Should You Buy the Apple Watch Ultra 3?
The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is Apple's premium sports watch, starting at $799. It targets adventurers and athletes who need extra durability, longer battery life, and specialized features like dual-frequency GPS and an emergency siren. Released in September 2025, it's a solid purchase now, as the next update is not expected until at least September 2026 with only minor improvements.
Compared to the Apple Watch Ultra 2, the Ultra 3 boasts a larger, brighter display with slimmer bezels, 5G support, and satellite connectivity. It also offers better water resistance (WR100 and EN13319 certified) and a redesigned LTPO3 display that can dim to 1 nit for always-on seconds. While the S10 chip brings no performance gain, it enables new gestures like Double Tap and Wrist Flick.
The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is 49mm, the largest Apple Watch, and may not suit smaller wrists. For those who don't need extreme features or prefer a smaller size, the Apple Watch Series 11 is a better alternative.
Design and Display
The Apple Watch Ultra 3 retains the same rugged titanium design as its predecessor, but with thinner bezels, increasing the active display area to 1,245 sq mm. The 49mm case is made from aerospace-grade titanium, available in Natural or Black finishes. The flat sapphire crystal display is protected by raised edges to prevent edge impacts. The Digital Crown has deeper grooves for easier use with gloves, and the orange Action button remains on the left.
The 1.92-inch LTPO3 OLED display reaches 3,000 nits brightness, with improved off-axis visibility. In low light, it can drop to 1 nit, allowing an always-on ticking seconds hand. Night mode automatically turns the Wayfinder watch face red for better visibility in darkness. Exclusive watch faces include Wayfinder and Modular Ultra, the latter offering the most complications of any Apple Watch face.
Performance and Battery
Powered by the S10 chip with 64GB storage, the Apple Watch Ultra 3 delivers the same performance as the S9 chip in the Ultra 2. The main upgrade is support for gesture controls: Double Tap (index finger and thumb together) to answer calls, play/pause media, or stop timers, and Wrist Flick to dismiss notifications or decline calls. The chip also enables faster on-device Siri processing.
Battery life is a standout improvement. The Ultra 3 lasts up to 42 hours on a single charge, up from 36 hours on the Ultra 2. With Low Power Mode, it can stretch to 72 hours for multi-day adventures. Fast charging reaches 80% in 45 minutes, and a 15-minute charge provides 12 hours of normal use.
Health and Safety Features
The Apple Watch Ultra 3 includes a full suite of health sensors: optical heart rate sensor, electrical heart rate sensor (ECG), blood oxygen sensor (with a workaround in the US due to patent issues), and temperature sensors for ovulation estimates. It supports hypertension alerts, sleep apnea detection, and the new Sleep Score metric introduced in watchOS 26.
Hypertension alerts analyze 30-day heart rate patterns to detect potential high blood pressure. Sleep apnea detection uses the accelerometer to monitor breathing disturbances. The watch also offers fall detection, crash detection, and a 86-decibel siren audible up to 600 feet away. The siren can be activated by holding the Action or side button.
Connectivity and GPS
All Ultra 3 models include cellular connectivity with a new 5G chip for faster speeds. Satellite connectivity is a major addition: Emergency SOS via satellite works without a cellular plan, while Messages and Find My via satellite require an active cellular plan. The second-generation Ultra Wideband chip enables Precision Finding for a lost iPhone and integration with HomePod.
Dual-frequency GPS (L1 and L5) provides the most accurate positioning of any Apple Watch, with improved reliability in urban and wooded areas. The Apple Watch Ultra 3 supports Compass Waypoints, Backtrack navigation, and a Depth app for underwater use (up to 40 meters for recreation scuba diving). The Tides app shows high/low tide information.
Activity and Sports Features
The Apple Watch Ultra 3 tracks workouts with a new Depth app that displays current depth, water temperature, and max depth. The Oceanic+ app from Huish Outdoors turns the watch into a dive computer using the Bühlmann algorithm. For trail runners and hikers, the Compass app shows waypoints and backtrack routes. The Action button can be customized to start a workout, mark a segment, or set a waypoint.
The watch is certified to MIL-STD-810H for temperature extremes (-4°F to 131°F) and is water-resistant to 100 meters (WR100) with EN13319 certification for dive accessories. It can handle kitesurfing, wakeboarding, and recreational diving to 40 meters. Three sport bands are available: Trail Loop (thin and light), Alpine Loop (woven for durability), and Ocean Band (stretches over a wetsuit).
Pricing and Availability
The Apple Watch Ultra 3 launched on September 19, 2025, starting at $799. It is available in Natural or Black Titanium with various band options, including Alpine Loop, Trail Loop, Ocean Band, and a new Milanese Loop. Prices range from $729 at some retailers to $899 for the Milanese Loop option. The watch is sold alongside the Apple Watch Series 11 ($399) and Apple Watch SE 3 ($249).
For those who need maximum durability, battery life, and advanced sports features, the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is the best choice. It is slightly bulkier and heavier than the Series 11, but its unique capabilities justify the premium price for serious athletes and explorers.
Source:MacRumors News