The most powerful and impressive Apple Watch returns for its third generation. Now featuring a larger display, extended battery life, and satellite messaging capabilities to help you stay connected, even in remote areas.

The Ultra 3 is Apple’s response to adventure watches such as Garmin’s Fenix ​​8 Pro, but it doubles as a comprehensive smartwatch for your iPhone, complete with all essential features. Priced at £749 (€899/$799/AU$1,399), it’s £50 less than the 2023 variant, yet pricier than the Series 11 starting at £369 and the Watch SE 3 at £219.

At first glance, the Ultra 3 doesn’t appear markedly different from its predecessor released two years ago. Available in natural or black titanium, it maintains the same dimensions but now boasts a slightly larger display with reduced bezels, affirming its status as the largest Apple Watch yet.

The screen presents greater brightness at various angles, enhancing visibility at a glance, and displays a ticking seconds feature when idle, much like the Series 10 and 11. It’s exceptionally bright, shielded by ultra-durable sapphire glass, and ranks among the finest screens available on a wearable.

Equipped with the same S10 chip as the Series 11, the Ultra 3 incorporates excellent touch-free gestures. A double-tap of your thumb and index finger can activate buttons or scroll, while swiftly releasing your wrist and returning it dismisses an alarm or notification or goes back to the watch face.

Apple has successfully integrated a 6% larger battery into the Ultra 3, allowing over three days of usage in typical conditions, including overnight sleep monitoring. Most users will find a recharge necessary every three nights. This represents a full day longer than other Apple Watch variants, though it still lags behind adventure-watch competitors like Garmin that offer week-long battery life.

A full charge is achievable in about two hours, and it reaches 50% within 30 minutes using the included USB-C magnetic charging cable.

Satellite and 5G

If you subscribe to a compatible phone plan, your watch can leverage 5G, greatly enhancing mobile connectivity in areas with weak 4G signals. Apple has also introduced complimentary satellite SOS messaging from your iPhone to the Ultra 3, enabling emergency text communications via satellite, even without cellular service. Satellite usage is also available for “Find My location” tracking and messaging to friends, although this feature is limited to the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, and both require an eligible cellular data plan.

The Ultra 3 operates on the latest watchOS 26 software like the Series 11 and other Apple Watches, featuring a refreshed design with new watch faces. Moreover, the Ultra 3 showcases a captivating new Waypoint watch face that includes a live compass displaying surrounding points of interest. This face adds to several other information-rich Ultra-exclusive designs, including Wayfinder and Modular Ultra.

Specifications

• Case Size: 49×44mm

• Case Thickness: 12mm

• Weight: 61.8g

• Processor: S10

• Storage: 64GB

• Operating System: watchOS 26

• Water Resistance: 100 meters (10ATM)

• Sensors: HR, ECG, SpO2, temperature, depth, dual-band GPS, compass, altimeter

• Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi, NFC, UWB, satellite, optional 5G/eSIM

Top-Notch Sports and Health Tracking

Ultra encompasses the same extensive health and fitness tracking capabilities found in standard Apple Watches, including rich heart monitoring features, ECG, abnormal rhythm alerts, blood oxygen tracking, and a new high blood pressure warning that assesses readings over 30 days.

It introduces Apple’s innovative Sleep Score metric for easily interpreting your tracked sleep, wrist temperature monitoring, cycle tracking with ovulation prediction, and more functionalities.

Ultra enhances typical Apple Watch workout tracking in several notable ways. An extra action button allows immediate workout initiation, and unlike other Apple models, you can delay until GPS has locked before pressing it a second time to begin your workout.

Notably, its dual-band GPS system enhances tracking precision in challenging environments, such as urban areas with tall buildings or dense forests. This feature, found in premium running watches, has shown marked improvement since the first Ultra, establishing it as one of the most accurate timepieces available, often matching or surpassing the best performers in urban GPS assessments.

It tracks an array of metrics including running power and dynamics, training load, heart rate zones, and more, alongside conventional stats like distance, pace, and cadence. The Ultra can store structured workouts such as interval training and features an excellent track detection mode for laps. It’s equally effective in cycling, swimming, triathlons, and supports diving up to 40 meters along with more than 22 other activity types.

Combined with a large, bright display, it offers a commendable 11-14 hour battery life during high-accuracy run tracking, making the Ultra 3 a surprisingly effective sports watch.

Ultra also offers new features like Apple’s Workout Buddy AI Coach for walking, running, hiking, cycling, and various training workouts, providing both pre- and post-activity encouragement through Bluetooth headphones. However, you will need to carry an iPhone 15 Pro or later model for this functionality.

Sustainability

Apple states that the battery can endure over 1,000 full charge cycles while retaining at least 80% of its original capacity and is replaceable for £95. Repair costs for damage amount to £489.

This watch incorporates over 40% recycled materials, including cobalt, copper, gold, lithium, rare earth elements, steel, titanium, and tungsten. Apple provides device trade-ins and free recycling services, along with a report detailing the environmental impact of its watches.

Price

The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is available in two colors and various bands, starting at £749 (€899/$799/AU$1,399).

Verdict

The Ultra 3 is the largest and most potent Apple Watch available, but enhancements over previous variants are minimal.

Aside from the satellite SOS messaging, which may truly prove vital in emergencies, the rest of the features chiefly improve upon the Ultra 2.

Nonetheless, the longer battery life is a much-appreciated upgrade, and the increase in screen size and brightness on the same watch frame is fantastic. The new software capabilities are impressive, particularly the flick-through-list gesture for clearing notifications, representing one of the best recent upgrades to the Apple Watch.

The Ultra remains a unique option compared to other models; if you desire a less common Apple Watch, this is the right choice for you. However, those in search of a high-end, specialist sports watch might prefer alternatives like Garmin. Yet, the Ultra 3 boasts all the qualities of an excellent smartwatch compatible with your iPhone while serving effectively as a training companion, provided it is charged frequently.

The Ultra 3 stands tall as the premier Apple Watch, though significant upgrades from earlier Ultra models are generally absent.

Pros: Exceptional display, durable yet elegant design, double-tap and wrist-flick gestures, three-day battery life, 5G and satellite SOS/messaging capabilities, top-tier health monitoring, excellent activity tracking with dual-band GPS, customizable action buttons, 100m water resistance, 40m dive support, and sustained software updates.

Cons: Quite costly, only compatible with iPhones, and lacks the ability to support third-party watch faces. The previous Ultra model offers no major enhancements and does not match the battery longevity of rival adventure watches.