Ready for anything

If you’re serious about your fitness and outdoor pursuits, you might want to consider giving yourself the ultimate gift this Christmas, by investing in the new Apple Watch Ultra (£849; apple.com). Big, robust and made for adventure, this impressive sports watch has a huge 49mm display made from titanium-surround sapphire glass. It’s twice as bright as the Apple Watch Series 8, but the Night Mode will help you to see your metrics clearly in the dark – especially helpful when viewing the revamped Compass app, which lets you save waypoints and track back on yourself if you get lost. Along with increased water resistance to 100m and a Depth app for diving, you’ll find a new Action Button which can be programmed as a ‘quick launch’ for an assigned purpose, such as starting a running workout, or for taking you straight to the workout function for a full list of workout modes (think hiking, swimming and cycling). The better battery now lasts up to 36 hours with normal usage and a whopping 60 hours in Low Power Mode.

What’s more, the speaker grille, which improves sound quality on phone calls even in windy conditions, can also blast out an emergency siren of 86 decibels that can be heard up to 600 feet away should you get into trouble – perfect for female runners heading out on their own. Alongside the addition of duel-frequency GPS for greater accuracy and a Precision Start feature, the Apple Watch Ultra provides crash detection, a skin temperate sensor, and access to Apple’s health suite for sleep tracking and cycle tracking. Available with a choice of three different bands to suit your chosen activity – the Trail Loop, the Alpine Loop and the Ocean Loop – this is without a doubt the best Apple Watch for anyone who is committed to their training.