What to Think of the Apple Watch Ultra?

I had published an article about the pointlessness of the Apple Watch — its intrusive presence on the wrist, constantly telling me to stand up and close my rings. Since then, I’ve bought an Apple Watch Series 7, then an Apple Watch Ultra (and in between, a Garmin Epix Pro Gen 2 , which I cover in a dedicated article ).

I spend my days sitting at a desk. If I don’t want to die too young, I need to move. The Apple Watch, intrusive as it is, reminds me to stand up every hour. It motivates me to work out by closing my rings. The Health app on iPhone lets me track how my health evolves over time.

WatchOS changed everything for sport

Apple released a WatchOS update that finally lets you treat the Apple Watch as a real sports watch. Not just an enhanced fitness tracker. The workout app is more complete than before and I no longer need to rely on third-party apps like WorkOutDoors (except for loading routes on a map).

The Action button is a real plus. It lets you mark segments with a physical button during a workout. Combined with the crown, it pauses the workout. I was hoping to see it become more universal — able to trigger specific actions based on context and the app in use.

Hyrox, CrossFit: it holds up

I do Hyrox with it and it tracks my effort without any issues. No dropout in heart rate tracking, even during intense phases. Same for CrossFit — the sensor holds its own.

The only annoying thing is kettlebells. You have to flip the watch to the inside of your wrist to avoid smashing the screen. Not ideal, but you get used to it.

What I miss though is the ability to track activity with the watch in my pocket and a Bluetooth chest strap. Garmin handles this very well. On Apple Watch, no luck: it has to be on your wrist to record a workout. For sports where the watch gets in the way or risks taking a hit, it’s frustrating. Apple, if you’re reading this…

Battery life — the real issue

Battery life remains the biggest flaw of the Apple Watch. Charging it every evening doesn’t bother me — I actually find it more convenient and it means I never forget. The Ultra does better than the standard versions, and I can forget my iPhone for a full day thanks to cellular connectivity.

I’d had an Apple Watch with cellular before the Ultra, but it couldn’t last a full day. The Ultra changes the game.

The Apple Watch Ultra is a bit like the iPhone Max: you don’t buy it for the bigger screen but for the battery life. Apple can still do better, and I look forward to the day I can head out far from my phone with just my watch on for more than a day. When that day comes, I might go for the steel version if Apple adds sapphire glass. It’s also a lot prettier than the Ultra.

A smart watch above all

This watch — I couldn’t live without it anymore. And the arrival of the Garmin Fenix Pro isn’t going to change that. Opening my home, paying at a shop, listening to music or podcasts, adding a reminder in an instant, starting a timer — and all of that without having the iPhone nearby. When I went over to Garmin , I missed all these features. For me that’s what matters most, beyond the sports features.

What Garmin does better

What I miss compared to Garmin: mapping. Going out for a spontaneous run in an unfamiliar city and being guided by the watch is great. And interval training management — because that’s a real pain on Apple Watch.

Garmin still has work to do on the smart watch side and 4G connectivity. For now it’s Apple Watch all the way. It’s almost the only thing keeping me from leaving iPhone 📱

I’ll write a follow-up article on the apps I use and find indispensable.

Feel free to reach out if you’d like to react to this article.