Should You Buy the Apple Watch Ultra 3?
The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is Apple's most expensive watch, starting at $799. It is designed for outdoor enthusiasts who need more durability and features than the standard Apple Watch. The Apple Watch Ultra was refreshed in September 2025, making now an okay time to buy. The next update isn't expected until September 2026 at the earliest, and it may not include major hardware changes.
Compared to the second-generation Ultra, the Ultra 3 features a larger and brighter display with slimmer bezels, 5G support, and satellite connectivity. Compared to the Series 11, it offers better water resistance, a more rugged enclosure, and longer battery life. The Ultra is Apple's largest watch at 49mm, which may not fit smaller wrists. Those who do not need the Ultra's feature set should consider the Apple Watch Series 11.
The Apple Watch Ultra 3
The third-generation Apple Watch Ultra follows the second-generation model from September 2023. It competes with premium fitness smartwatches from Garmin and is aimed at sports enthusiasts and athletes who need more battery life, better connectivity, and sport-specific performance. Apple says it was built for endurance, exploration, and adventure.
Design and Display
The Apple Watch Ultra 3 retains the same design as its predecessor, with a lightweight aerospace-grade titanium body, a flat sapphire crystal face, and a larger, deeper-grooved Digital Crown. The side button and the orange Action button on the left side are customizable. The display now has 24% thinner bezels, increasing the viewable area to 1,245 sq mm. It uses LTPO3 technology with up to 3,000 nits brightness and can go down to 1 nit for dark environments, allowing an always-on seconds hand.
S10 Chip and Gestures
The Ultra 3 is equipped with the S10 chip, which does not offer performance improvements over the S9 but enables new gestures. Wrist Flick dismisses notifications or declines calls with a simple wrist movement. Double Tap allows one-handed interaction, such as stopping a timer or answering a call. The watch has 64GB of storage.
Health and Wellness Features
The Apple Watch Ultra 3 includes an optical heart rate sensor, ECG, blood oxygen monitoring (with U.S. limitations due to patent issues), and temperature sensing. New for this generation are Hypertension Alerts, which analyze 30 days of heart rate data to detect possible high blood pressure patterns. Sleep Apnea Detection uses the accelerometer to sense breathing interruptions during sleep. Sleep Score provides a numerical value for sleep quality. Fall Detection and Crash Detection are also included.
Activity and Outdoor Features
The Depth app works with a depth gauge for recreational scuba diving up to 40 meters. The Tides app provides tide information. The Compass app supports Waypoints and Backtrack for navigation. The watch is certified to MIL-STD-810H for durability and can withstand temperatures from -20°C to 55°C. It has an 86-decibel siren that can be heard up to 180 meters away.
Battery Life and Charging
Battery life has improved to up to 42 hours on a single charge, and up to 72 hours with Low Power Mode. Fast charging reaches 80% in 45 minutes. A 15-minute charge provides 12 hours of normal use.
Connectivity
All Ultra models have cellular connectivity, and the Ultra 3 adds 5G support and satellite communications. Emergency SOS via satellite, satellite messaging, and Find My via satellite are available when Wi-Fi and cellular are not. A second-generation Ultra Wideband chip enables Precision Finding for iPhones and support for digital car keys. Dual-frequency GPS (L1 and L5) provides the most accurate GPS of any Apple Watch.
How to Buy
The Apple Watch Ultra 3 launched on September 19, 2025, and is available from Apple and other retailers in Natural Titanium or Black Titanium finish. It comes with sport-focused bands: Trail Loop, Alpine Loop, and Ocean Band, as well as a new Milanese Loop option.
Comparison with Series 11 and SE 3
The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is sold alongside the Series 11 (starting at $399) and the SE 3 (starting at $249). Compared to the Series 11, the Ultra 3 has satellite connectivity, a siren, longer battery life, and a more rugged case. The SE 3 lacks the blood oxygen sensor and ECG app.
Looking Ahead
Major design changes are not expected until 2028 at the earliest. watchOS 27 will add new watch faces. Apple is reportedly working on noninvasive blood glucose monitoring, though it is still several years away. A future version may include Touch ID, but no concrete plans have been announced.
Source: MacRumors News