Rough and ready Watch Ultra
Apple’s smart watch toughens up
The world’s best-selling smart watch doesn’t have too much to prove – but it’s doubling down anyway with a new rugged version that’s ready for the rough stuff. Designed to meet the needs of mountaineers, triathletes and scuba divers, it’s likely to be as equally as home on a trip to Waitrose – and that’s because it’s packed with all the features you expect, and quite a few you don’t.
First up is the design. While the Apple Watch has always been relatively chunky, the Apple Watch Ultra makes that vice into a virtue, with a big, bold, titanium case that comes with a rough-hewn Digital Crown on its prominent right side and an ‘international orange’ Action button on the left. On the top is a fully flat sapphire display glass, measuring 49mm diagonally with brightness pegged at a maximum of 2,000 nits, making it easy to see in the great outdoors. Plus, the Watch is dust-proof to IP6X and waterproof down to 100m. It can also withstand extremes of temperature – from -20°C to 55°C.
Rough and tumble
The Apple Watch Ultra is prepared for the extremes in other ways. It not only boasts Crash Protection and Emergency SOS by satellite, but includes a three-microphone array and a built-in speaker that’s capable of emitting a loud 86dB (decibel) siren that Apple says can be heard up to 180m away, plus it has both a Depth Gauge and dual-band GPS so you’ll also know exactly where you are, no matter how far or how deep you go. Of course, none of this would matter if the Apple Watch Ultra ran out of juice in doublequick time, which is why the Watch Ultra comes with a battery that can last for up to 36 hours in regular use or up to 60 hours in Low Power Mode.
To accompany the Watch Ultra are three new equally robust Watch bands; the Ocean Band, which uses tubular geometry to allow it to be flexible enough to fit over a diving suit, and the Alpine Loop and the Trail Loop, which feature titanium G hooks and twin textile or nylon layers. Prices for the Apple Watch Ultra start at £849.
> Thanks to the new S8 chip, the new Apple Watch SE is up to 20% faster than the original SE, and now boasts a 30% larger Retina OLED display screen. The new SE retains the optical heart rate sensor, Fall Detection, Emergency SOS, and water resistance up to 50 metres of the first generation. These similarities aside, two new motion sensors – an improved gyroscope and new accelerometer – enable the new Crash Detection feature that’s also included in the iPhone 14 and other new Apple Watches, that can automatically notify the emergency services and your emergency contacts. It also features a revised back plate made from composite nylon material, which Apple says makes the Watch SE lighter than before.
Like the new Apple Watch Ultra and Series 8, the SE will also be powered by watchOS 9 which, among other improvements, provides an enhanced Workout app and sleep analysis.
Available from 16 September, the Apple Watch SE comes in 40mm (£259) and 44mm (£309) sizes and is now available in Silver, Midnight and Starlight finishes.
As the SE is the more affordable version of the Apple Watch, it’s likely to appeal to parents of school-age children, and the SE will obviously be compatible with Family Setup (where you can easily use a parent or guardian’s iPhone to set up the Watch).