Adventure and I don’t gel well together. I don’t dive (or swim for that matter), and heights give me the heebie-jeebies. I’m not the right target audience for the Apple Watch Ultra 2 — a smartwatch designed for the outdoors. Or at least that’s what I thought till I got hold of one, the swanky new Black Titanium model, no less. And in the brief time I’ve had it, it accompanied me on two different treks in the mountains. As it turns out, I think its repertoire of features is quite handy to have at your disposal and sitting on your wrist, regardless of whether you’re an outdoorsy person or not. 
For iPhone users coveting a smartwatch, the Apple Watch is a no-brainer, given how seamlessly and smoothly the two devices work together. The Apple Watch is well known for its health and safety features (such as ECG and crash detection), but if you ask me, the smart features like notifications mirroring, the ability to reply to messages, and the app ecosystem help make it an all-round package that’s hard to ignore if you’re an iPhone user looking to acquire a smartwatch. The Watch Ultra 2 offers all of that goodness, taking things a few notches higher by adding ruggedness, a big, bright display, an emergency siren that can get quite loud, a customisable Action button, respectable battery life and more.
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Watch Series 10 vs Watch Ultra 2
Now I haven’t tried the new Apple Watch Series 10, but taking a closer look at its feature set and specs reveals that it gets quite close to its seemingly more accomplished Ultra 2 sibling, especially the 46mm variant of the former. The Series 10 and the Ultra 2 offer a similar set of health and fitness features, including irregular heart rate detection, crash detection, cycle tracking, sleep monitoring, etc. The Series 10 however, is not only lighter, it costs significantly less and comes in multiple variants — there are two different sizes, two different finishes (aluminium and titanium), and also the choice between the GPS and Cellular options. The 46mm model even offers a larger display than the Ultra 2 and is powered by the newer S10 chip.
That said, the Ultra 2 is more rugged, conforms to military-grade MIL standards, is waterproof up to 100m (the Watch 10 can go up to 50m), and boasts a screen brightness of a whopping 3,000 nits. In comparison, the Watch Series 10’s display is rated lower at 2,000 nits. The Ultra 2 can also be taken diving and comes with the Dive app preloaded. And when it comes to the all-important battery life, the Ultra 2 can last up to two and a half days, which is a full day more than its lifestyle-oriented partner.
Daily usage and performance
Surprisingly lightweight (62g) despite its chunky size, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 sits comfortably on the wrist for long hours without causing any discomfort. The protruding side button and the crown can dig into the wrist sometimes, but I haven’t had any specific issues with that in my usage. I do, however, find the watch too big to wear to bed — which means I can’t make use of its sleep-tracking features and a few health parameters that it monitors whilst I’m in slumberland. It’s not a deal killer in any way, but just something to keep in mind if sleep tracking is important for you.
While I didn’t get to try out the crash detection or get any alarming health alerts on the watch (thankfully), the device otherwise makes for an extremely handy accessory, offering useful insights on health and physical activity, and acting as a faithful companion to the iPhone. The built-in cellular connectivity (there’s no Wi-Fi only model for the Ultra 2) means I can leave my iPhone at home while I’m out on my morning walk, and still stay connected without missing any calls or messages. I love the large, flat display. It’s bright and big, so busy, data-heavy watch faces with tons of complications don’t look too cramped.
The new black model of the Ultra 2 looks good I think, and hasn’t collected any scratches so far, despite my usage being not so gentle. I usually treat my gadgets, including review units, with kid gloves, but somehow the Ultra 2 instilled enough confidence in me to take it with me on a couple of treks where it was subjected to some rough usage. And I’m glad to report it came back unscathed. Despite its black body that does seem more prone to scratches, the Ultra 2 has defied that notion in my usage so far and stayed scratch-free. The emergency siren can get quite loud and could be handy to have in tricky situations. I was able to keep track of elevation levels in real time and also used the Compass backtrack feature.
These features and capabilities and the solid build, combined with good battery life are the real highlights of the Apple Watch Ultra 2. While the regular Apple Watch models last about a day and a half on a single charge, the Ultra 2 adds a full day more. While a battery life of two and half days doesn’t match what some other smartwatches can offer, not needing to charge your smartwatch every day is a big deal… as existing Apple Watch users would be quick to point out.
Verdict
The point I’m trying to make is that while an Apple Watch makes for a great wrist companion for any iPhone user, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 deserves close consideration even if you’re not much of an outdoorsy person. Of course, there’s the cost to consider as well. Pricing for the Watch Series 10 starts at Rs 46,900, but if you choose to go for the Watch Ultra 2, you’re looking at an outlay of Rs 89,900. Unless of course, you want the Titanium Milanese Loop band with the Ultra 2, in which case you’d need to shell out a cool Rs 1,04,900. That’s just slightly lower than what you’d pay for an iPhone 16 Pro. So yes, the Watch Ultra 2 doesn’t come cheap, but that goes with the territory. The Ultra 2 might be designed for the great outdoors, but if you don’t mind the cost, the Watch Ultra 2 is fine just being a lifestyle smartwatch you can flaunt, and other than encouraging you to complete your activity rings, won’t judge you even if you’re a couch potato.
Editor’s rating: 8 / 10
Pros:
- Large, bright display
- Solid build
- Heath & fitness features
- Respectable battery life
Cons:
- Too big to wear to sleep
- Pricey
