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

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 ...
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....
All Screen iPhone 2027 Feature 1

Apple to Hide Selfie Camera Under Display of 20th Anniversary iPhone

Monday November 10, 2025 1:55 am PST by
Apple will conceal the front-facing camera under the screen of its 2027 iPhone, a Chinese leaker said today, corroborating reports that Apple's 20th anniversary iPhone will have no visible cutouts in the display. Weibo-based account Digital Chat Station said Apple's development of under-screen camera technology was progressing as planned for adoption in 2027, one year after it will...
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...
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...
Early Black Friday Deals 1

The Best Early Black Friday Apple Deals on AirPods, Apple Watch, iPad, and More

Saturday November 8, 2025 6:16 am PST by
We're officially in the month of Black Friday, which will take place on Friday, November 28 in 2025. As always, this will be the best time of the year to shop for great deals, including popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more. In this article, the majority of the discounts will be found on Amazon. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When ...
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 ...
Apple fitness plus feature

Future of Apple Fitness+ 'Under Review'

Sunday November 9, 2025 5:30 am PST by
The future of Apple Fitness+ is "under review" amid a reorganization of the service, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In the latest edition of his "Power On" newsletter, Gurman said that Apple Fitness+ remains one of the company's "weakest digital offerings." The service apparently suffers from high churn and little revenue. Nevertheless, Fitness+ has a small, loyal fanbase that...
iphone black friday gold

The Best Early Black Friday iPhone Deals

Monday November 10, 2025 10:18 am PST by
Cellular carriers have always offered big savings on the newest iPhone models during the holidays, and Black Friday 2025 sales have kicked off at AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and more. Right now we're tracking notable offers on the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air. For even more savings, keep an eye on older models during the holiday shopping season. Note: MacRumors is...
2024 iPhone Boxes Feature

Apple Adjusts Trade-In Values for iPhones, iPads, Macs, and More

Thursday November 6, 2025 11:12 am PST by
Apple today updated its trade-in values for select iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch models. Trade-ins can be completed on Apple's website, or at an Apple Store. The charts below provide an overview of Apple's current and previous trade-in values in the U.S., according to its website. Maximum values for most devices either decreased or saw no change, but the iPad Air received a slight bump. ...

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)