I was reminded once again of just how well-made the standard Apple Watch is.
The most costly and durable Apple Watch Ultra ever made for the series. In addition to a long-lasting battery life of up to 36 hours, it’s the most powerful model that can also be used as a dive computer for scuba diving , I’ll be honest; I had trouble understanding it.
I am currently using the Apple Watch Series 7, which I purchased at the same time as it was released , but I have been wearing the Apple Watch Ultra for about a month to review it while scuba diving . When it was first announced, I was attracted by the long battery life and new design , but after using it, I realized that the normal Apple Watch is enough for me and that I like the previous Apple Watch .
It’s bigger than I expected and the weight is a concern
The Apple Watch Ultra’s bulky design is likely to divide opinions .
I made my Apple Watch debut with the Series 2 , but when I tried on the Ultra 49mm case , I felt it was bigger than I expected and didn’t match the thickness of my wrist .
I assumed it would just be marginally bigger because the regular model had a 45mm case, but there was a 4mm difference.
Also, the thing that bothered me the most about wearing the Ultra was its weight . I noticed it when I was sleeping to record my sleep , or when I was doing desk work , which are situations where I spend a lot of my day wearing it. It would have been fine if it was a comfortable weight, but it felt like a weight that was bothering me , so I just couldn’t get used to it.
The Series 7 45mm case (aluminum) for everyday use weighs 38.8g , while the Ultra (titanium)It weighs 61.3g , so it may have felt even heavier.
I wish there were more band options
There are three types of bands designed for the Apple Watch Ultra . The Ocean Band even comes with an extension band so that it can be worn over a scuba diving wetsuit, and the Alpine Loop , which fastens with a G-hook , was comfortable to use while climbing mountains.
However, I feel like not many users use these bands for their intended purposes. There should be more bands available, in my opinion.
Fortunately, the Ultra can use bands for 44mm and 45mm cases, so I paired it with the Sport Band in most situations , but after trying out various options, I personally felt that it worked best with the Leather Link .
The slightly larger Digital Crown is certainly convenient.
The Digital Crown on the Ultra is a size larger than the one on the regular Apple Watch . As Apple has officially stated, it is very convenient to be able to operate it comfortably even while wearing gloves .
When using it as a dive computer underwater, you mainly operate the app by turning the Digital Crown, and thanks to its knurled edges, I was able to turn it without any problems even while wearing gloves.
I also found it convenient to be able to smoothly switch between information screens in the Workout app, even when wearing gloves while cycling in the winter.
The action buttons are not very useful
However, to be honest, I feel there are still not many uses for the action button . It is convenient to be able to start a run or start the stopwatch by pressing the button.
However, there are only a few actions that can be performed at this stage, and if you want to do more than that, you will need to master the shortcuts . As for the action buttons, we hope that they will be improved with a software update.
My affection for the standard Apple Watch grows with usage.
The Apple Watch Ultra is certainly attractive because it is water resistant to 100m , emits a siren sound that can be heard up to 180m away , and can withstand temperatures from -20°C to 55°C . However, I don’t have any confidence that I can fully utilize these functions, so I felt that the Ultra was too high-spec for me.
Thanks to the long battery life, it’s convenient to avoid the trouble of charging every day, and the large 49mm display is easy to see and comfortable. However, if I want to check notifications, record general exercise (running and walking), measure my electrocardiogram and blood oxygen level to manage my health, etc., I would prefer the light and rounded design of the regular Apple Watch.
I personally didn’t really like the bulky design of the Ultra’s case and flat display, and I much prefer the Apple Watch, which has a display that extends to the corners.I came to appreciate the Series 7 the more I used the Ultra.
What I personally found most disappointing was that the software for the Ultra is almost the same as the standard Apple Watch . As for the watch face , which is one of the joys of a smartwatch , I felt lonely even as an existing user that there was only one face exclusively for the Ultra.
The only dedicated face, Wayfinder , is for mountain climbers. To be honest, I would like to see a watch face for other active users such as runners and divers . I’m sure it will be added in a future update, but I’m looking forward to it.
