Apple Watch Ultra

What hackers pick instead

• Apple WatchRecommended for long-term health and sleep tracking, triaging notifications without picking up your phone, silent alarms and Apple Pay; critics cite iPhone lock-in, distracting nags and questionable VO2 max estimates.246recommend
• Pebble smartwatchRecommended for week-plus battery life, an always-on readable screen, physical buttons and an open, hackable platform with a devoted community; critics cite hardware durability issues and the Rebble dispute.117recommend
• Bangle.js 2 smartwatchRecommended for its open, hackable JavaScript platform and battery life that lasts days; critics find the single physical button limiting.13recommend
• Garmin VivoactiveRecommended for multi-day battery life that frees owners from nightly charging. Critics say battery runs down faster with run tracking and that accuracy is weak.9recommend
• Amazfit smartwatchPeople recommend Amazfit for week-plus battery life, built-in sport and message apps, and sensor accuracy near higher-end Garmin. Common caveat: the UI feels English-second and confusing.9recommend

Every quote

The 40 most detailed of 120 comments. Each links to the original.

1. it lasts around two to three days on a charge, which is nice, but there's no charging routine that looks attractive to me

   Mixed · Aug 2026 · in “Pixel Watch 5”

2. I use it when running and it'll easily show me what side of the path I was on at any given point.

   Recommends · Sep 2026 · in “Apple Watch Ultra 4”

3. AW gives me the data I need, and it will last long enough for me to get through a 100 mile race

   Recommends · Sep 2026 · in “Apple Watch Ultra 4”

4. it solved all my issues with my previous Apple Watch - specifically battery life

   Recommends · Jul 2026 · in “After wearing the Pebble Time 2 for two weeks, I'll never buy another smartwatch”

5. The battery life during workout tracking did at least see a 3x improvement.

   Mixed · Sep 2026 · in “Apple Watch Ultra 4”

6. It’s very convenient not having to worry about your watch state of charge.

   Recommends · Sep 2026 · in “Apple Watch Ultra 4”

7. Apple Watch owner , always been indestructible, especially the ultra

   Recommends · Jul 2026 · in “Una Watch: Garmin watch competitor but repairable, open ecosystem and USB-C”

8. Apple blows them away on feature set, and often on data accuracy.

   Recommends · Sep 2026 · in “Apple Watch Ultra 4”

9. covers the needs of most people going outdoors for multiple days

   Recommends · Sep 2026 · in “Apple Watch Series 12”

10. With an Ultra you should be able to easily do a 12 hour hike.

    Recommends · Sep 2026 · in “Apple Watch Series 12”

11. the battery life is excellent - I don't have to charge daily

    Recommends · Dec 2025 · in “What tech purchase did you regret even though reviews were great?”

12. The 4th generation heart rate sensor is quite interesting

    Recommends · Sep 2026 · in “Apple Watch Ultra 4”

13. The pulse, EKG, and blood oxygen are first rate.

    Recommends · Dec 2025 · in “What tech purchase did you regret even though reviews were great?”

14. still a great piece of kit

    Recommends · Mar 2026 · in “I love my dumb watches”

15. All the menus are now lagging on the watch ultra gen2. Where previously it was smooth to interact with, the random lags now make it annoying

    Criticizes · Jan 2026 · in “Apple, What Have You Done?”

16. The battery life boost doesn't seem all that big relative to the Ultra 3, certainly not big enough to warrant upgrading.

    Criticizes · Sep 2026

17. Apple’s wearable competitors blow the Apple Watch’s battery life out of the water and it’s not even close.

    Criticizes · Sep 2026 · in “Apple Watch Ultra 4”

18. Animations when navigating the OS are noticeably sluggish where the previous version was smooth as butter.

    Criticizes · Nov 2025 · in “Microsoft confirms Windows 11 is about to change”

19. Not even the ultra-premium, ulta-outdoorsy Ultra version lets you map "lap count" to the extra button!!!

    Criticizes · Aug 2026 · in “My phone detects going on a run as "someone snatching my phone and running off"”

20. 3 days is a complete joke. Competitors have battery lives measured in weeks rather than days

    Criticizes · Sep 2026 · in “Apple Watch Ultra 4”

21. The dial was never enough to get the control I wanted, even if the UI only required it.

    Criticizes · Sep 2026 · in “Apple Watch Series 12”

22. Tracking performance on the previous Apple Watch Ultra 3 was "solid" in an independent test. A little worse than competitors in some activities, a little better in others.

    Mixed · Sep 2026 · in “Apple Watch Ultra 4”

23. it ended up being a total gamechanger, and now the Ultra is my favorite gadget and a huge motivator to get into better shape

    Recommends · Dec 2025 · in “What tech purchase did you regret even though reviews were great?”

24. Find my Iphone/Make it beep. That stopped working once I disabled the ringer because it was annoyingly loud during meetings.

    Mixed · Sep 2026 · in “iPhone Duo”

25. It told me I probably had sleep apnea and to bring a print out of its chart to my primary care physician.

    Recommends · Sep 2026 · in “Apple Watch Series 12”

26. If it truly lasts anywhere near 45 hours, even my old, slow ass could knock out 100 miles in that time.

    Mixed · Sep 2026 · in “Apple Watch Ultra 4”

27. it was nice but after playing with it for a while I used it for notifications and working out

    Mixed · Sep 2026 · in “Apple Watch Ultra 4”

28. Never once have I pulled an Apple Watch off a charger and said, "WTF? Why didn't it charge?"

    Recommends · Jul 2026 · in “Una Watch: Garmin watch competitor but repairable, open ecosystem and USB-C”

29. AW are much more capable devices than Garmins, both when it comes to compute and screen

    Recommends · Sep 2026 · in “Apple Watch Ultra 4”

30. they look good in a way that scratches on my (non-pro) steel Apple Watch did not

    Recommends · Apr 2026 · in “Filing the Corners Off MacBooks”

31. I mainly use an Apple Watch Ultra 1 because it is convenient, it is good enough

    Mixed · Sep 2026 · in “Exercise intensity is associated with cardiometabolic health”

32. they made the Ultra for very rich people who do long hikes or similar

    Mixed · Sep 2026 · in “Apple Watch Series 12”

33. I use Apple Watch Ultra constantly, it’s extremely worth it to me.

    Recommends · Dec 2025 · in “What tech purchase did you regret even though reviews were great?”

34. Thankfully, the Ultra 4 provides some other compelling features

    Mixed · Sep 2026 · in “Apple Watch Ultra 4”

35. Apple Watch Ultra is a smartwatch first, sports watch second.

    Mixed · May 2026 · in “Six Years Perfecting Maps on WatchOS”

36. I can't leave 3 days without bringing its dedicated charger.

    Mixed · Feb 2026 · in “Apple Watch or Don't Bother”

37. The ultra 4 is rated to do 84 hours in low power mode

    Recommends · Sep 2026 · in “Apple Watch Series 12”

38. The ultra 4 can handle the times you are describing.

    Recommends · Sep 2026 · in “Apple Watch Series 12”

39. 40m diving is more than good for a lot of divers.

    Recommends · Sep 2026 · in “Apple Watch Ultra 4”

40. it offered a face with only red and black

    Recommends · Oct 2026 · in “Show HN: I turned my iPhone and a $20 smart plug into an f-stop timer”