rarer sight than other models, so if you wanted a less ubiquitous Apple Watch this is it.While those looking for a dedicated top-priced sports watch might overlook it in favour of a Garmin or similar, the Ultra 3 has all the ingredients to be a first-rate training companion – as long as you can charge it more frequently – while still being the best smartwatch you can get with an iPhone.The Ultra 3 is the best Apple Watch.Just don’t expect it to be a massive upgrade over older Ultra models.Pros: fantastic screen, rugged yet sophisticated design, double-tap and wrist-flick gestures, three-day battery life, 5G and satellite SOS/messaging, top health tracking, great activity tracking with dual-band GPS, extra action button, 100-metre water resistance and 40-metre dive-ready, long software support.
Cons: very expensive, only works with an iPhone, no third-party watch faces, no big upgrade on previous Ultra models, shorter battery life than adventure watch rivals.
Timely assurance from Lear’s Kent | Letters
The passing of John Woodvine (Obituary, 13 October) reminded me of the time when four of us University of East Anglia students went to the Norwich Theatre Royal to see the Actors’ Company touring King Lear in June 1974.We were early and went for a something to eat at a newly opened “burger” style restaurant with booths and partitions so you couldn’t see who was at adjacent tables – a novelty at the time. The service was very slow and we were concerned that we would be late for the theatre.Suddenly a head appeared over the partition and said: “Don’t worry – they won’t start without me!” It was John Woodvine, who turned out to be the Earl of Kent and was the first to speak in the play. Needless to say we made it in time
The Guide #214: Sleep-inducing songs and tranquilising TV – the culture that sends us to sleep (in a good way)
How do you sleep at night? If you’re like Hannah, a recent subject of the Guardian’s My cultural awakening column, it’s to the sound of a rat whisking eggs. The series shares stories of people who made a significant life change thanks to a piece of popular culture, and in the case of Hannah, that meant curing insomnia by watching Ratatouille. Every night for the last 15 years, at home or abroad, she switches on the Pixar classic and, within minutes, finds herself dropping off, thanks to the film’s comforting, consistent soundscape. It’s so effective, in fact, she’s never even seen it all the way through.Hannah’s might be a bit of an extreme example, but her tale does touch on something universal: culture seems to play an increasingly important role these days in helping people nod off
Seth Meyers on Trump’s White House ballroom: ‘This couldn’t be any more of a bait and switch’
Late-night hosts mocked Donald Trump’s demolition of the East Wing of the White House and the corporate sponsors of his $300m gilded ballroom.On Thursday’s Late Night, Seth Meyers expressed disbelief over the president’s gilded ballroom project for the White House. “It would be bad enough if Trump’s biggest priority was just building a gilded vanity project for himself, but it’s so much worse,” he said. “Because to do it, he’s tearing down a somewhat well-known and beloved piece of property.”That would be the entire East Wing of the presidential residence, which has stood for 120 years
Seth Meyers on Trump’s White House demolition: ‘This is insane’
Late-night hosts dissected Donald Trump’s kingly behavior, from the destruction of the White House’s East Wing to his demand for payment from the justice department.“We have warned for years that Donald Trump is destroying American institutions,” said Seth Meyers on Wednesday evening, “but of course when we said ‘destroying’, we meant metaphorically speaking. We didn’t mean that he was literally destroying buildings.”“But I guess Trump heard that and thought, ‘On it.’ Because now he’s literally destroying the East Wing of the White House,” the Late Night host continued
Toe-curling fashion: how did toe shoes become so popular?
Caitlin, I am a big proponent of not yucking someone else’s yum. But this is testing me. What are on those girlies’ feet?They’re toes, Cait. They’re toes. More specifically, toes encased in rubber to create a kind of foot-glove-trainer
Stephen Colbert on Trump’s White House East Wing demolition: ‘So deeply unsettling’
Late-night hosts reacted to Donald Trump’s partial demolition of the East Wing of the White House for his proposed $250m gilded ballroom.“At this point, we’re nine months into this, you’d think it would be impossible for us to be shocked by Donald Trump,” said Stephen Colbert on Tuesday’s Late Show. “But give the man credit – every so often, he takes the time to attach the electrodes to our nipples. And then it feels like the first time.”Case in point: on Monday, as part of his White House renovation project to construct a gilded ballroom, Trump sent out a backhoe to rip off a part of the East Wing
UK watchdog raises competition concerns over Greencore-Bakkavor deal
AI can help authors beat writer’s block, says Bloomsbury chief
‘People thought I was a communist doing this as a non-profit’: is Wikipedia’s Jimmy Wales the last decent tech baron?
US and China reach ‘final deal’ on TikTok sale, treasury secretary says
‘I could have killed them’: Lawson’s fury after narrowly missing hitting marshals
NFL week eight: Broncos crush Cowboys, Colts defeat Titans, and more – as it happened