The Apple Watch Ultra 4 arrives four years after the original model. Over the next three generations, Apple added a brighter and larger screen, satellite connectivity, new health sensors, more capable chips, and longer battery life. For owners of the original Ultra, are these cumulative improvements enough to warrant an upgrade now, or can their existing watch last another year?
Both watches retain a 49mm titanium case, action button, siren, dual frequency GPS, and support for recreational diving up to 40 meters. The Apple Watch Ultra 4 starts at $799 in the US. Apple discontinued the original Ultra in 2023 and no longer supports the latest major version of watchOS. Here are the main differences between the two models:
| Apple Watch Ultra (first generation) |
Apple Watch Ultra 4 |
| Natural titanium finish |
Natural and black titanium finishes |
| LTPO2 OLED display with permanent updates once per minute |
Wide-angle LTPO3 OLED display with always-on updates at 1Hz, allowing supported faces to display the passing seconds |
| Up to 2,000 nits of brightness |
Up to 3,000 nits of brightness; Minimum brightness of 1 nit |
| 410 x 502 pixels; 1,185 mm² exhibition area |
422 x 514 pixels; 1245 mm² display area (5% larger), with thinner display bezels |
| Flashlight |
Flashlight Boost via Digital Crown |
| S8 chip |
S11 chip |
| 1 GB of RAM |
4 GB of RAM |
| Neural engine |
4-core neural engine |
|
Secure Exclude for isolated audio processing |
| 32 GB of storage |
64 GB of storage |
|
Single tap, double tap and wrist gestures |
| Siri processed in the cloud over an internet connection |
Siri on the device for supported requests, including accessing and logging health and fitness data |
| Dictation |
Improved on-device dictation |
|
AI support Siri |
| First generation Ultra Wideband chip |
Second generation Ultra Wideband chip |
| Play a sound to locate an iPhone; locate accessories using Find Devices and Find Items |
Precision search for compatible iPhone models, AirTag 2, and AirPods Pro 3 charging case, with distance and direction guidance |
|
Automatic now playing controls and Smart Stack media suggestions near a HomePod |
| Third generation electrical heart sensor and optical heart sensor |
Health detection system with new always-on electrical and optical heart sensors |
| Background heart rate measurements |
Background heart rate measurements every five seconds |
| Heart rate variability (HRV) measurements |
More frequent measurements of overall HRV and recovery HRV |
| Displaying vital signs at night |
Vital Night and Day Views |
|
Prep app |
|
Sleep apnea notifications |
|
Hypertension notifications |
| Blood oxygen readings visible on watch |
On affected US models, blood oxygen measurements are analyzed on the paired iPhone and displayed in its Health app. |
| Step tracking and estimated indoor workout distance |
More accurate all-day step tracking and indoor workout distance measurements, plus a Steps watch face complication |
| Workout Buddy requires a nearby Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone |
Improved training buddy with additional information and Spanish support |
|
Live translation in messages when paired with an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone |
| LTE and UMTS cellular connectivity |
LTE and 5G cellular connectivity, with improved reception of weak signals thanks to the simultaneous use of both antennas |
|
Emergency SOS, messages and Find My via satellite |
|
Audio intelligence: sound recognition, automatic music identification, live feedback and Siri summary |
| Built-in speakers for calls, alerts and Siri |
Built-in speakers for calls, alerts, Siri and media playback |
| Up to 36 hours of normal use |
Up to 50 hours of normal use |
| Up to 72 hours in low power mode, according to Apple’s current comparison page |
Up to 84 hours in low power mode |
| Up to 12 hours of standard outdoor workout tracking |
Up to 18 hours of standard outdoor workout tracking |
| Low power mode during workouts, with an optional setting for fewer GPS and heart rate readings |
Extended training mode: up to 25 hours with full GPS and heart rate readings; Maximum extended training mode: up to 45 hours with GPS readings every second |
| Charges from 0 to 80% in about an hour |
Charges from 0 to 80% in approximately 45 minutes; 15 minutes charge for up to 18 hours of normal use; five minutes for up to 10 hours of sleep tracking |
| 61.3 grams |
Natural titanium: 63.0 grams; black titanium: 63.1 grams |
| Dual frequency GPS supporting GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS and BeiDou |
Dual-frequency GPS supporting GPS, Galileo, QZSS and BeiDou |
| Supports watchOS 26 |
Supports watchOS 27, including Siri app, dynamic app grid, new Smart Stack suggestions, call context and consolidated Find My app |
| Now abandoned |
From $799 |
Existing first-generation Apple Watch Ultra owners can reasonably keep their watch for another year if its battery still covers their usual days and workouts. Losing support for watchOS 27 is significant, but it doesn’t stop the original Ultra from continuing to handle notifications, activity tracking, navigation, and its other existing features. Owners happy with these capabilities may prefer to extend another year of use and wait to see if next year’s model will offer a more substantial upgrade.
However, the Ultra 4 is a worthwhile upgrade for anyone who is already experiencing the limitations of the original model. The new health detection system provides more detailed information on heart rate and recovery, while sleep apnea and hypertension notifications expand its health capabilities. These changes are more convincing if you use the additional information to track changes in your daily condition or adjust your training.
Longer battery life and satellite connectivity strengthen the case for owners who log extended workouts or regularly travel beyond cellular coverage. If your original Apple Watch Ultra is now struggling to complete a ride without recharging, the improved battery life is a practical reason to replace it. The larger, brighter screen, newer gestures, audio intelligence, and expanded precision search support also make the cumulative upgrade more noticeable in everyday use.
Software support is a major reason to move on. The original Apple Watch Ultra can’t run watchOS 27, so it misses out on Siri AI and the latest OS’s other additions. While these features significantly improve the way you use your watch, waiting another year means accepting these limitations in the meantime.
