Announced at this week’s Apple event, the Apple Watch Ultra 4 will look very similar to anyone who already owns last year’s Watch Ultra 3. By which I mean to say: it’s basically the exact same form factor and design.
This is, of course, Apple’s M.O. these days, unless you’re talking about the iPhone Duo. We’ve pretty much come to expect that the company’s yearly hardware refreshes will focus on its devices’ components rather than on making significant changes to their aesthetics. When it comes to the Watch Ultra 4, that means upgrading its censors, battery, and chip to one-up the Watch 3’s performance in every way.
Watch Ultra 4 vs. Watch Ultra 3: Chip and Battery
Last year’s Watch Ultra 3 ran on Apple’s S10 chip, the same silicon from the Watch Series 10 and Ultra 2, which didn’t make upgrading to the Ultra 3 super appealing. This gave the Ultra 3 somewhere around 42 hours of normal use, extending to about 72 hours in Low Power Mode.
The Ultra 4 comes with a brand new S11 chip, alongside a slightly larger battery, a combo that should give you two full days of juice. You’ll even get 45 full hours in extended workout mode and up to 18 hours of heart rate and GPS tracking. The Ultra 3, for reference, could only hit 20 hours of GPS tracking if you put it in Low Power Mode.
The S11 chip will also unlock Apple Intelligence use on the Ultra 4, where the Ultra 3 had none. Apple claims the new chip and an updated step-tracking algorithm also make the Ultra 4 “the most accurate step tracking of any smartwatch.”
Watch Ultra 4 vs. Watch Ultra 3: Health and Fitness Sensors
If you’re big into health fitness tracking, this is where the Ultra 4 is actually going to feel like a significant upgrade from the Ultra 3. Apple really redesigned the Watch 4’s entire sensor stack. We’ve got a larger electrode surface for better ECG contact, photodiodes arranged in a ring for more efficient light capture, and even more power-efficient green LEDs for heart rate tracking.
The new array should make any and every type of health tracking more accurate and efficient. Apple really hammered home during the Ultra 4’s announcement that it’s now the most accurate heart rate monitor of any wearable. A key indicator of stress and recovery called HRV is now measured 24 times more often than before.
These sensors, coupled with new algorithms, also open up a host of new metrics for the watch to track, like a “Readiness” score that factors in sleep quality, vitals, and activity.
Watch Ultra 4 vs. Watch Ultra 3: Features
Outside of improved health tracking, the Ultra 4’s big new selling point is its ability to use Apple Intelligence features, powered by its new S11 chip. None of these features were available on the Ultra 3.
Most of the Apple Intelligence features here are made possible by the Ultra 4 always listening to you and your surroundings, a feature called Audio Intelligence. The Ultra 4 is capable of taking the last 15 seconds of a live conversation and converting it into a text snippet, called Live Rewind, which can be activated by double-pressing the Digital Crown. Siri Recap, meanwhile, is able to create summaries of full conversations to be reviewed later. A feature called Sound Recognition will automatically alert users who are deaf or hard of hearing of important sounds in their surroundings.
Apple says none of these Audio Intelligence features are actually storing recorded conversations, and they’re not automatically identifying speakers, either. Everything is end-to-end encrypted and not accessible by Apple. If you aren’t comfortable with your watch listening in on your entire life, you can also turn these features off entirely.
Watch Ultra 4 vs. Watch Ultra 3: Design
If you came here looking for an aesthetic overhaul, you might be disappointed: the Watch Ultra 4 looks pretty much identical to the Ultra 3 (and the Ultra 2 and the Ultra 1). But you shouldn’t be upset by this, really, because both are beautiful.
The Watch 4 maintains the same visual identity to associate with the Ultra line, including a sleek titanium build available in natural or black finishes. It’s the same 49mm case and always-on Retina display, which is again capable of hitting 3000 nits. It’s once again water resistant up to 100 meters, too.
Watch Ultra 4 vs. Watch Ultra 3: Price
Unlike many of its other products this year (looking at you, iPhones and Macs), the Watch Ultra 4 maintains last year’s price. It starts at $799 and is available for preorder now, with wide availability on September 18.
