Apple Watch Ultra 3

The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is Apple's most expensive watch, priced at $799. It is designed for outdoor enthusiasts who need more durability and a wider range of features than those who wear the standard Apple Watch.

The Apple Watch Ultra was refreshed in September 2025, which means now is a good time to buy. We are not expecting another update until September 2026 at the earliest, and Apple so far has not refreshed the Ultra on a yearly basis.

Compared to the second Ultra model, the Apple Watch Ultra 3 has a larger and brighter display, slimmed down bezels, 5G support, and satellite connectivity. Compared to the Series 11, the Apple Watch Ultra has better water resistance, a more rugged enclosure, and longer battery life.

The Apple Watch Ultra is Apple's largest Apple Watch at 49mm, and it might not fit some people with smaller wrists. Those who do not need the feature set of the Ultra or who need a smaller watch should check out the Apple Watch Series 11.

The third-generation Apple Watch Ultra follows the second-generation model that came out in September 2023. Designed to compete with more expensive fitness-focused smart watches from companies like Garmin, the Apple Watch Ultra is aimed at sports enthusiasts and athletes who need more battery life, better connectivity, and more sport-specific performance from their devices.

Apple says the Apple Watch Ultra was built for endurance, exploration, and adventure, and continues to be the largest Apple Watch to date at 49mm.

The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is equipped with an S10 chip, but the chip does not offer performance improvements over the S9. With the S10, the Apple Watch Ultra supports the new Wrist Flick gesture that Apple added in watchOS 26. Wrist Flick dismisses notifications or declines calls with a simple wrist movement. Support for Double Tap is also included. With Double Tap, users can tap the index finger and thumb together in order to interact with the Apple Watch one-handed. Double Tap can be used to stop a timer, play/pause music, answer or end a call, snooze an alarm, and more.

The Apple Watch Ultra 3 did not receive any design updates compared to the original model, and it features a lightweight aerospace-grade titanium body, flat sapphire crystal face, a larger diameter and deeper grooved Digital Crown, a housing for the side button and an extra physical button on the left side called the Action button.

The Action button on the Apple Watch Ultra is designed in international orange to make it noticeable in the dark and under water, and it's customizable so it can activate Workouts, mark segments, set Compass Waypoints, and more.

While there were no design changes, Apple updated the display with smaller bezels, increasing the viewable display size to 1245 sq mm, and improving viewing angle. The Ultra 3 uses LTPO3 display technology with up to 3000 nits brightness. It can also go down to 1 nit for use in dark rooms like movie theaters, and the low brightness enables an always-on second hand.

There are three built-in microphones to improve sound quality, and a beamforming algorithm captures voice while reducing ambient background sounds even when it's noisy outdoors. There is an 86-decibel siren available for drawing help if needed, with two SOS patterns.

With the larger 49mm casing compared to non-Ultra models, Apple has been able to include a larger battery. The Apple Watch Ultra 3 has longer battery life than the prior model. The battery lasts for up to 42 hours on a single charge, and with a Low Power Mode, battery life can last for up to 72 hours for multi-day adventuring. The battery lasts long enough for users to complete a long-course triathlon that includes a 2.4 mile swim, 112-mile bike ride, and a full 26.2-mile marathon. Fast charging is available, and the Ultra 3 can charge from 0 to 80 percent in 45 minutes.

The Apple Watch Ultra features dual-frequency GPS, integrating both the L1 and L5 frequencies, plus it has new positioning algorithms. It provides the most accurate GPS of any Apple Watch, which means it also offers precise distance, pace, and route data for training and competing.

To accommodate more extreme environments, the Apple Watch Ultra can withstand a wider temperature range. It works in conditions as cold as -4 degrees Fahrenheit (-20° C) to as hot as 131 degrees Fahrenheit (55° C). The watch is certified to MIL-STD-810H, a metric used for military equipment and by rugged equipment manufacturers.

For water sports, the Apple Watch Ultra can hold up to kitesurfing, wakeboarding, and recreational scuba diving, activities not recommended for the standard Apple Watch models. The Apple Watch Ultra is certified to WR100 and EN 13319, an internationally recognized standard for diving accessories. When used for diving, the Apple Watch Ultra has a depth gauge and a dedicated Depth app that displays current depth, water temperature (using the new temperature sensor), duration under water, and max depth reached.

Apple designed a Wayfinder watch face for the Apple Watch Ultra, with a built-in compass and space for up to eight complications. The watch face can be customized for the mountain, ocean, or trail, and it turns red automatically at night for better visibility. The Apple Watch Ultra supports Compass Waypoints for marking a location or point of interest, and a Backtrack feature uses GPS to create a path showing where the user has been, helpful for retracing steps when lost.

In addition to features designed for exploring and adventuring, the Apple Watch Ultra has all of the functionality available in the Apple Watch Series 11. It monitors heart rate, tracks sleep, can take ECG readings, monitors blood oxygen, tracks body temperature, and offers all of the same fitness tracking options.

The Apple Watch Ultra 3 supports hypertension notifications, and it uses heart rate data to detect possible instances of high blood pressure over a 30-day period. It also includes support for Sleep Score, which is a number that Apple provides so you can determine whether you got enough rest to get through the day. Sleep Score takes into account bed time, time asleep, and number of times you wake up in the night.

All Apple Watch Ultra models feature cellular connectivity, with a cellular plan needed to access all functions. The Apple Ultra 3 has a new 5G chip and can connect to 5G networks. Apple also added satellite connectivity so the Apple Watch Ultra 3 can use a satellite connection when Wi-Fi and cellular are not available. Available satellite features include Emergency SOS via satellite, satellite-based text messaging, and satellite Find My updates.

There's a second-generation Ultra Wideband chip to the Apple Watch Ultra 3. The UWB chip enables Precision Finding for locating a misplaced iPhone with visual, haptic, and audio guidance.

There are motion sensors in the Apple Watch Ultra that enable Crash Detection, alerting emergency services if you are in a severe car crash. When a crash is detected, the Apple Watch checks in with the user and then dials emergency services automatically if there's no response after a 10-second countdown.

There are three sport-focused bands available for the Apple Watch Ultra, including the Trail Loop, Alpine Loop, and Ocean Band, plus bands designed for 44mm, 45mm, and 46mm Apple Watches fit the Ultra model. The Trail Loop band is thin and light, while the Alpine Loop features high-strength yarn and a woven design made for durability. The Ocean Band is for extreme water sports and features a flexible fluoroelastomer that can stretch to fit over a wetsuit.

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The Apple Watch Ultra 3 can be preordered from the online Apple Store. It will launch on Friday, September 19.

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is being sold alongside the Apple Watch Series 11 and the second-generation Apple Watch SE 3. Priced starting at $399, the Apple Watch Series 11 is available in aluminum or titanium, and it comes in 42 and 46mm sizes.

Compared to the Apple Watch Ultra, the Apple Watch Series 11 has no satellite connectivity, does not feature a siren, has a shorter battery life, and is smaller with a less rugged casing.

The Apple Watch SE 3 is Apple's low-cost Apple Watch and it is priced starting at $249. It has an older design and lacks some health sensors such as the blood oxygen sensor and the ECG app.

Apple is working on noninvasive blood glucose monitoring technology for a future version of the Apple Watch. The feature is still a few years away, but in early 2023, Apple hit a milestone in development, creating a proof-of-concept model that is viable, but needs to be sized down to fit into a wearable.

A future version of the Apple Watch could include support for Touch ID, though it is unclear how this might be implemented. Touch ID could go under the display, or be integrated into the side button. Touch ID on the Apple Watch could reduce reliance on numerical passcodes for unlocking, though it is worth noting that the Apple Watch already has a wrist authentication feature for making purchases.

• September 17 - Updated for the Apple Watch Ultra 3.