Those things definitely stand out in my experience, but theres plenty of other features that impressed me and also ones that I havent used as much as I thought I would lets. Take a closer look at my pros and cons of the Apple watch Ultra six months later. Design is an easy place to start, because I mean look at this thing. Its a huge Smart Watch definitely up there with the biggest Ive ever tested. The pro of this. For me is the flat 49 millimeter display, which just gives me so much real estate to see my notifications follow map routes have fun with my face complications and my personal favorite get an extra metric for my workouts, whatever kind of activity Im doing, I can always See my progress or heart rate easily at a glance, the con of the big size for me is that the watch isnt very comfortable to sleep with. I still do it, but it gets a little irritating and sometimes I do take it off in the middle of the night. To that point, I dont think it looks as nice dressed up with my personal style. It looks rugged and sporty, which is great for casual use, but for work or a nice event. The regular Apple watch just looks more minimalistic and it matches with nicer watch bands. Speaking of watch bands, I have to say I just did not Vibe with any of the Apple watch Ultra bands, I tried all three: the scuba band is uncomfortable unless youre in the water and I couldnt find the right right fit with the Alpine Loop.
The Trail Loop got so dirty so quickly that I just couldnt use it anymore. I used the regular Apple sport Loop or the sport band 99 of the time. Now. Another exclusive feature and pro of the Apple watch Ultra is the action button. I think the action button is a brilliant addition for the Apple watch as a reminder, its an extra launcher for a tool or function of your choice. I use it for both launching a workout and having quick access to a flashlight, which I think is honestly one of the most underrated Apple watch features in general, but thats just to say that I like the action button. There is a con for me, though, and that is that I wish you could make the action button open any app or tool even from third parties. I also wish that you can assign it different functions based on your focus status. Hopefully, these could come in a software update in the future, while Im talking about the action button, its a good time to mention the Apple watch, Ultra safety features, which can be accessed with a long press of the button. The best safety feature, in my opinion, is the siren I am just so happy to have it now. I havent had to actually use it but living in the city walking alone at night. Its very reassuring to me – and I wish more smart watches, had a similar feature. Not too long ago.
I actually challenged myself to replace my iPhone with the Apple watch Ultra and I dont think I would have felt as comfortable embarking on the experiment, if not for the siren and emergency calling on my wrist. You should definitely check out that entire video to see some of the other ways I relied on the Apple watch Ultra in my daily life now Ill be honest. I havent taken the Apple watch Ultra out, camping or hiking, or in any situation where other safety features would come in handy, such as the track back function. Similarly, I havent really needed to leverage the advanced GPS system packed in here. Its not like this watch has the emergency SOS via satellite, like the iPhone 14 either. I kind of feel guilty almost and thats, not to say that I wont go on a real Adventure soon when the weather gets nicer. So let me know if you want to see a video on that for now Im, just not using the watch to its full potential. In a sense of course, I need to talk about the battery life experience. Ive had Ill start with saying that my watchs battery health is still at 100 after six months, which is awesome. I use the Apple watch. Ultras optimize charge limit feature that automatically stops charging your Apple watch ultras battery at an optimized Point, not just pause it even when you leave it on the charger for a while and forget about it.
As for how often Im charging my Apple watch Ultra, I ended up getting LTE enabled, so the battery life definitely does not last as long compared to when I first got it without using LTE. I would get two full days pretty much and now Im closer to the actual 36 hour estimate. I also forget to use low power mode a lot and thats on me, but Im still surprised that I didnt end up taking advantage of it as much as I thought I would. I guess that goes back to not using it in remote situations. I pretty much always have a charger nearby, so Im not worried about it dying. I must also mention that, while the Apple watch ultras battery life is great by Apple watch standards, its still pales compared to a lot of other smart watches on the market and smart watches that are significantly less expensive. I might add that takes me to price, which doesnt have any less sticker shock six months later at 799 dollars, the Apple watch Ultra is quite expensive and me someone who strives to give buying advice based on needs and value. I do think the margin of people who will actually make use of the Apple watch Ultra to the full extent, is much much narrower compared to people who would be just as suited by the Apple Watch series 8 or even the Apple watch, SC, which at 249 Dollars is an absolute bargain.
Dont get me wrong, its been very fun flashing, the ultra around and also not having to be gentle with it. Thanks to the titanium casing, Ive said it before and I will say it again: the apple watch Ultra comes as close to standing in for a smartphone as any Apple watch before it. If not any Smart Watch ever but its not perfect, and I think its important to remember that this is a first gen device in a way. So there are some upgrades. I still want to see more options for the action button. Some different included bands and even a longer battery life are some of them. Emergency SOS via satellite would be a game changer as well for now Im planning to switch back to the Apple Watch series 8 to see if I truly missed the Apple watch Ultra and all its features. Id love to hear about your Apple watch. Ultra experience in the comments be sure to check us out on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tick Tock at Toms guide and as always Im at Kate kozich thanks for watching Ill catch.JNTY4zql0NY
