Apple Watch Ultra Already Facing 6-7 Week Shipping Delay for Some Configurations

The all-new Apple Watch Ultra is available to pre-order starting today in the U.S. and more than 40 other countries, with pricing set at $799. The high-end Apple Watch will launch in stores and begin arriving to customers on September 23, but some configurations are already facing lengthy shipping delays as of late Wednesday.

Apple Watch Ultra 3up hero 220907 Full Bleed Image
A quick spot check of Apple's online store in the U.S. reveals that models with a midnight Ocean Band and large green Alpine Loop face 3-4 week shipping estimates for orders placed on late Wednesday, while models with the Trail Loop in multiple colors face an even lengthier 6-7 week delay at this time. That said, there are still at least a half-dozen band options available with September 23 launch day delivery overall.

Inspired by the "most extreme activities," the Apple Watch Ultra features a durable design with a 49mm titanium case, a larger display with a flat sapphire crystal cover, new bands designed for the outdoors, water resistance up to a depth of 100 meters, a customizable bright orange "Action" button on the left side of the case, and more. A protruded ridge houses the Digital Crown and Side Button on the right side of the case.

A new info-dense Wayfinder watch face takes advantage of the larger display with support for up to eight complications and an integrated compass.

Apple Watch Ultra is advertised as having up to 36 hours of battery life per charge during normal usage. In a future watchOS 9 update, a new low-power setting with reduced frequency of GPS and heart rate readings will extend battery life to up to 60 hours.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch Ultra 3
Related Forum: Apple Watch

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Available Next Month With These 8 New Features

Tuesday November 11, 2025 9:48 am PST by
Apple released the first iOS 26.2 beta last week. The upcoming update includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, including a new Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics in Apple Music, and more. In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 26.2 will be released to all users in December, but it did not provide a specific release date....
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, and AirPods 4

Thursday November 13, 2025 11:35 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3, the AirPods 4, and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 firmware is 8B21, all up from the prior 8A358 firmware released in October. There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods 4 with ANC, and AirPods Pro 3...
m1 chip slide

Five Years of Apple Silicon: M1 to M5 Performance Comparison

Monday November 10, 2025 1:08 pm PST by
Today marks the fifth anniversary of the Apple silicon chip that replaced Intel chips in Apple's Mac lineup. The first Apple silicon chip, the M1, was unveiled on November 10, 2020. The M1 debuted in the MacBook Air, Mac mini, and 13-inch MacBook Pro. The M1 chip was impressive when it launched, featuring the "world's fastest CPU core" and industry-leading performance per watt, and it's only ...
iphone pocket%402x

Apple Debuts iPhone Pocket, a Limited Edition iPod Sock-Style Accessory

Tuesday November 11, 2025 1:23 am PST by
Apple has teamed up with Japanese fashion house ISSEY MIYAKE to launch iPhone Pocket, a 3D-knitted limited edition accessory designed to carry an iPhone, AirPods, and other everyday items. The accessory is like a stretchy pocket, not unlike an iPod Sock, but elongated to form a strap made of a ribbed, elastic textile that fully encloses an iPhone yet allows you to glimpse the display...
CarPlay Pinned Messages

iOS 26.2 Adds New CarPlay Setting

Thursday November 13, 2025 6:48 am PST by
iOS 26 extended pinned conversations in the Messages app to CarPlay, for quick access to your most frequent chats. However, some drivers may prefer the classic view with a list of individual conversations only, and Apple now lets users choose. Apple released the second beta of iOS 26.2 this week, and it introduces a new CarPlay setting for turning off pinned conversations in the Messages...
homepod mini colors

New HomePod Mini Coming Soon With These Features

Tuesday November 11, 2025 7:30 am PST by
Apple is expected to announce a new HomePod mini imminently, headlining with new chips. Here are all of the new features we're expecting. The second-generation HomePod mini is highly likely to contain a more up-to-date chip for more advanced computational audio and improved responsiveness. The current HomePod mini is equipped with the Apple Watch Series 5's S5 chip from 2019. Apple is likely ...
homepod mini thumb feature

New HomePod Mini, Apple TV, and AirTag Were Expected This Year — Where Are They?

Wednesday November 12, 2025 11:42 am PST by
While it was rumored that Apple planned to release new versions of the HomePod mini, Apple TV, and AirTag this year, it is no longer clear if that will still happen. Back in January, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple planned to release new HomePod mini and Apple TV models "toward the end of the year," while he at one point expected a new AirTag to launch "around the middle of 2025." Yet,...
ios 26 digital id passport wallet

Apple Announces Launch of U.S. Passport Feature in iPhone's Wallet App

Wednesday November 12, 2025 9:15 am PST by
Apple today announced that iPhone users can now create a Digital ID in the Apple Wallet app based on information from their U.S. passport. To create and present a Digital ID based on a U.S. passport, you need: An iPhone 11 or later running iOS 26.1 or later, or an Apple Watch Series 6 or later running watchOS 26.1 or later Face ID or Touch ID and Bluetooth turned on An Apple Account ...
Tesla Charging

Tesla Working to Add Apple CarPlay Support to Vehicles

Thursday November 13, 2025 8:31 am PST by
Tesla is working to add support for Apple CarPlay in its vehicles, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports. Tesla vehicles rely on its own infotainment software system, which integrates vehicle functions, navigation, music, web browsing, and more. The automaker has been an outlier in foregoing support for Apple CarPlay, which has otherwise become an industry standard feature, allowing users to...
iphone air thinness

iPhone Air Sales Are So Bad That Apple's Delaying the Next-Generation Version

Monday November 10, 2025 11:41 am PST by
The thin, light iPhone Air sold so poorly that Apple has decided to delay the launch of the next-generation iPhone Air that was scheduled to come out alongside the iPhone 18 Pro, reports The Information. Apple initially planned to release a new iPhone Air in fall 2026, but now that's not going to happen. Since the iPhone Air launched in September, there have been reports of poor sales...

Top Rated Comments

TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
42 months ago
Glad, I got mine on a promised released date. Woo hoo! ?

Attachment Image
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kmingis Avatar
42 months ago

People this is a watch for way more than wandering around hipster joints. Like a Garmin it serves more of a definitive purpose and to do that bigger is better for many reasons. While I have no doubt most sales will go to people who rarely do the things it’s meant for it’s been built to compete with the Garmin type watches.
As a current Garmin owner (Tactix Delta, Epix Gen. 2) and a former Apple Watch owner until 2017, I can verify. I've been wanting Apple to do this for years. There's a market for these. It's niche, yes, and I'm not some kind of Sahara explorer or someone who goes 20,000 leagues under the sea. But I gym daily, hike, walk and in general want LOTs of data about my activities and my health. Apple finally delivered. AW Ultra ordered and due to deliver on Day 1. Super glad to be back.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kltmom Avatar
42 months ago

Hope they make this in a smaller size next year. Like the look but not the huge size.
I'm the opposite--I like the huge size but hope they make it in a non-rugged, non-extreme sports version. Basically like what the current Series 8 is, but in a huge size ?
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Skoal Avatar
42 months ago
People this is a watch for way more than wandering around hipster joints. Like a Garmin it serves more of a definitive purpose and to do that bigger is better for many reasons. While I have no doubt most sales will go to people who rarely do the things it’s meant for it’s been built to compete with the Garmin type watches.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jimthing Avatar
42 months ago
Actually MOST configs were 6-8 weeks out from first orders opening.

I ordered two of the midnight Ocean Band one accordingly, to get the 23 Sep date, immediately the store went back up.

It was the same with buying any of the Ultra's straps separately - only the Ocean Band was available without several weeks' delays past 23 Sep.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
oghowie Avatar
42 months ago
Hope they make this in a smaller size next year. Like the look but not the huge size.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)