Apple Watch Ultra 3 vs Apple Watch Ultra 4
Same price, but Ultra 4 is a genuine upgrade this time: it jumps from Ultra 3's training-tier analytics all the way to Apple's max tier, and adds 4 more hours of GPS battery life on top of it. The only real trade-off is buying before Ultra 4 has built up the review history Ultra 3 already has.
AppleApple Watch Ultra 3
AppleApple Watch Ultra 4
- •You want Apple's established, highest-rated Ultra with a proven track record
- •You can find Ultra 3 discounted now that Ultra 4 is out
- •You want Apple's deepest training analytics yet, a real jump from Ultra 3's training tier
- •You don't mind buying in before Ultra 4 has accumulated real reviews
Ultra 3 stretches Apple Watch battery life further than any other model and adds genuine durability for outdoor use. It's still not a training-analytics powerhouse next to Garmin or Coros, but as an everyday smartwatch that can also handle long runs, it's excellent.
The Ultra 4 keeps the titanium case and Action button of past Ultras, then pushes the display to 3,000 nits, dual-frequency GPS, and genuine offline maps with custom route creation. Training Load, VO2 max, running power, and satellite-based Emergency SOS round out a watch built as much for serious training as for the backcountry. It's still an iPhone-only watch, so it's not a fit if you're on Android, but for iOS runners who want real training data without leaving Apple's ecosystem, this is as good as Apple gets.
*Estimated — this model's exact GPS battery life isn't published by the manufacturer. All figures are standard GPS mode, midsize case, no solar boost.
†Estimated — this model launched too recently to have an established customer rating yet.
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