Apple announced the Apple Watch Ultra 2, a new version of its capable, rugged smartwatch. While it's not rewriting the smartwatch book, it does feature some intelligent upgrades that'll make climbers, divers, runners, cyclists, and other outdoorsy athletes happy.
Like the Apple Watch Series 9, which was also announced at Apple's event today, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 features the brand-new S9 SiP, which is Apple's in-house watch processor. It gets the enhanced double-tap gesture, which allows you to control the watch with one hand by tapping your index finger and thumb together twice. A version of the feature has technically been available in the Accessibility settings. However, the S9 chip enhances its capabilities, allowing it to perform most of the main button and Digital Crown functions without touching any physical controls.
Another feature offered by the S9 is precision finding with UWB, which means you can pinpoint the exact location of your phone through the watch.
With the Apple Watch Ultra 2, Apple tested the smartwatch through more altitudes, ensuring it can handle the highest mountains and lowest valleys.
The screen is another significant enhancement offered by the Apple Watch Ultra. It's brighter, coming in at 3000 nits of peak brightness. That means that even in the most intense sunlight, you should be able to see the screen without issue.
With even more information, a new Modular Ultra watch face is coming to the Apple Watch Ultra 2. It uses the very edge of the screen to display more information. In fact, Apple says it offers more information than any other device watch face the company has developed before. It also uses the light sensor to switch to a dark mode, which looks like it'd be easy to see in the dark and easy on the eyes.
Apple Watch Ultra 2 is available for pre-order, starting at $799. Like the previous generation, it's an expensive watch, but it has many features and durability that help justify the higher price tag. The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is entirely carbon neutral with specific models, a first for Apple.