From WIRED · Boutayna Chokrane · · 3m
Apple Watch Ultra 4 feels less ultra every year
Apple's pricey outdoor smartwatch now shares most features with the cheaper Series 12, making it harder to justify the $400 premium.
In brief
Apple's pricey outdoor smartwatch now shares most features with the cheaper Series 12, making it harder to justify the $400 premium. The Ultra 4 is only worth buying if you genuinely need satellite messaging and multiday battery for off-grid adventures; otherwise, the Series 12 does almost everything for $400 less…
Ultra 4 feels like Series 12 in titanium
The new Ultra 4 shares most health and safety features with the cheaper Series 12, shrinking the gap between them every year. At $799 versus $399, the Ultra's main perks are multiday battery, an Action button, and satellite messaging.
Who should actually buy it
The Ultra 4 makes sense for trail runners, divers, and people who regularly venture outside cellular coverage. For everyone else tracking health and workouts, the Series 12 offers the same core experience for $400 less.
Heart rate tracking gets faster
The Ultra 4 now measures heart rate every five seconds and heart rate variability every five minutes, up to 24 times more frequently than before. It tracks two HRV variants to identify daily stressors and provide cardiovascular context.
New Readiness score needs time
Readiness combines activity, sleep, and vitals into a daily 0-to-10 score with recommendations like Recover or Go For It. You need seven nights of wear to establish a baseline, and the score updates throughout the day as new data arrives.
Readiness works best for patterns
The Readiness score attempts to turn health data into actionable guidance for outdoor enthusiasts and endurance athletes. It's more useful for tracking patterns over time than as a daily directive about whether to exercise.
Battery life gets a real boost
The Ultra 4 now lasts up to 50 hours on normal use, up from 42 hours on the Ultra 3. Low Power Mode extends that to 84 hours. Charging is faster too: 15 minutes adds up to 18 hours of battery life.
Workout tracking for endurance
The Ultra 4 tracks standard workouts for up to 18 hours, Extended mode for 25 hours, and Max Extended mode for 45 hours. This makes it better suited for multi-day hikes, camping trips, and endurance sports.
Design stays the same, size is an issue
The Ultra 4 keeps its 49-millimeter titanium case in natural and black finishes with no price change. The large screen takes up the entire wrist, and there's no smaller option for people with slimmer wrists.
Touchscreen frustration during workouts
The Ultra 4's touchscreen becomes frustrating when sweating during runs. The physical Action button helps start and pause workouts, but many controls still require tapping and swiping, leading to accidental track skips and watch restarts.
Software improvements arrive later
Apple is bringing Audio Intelligence features like Live Rewind and Siri Recap to the Ultra 4 later this year. A redesigned Health app with longevity insights is also coming later, so some of the watch's most interesting changes aren't available at launch.
Buy it only if you need it
If you're buying your first Apple Watch and spend enough time outdoors to use satellite messaging and multiday battery, the Ultra 4 makes sense. Otherwise, the Series 12 delivers nearly everything for $400 less.
The main idea
The Ultra 4 is only worth buying if you genuinely need satellite messaging and multiday battery for off-grid adventures; otherwise, the Series 12 does almost everything for $400 less.
