2023-12-23 15:00:00
With rare exceptions, products flagship from Apple (apart from accessories) are usually updated annually by the company.
There are those who think this is a kind of exaggeration of our current capitalist world, but I honestly don’t see it in a bad light. Technology is indeed advancing by leaps and bounds and leaving any product — a computer, tablet, smartphone, smartwatch, etc. — “frozen” for two or three years would be very bad for consumers who don’t buy that particular model around its first year of life.
Let me explain: although the manufacturers of these products would like you to change each one of them annually, the biggest benefit of such devices being updated annually is that, whenever a consumer wants or needs to buy one of them, they will know that they will be getting their hands on something really good. latest generation — without running the risk of paying dearly for something already outdated.
The Watch is one of the products flagships that definitely doesn’t deserve to be changed every year, and that even applies to me, editor-in-chief of a site like MacMagazine. It’s no surprise that, in the history of this product, I’ve found myself “skipping” generations multiple times — and that’s what I did last year, keeping my Series 7 I don’t pulse.
Now, in 2023, I upgraded to Apple Watch Series 9 Ultra 2!
Aluminum
Even skipping a generation here and there, I’ve had some good Apple Watches since the first generation. But there is something in common between them all: I always opted for the cheapest model, made of aluminum (without cellular connectivity and with a sports bracelet).
As you know, we have always had more expensive versions in the Apple Watches line with a stainless steel case and even more expensive ones from the Edition line — which was once made of gold, ceramic and titanium.
In addition to the different material of the watch case itself, these more expensive models have their screens protected by a sapphire crystal instead of the traditional “X-ion” glass, as Apple calls it, of the cheaper models. In practice, this means that they are much less likely to scratch.
Other than that, all of these more expensive models already come with built-in cellular connectivity — although you will need to purchase a separate plan from your operator to take advantage of the technology. But, for those who really need it, there are also aluminum models with cellular connectivity that still cost less than a steel one.
Otherwise, everything is exactly the same: sizes, chip, memory, sensors, buttons, system, apps and so on. That’s why I’ve never been tempted to spend more on a steel model, or much less on an Apple Watch Edition.
Just like the one who writes to you, hundreds of other consumers have certainly already made a similar analysis to mine and were hesitant to spend more. Apple knows this well, that’s why it created the…
Ultra
Originally launched last year, the Apple Watch Ultra was the first more expensive model in Apple’s watch line to really bring extra things beyond simply a more expensive finishing material — in its case, titanium (with the sapphire crystal on the screen). too, of course).
Ultra brought a new design to the Apple Watch, providing a feeling of greater robustness. It’s also the largest released to date, with a 49mm case that’s thankfully still compatible with 44-45mm watch straps.
And this larger useful area also allowed Apple to place the largest battery ever in a Watch, providing an autonomy of two full days in normal use — or even more than that, if you use it in Low Power Mode.
As a bonus, on the left side we have a new physical button (in International Orange), the so-called Action button. It can be configured in many different ways, but I will leave a separate section about it later in this review.
Although Apple Watches prior to the Ultra were already officially waterproof (since the Series 2, that is), this new model is the most resistant of all (up to 100m!) and has a dedicated sensor to measure the its depth — excellent for those who practice underwater activities —, as well as a precision, dual-frequency GPS (for better geolocation).
With all this, Apple decided to position the Ultra as a model aimed at professional athletes, adventurers, climbers, explorers, divers and the like. I’m obviously nothing like that — and yet I decided to buy one for myself. Why?
Simple: because this is, obviously, the best Apple Watch the company has ever created. And we, consumers, often tend to buy things with plenty of resources for us instead of something that will always be at the limit of what you need. This gives us a good feeling, eliminating certain worries; The simple fact that the Ultra’s battery is so good is reason enough for many consumers to opt for it — not to mention, of course, the 49mm size, which is ideal for many wrists.
I tested the first Apple Watch Ultra last year and was very tempted to upgrade. I just didn’t do it, at the time, because I was in a “slow” period of physical exercise and I thought it would be too bold of me. As this year I went back to the gym regularly and had already skipped a generation, I thought the time was right.
Does it make a difference in practice?
Having said all this, you ask me: “So, do all these benefits of the Apple Watch Ultra 2 really make a difference, in practice?”
Look… yes and no. There are certain things about it that are very different from what I was used to on my Series 7, but others are undeniably there just for the sake of it — after all, do you really think I will ever need the depth sensor on this watch? The most I saw it work was playing in the pool, 1.5m underwater.
But talking about what really makes a difference, and taking advantage of the fact that I just mentioned this, the battery is certainly a strong point here. It’s something so significant that Apple implemented, on the Watch Ultra, an option to limit its recharge to 80% when the system detects that you don’t need more than that. And of course, my watch quickly understood that this was the case for me.
So, although I still have the habit of putting the Apple Watch Ultra to recharge every night (after all, I don’t like sleeping with anything on my arm — let alone a mess like that), it goes up to 80% and I usually end my day with 40-50%. In other words, in my normal use, this watch easily lasts two full days, maybe even three!
Resistance is also another positive point of the Apple Watch Ultra. I’ve already given a couple of “hits” to the wall, unintentionally, which left absolutely no mark on him. And at this point (after three months of use), with my previous watches, my screen would certainly already have some micro-scratches that don’t exist on this one. It’s still like new. ????
Something that caught my attention during my first tests of the original Apple Watch Ultra, last year, was its screen. Perhaps the most noticeable difference is that it is completely flat, with the titanium edges slightly raised in relation to the sapphire crystal to provide even more protection. But its superior shine is also quite noticeable, especially in the sun. It is a pleasure to look at and interact with this display, in any situation.
Another thing that the Ultra is superior to other models are its microphones and speakers, but honestly this is something that I use too sporadically to count as a positive point. I may even avoid answering calls on the watch because in previous generations this wasn’t very cool and, perhaps, I need to force myself to use it more in this new model. It’s a possibility.
Action Button
There was something that I expected more from Ultra, because I thought it would work in a different way to how it actually works. Before I explain this, let’s look at what you can do with this Action button.
You can set it to start an exercise, the stopwatch, mark an intermediate point on a trail, retrace a path back, start a dive, activate the flashlight, run a shortcut or, of course, deactivate it so it doesn’t do anything. — if he bothers you for some reason.
Initially I thought about setting it to Exercise, but thought better of it and decided against it for two reasons:
- I exercise only once a day (if that, haha!), so I thought it was excessive to dedicate a button on my watch to this.
- I not only use the native Exercise app, but also SmartGym when I go weight training.
As the other options are even more specific, I chose to configure it as a flashlight and I honestly think it’s great for that.
But what I didn’t imagine was that the Action button would only work for the main action defined in Settings, depending on your choice, regardless of what you are doing on the watch. I found that, even using it to activate the flashlight, the button would respond differently when I was performing an active exercise within the SmartGym app — for example, moving to the next series. But no: if I press it while I’m working out, the flashlight turns on the same way.
The fact is that, in addition to being able to configure the button for the main action, Apple could also give us the option to customize this behavior while we are using a specific app, which would make everything much more interesting.
I could certainly “get around” this disappointment of mine by configuring it to use some shortcut full of conditionals and the like (as we already indicated here on the site), but it’s not my cup of tea. I hope that, in the future, Apple will make it a little more contextual and allow you to perform different actions depending on the situation or what you are doing at a given moment.
Those who, unlike me, use the Action button for the Exercise app even have a little more functionality in this regard. By pressing it once, you start the exercise, but if you are, for example, in an interval section, you can press it again to move on to the next step without even having to look at the screen. Furthermore, pressing the Action button and the side button (below the Digital Crown) together during a run, for example, you pause the exercise — great for crossing a street or drinking water.
Another thing Apple could easily enable, via a watchOS update, is a secondary double-click action on the Action button. Currently, it only does something different if you press and hold it: then it opens. There is a special menu for you to activate the siren, open your medical record, retrace the compass or make an emergency call.
The siren, by the way, is another differentiator of the Apple Watch Ultra that exploits its more powerful speakers. The sound emitted by it reaches 86dB, which Maçã says is audible up to 180 meters away. I hope I never have to actually use it.
Cellular connectivity
I mentioned above that, until I got the Apple Watch Ultra 2, I always opted for the cheaper aluminum models. This here is therefore my first Watch that is equipped with cellular connectivity.
And, get this: I’m not using it and don’t intend to use it. In fact, I couldn’t even do it immediately if I wanted to, as my operator here in Portugal (MEO) still doesn’t support this. But that’s okay, if it was something I really wanted, I would migrate to another.
The thing is that it’s really not something I’m interested in, after all, I always have my iPhone with me. It could be something like a chicken and egg story, so who knows, if there was cellular connectivity on the Apple Watch I would consider going out without my iPhone a few times. But that’s not really my style, and I like being able to check something, answer emails and solve any problem using my iPhone if necessary — yes, even while I’m at the gym working out.
But that’s my profile, of course. I don’t run and I imagine that leaving the house to run without having to take my iPhone, just with the Apple Watch Ultra and the AirPods, for example, must be something very comfortable and pleasurable.
It’s important to point this out here because, for those who use cellular connectivity on the Apple Watch, battery life is different. With Ultra there’s still plenty of it, but I definitely wouldn’t get two full days at ease if I used it, much less three.
Contrary to what some may think, cellular connectivity is not required to use Apple Pay with your Apple Watch. This is something that I use a lot (much more than on the iPhone), because it is absurdly practical to double-click the side button on the watch and then bring it closer to the payment machine without even needing to authenticate anything — after all, it is already authenticated on the your wrist.
Counter
The first few days after I started using the Apple Watch Ultra 2, I was hesitant to change my default watch face. I’ve been used to the “Infographic” for years and I also have a secondary “Analog Activity” that I use when I’m at the gym — in fact, thank God we can again switch between them simply by swiping. ????????
But I insisted a little and decided to migrate to an exclusive dial for this model, which is the “Modular Ultra”. It’s the densest dial Apple has ever created for the Watch, basically exploring every possible space on the screen.
Here, for those who are curious to know, I configured mine as follows:
- In the frame, I placed the seconds;
- In style, I left “H:MI” — the default, just with the time;
- In Night Mode, I left it on “Automatic” — this way, everything looks red when there is little light;
- In the three upper complications, I placed the Compass, Today’s Date and the digital time in Brasília;
- In the central complication, I placed the weather conditions;
- And in the three lower complications, I placed Activity Circles, the Home app and the Walkie-Talkie app (which I use to talk to my wife from time to time).
I confess that I still find it a bit too dense and I preferred the visual aspect of the “Infographic”, but using this in Ultra gives a certain feeling of wasted space. So, I got used to it like that.
Ultra » Ultra 2
Well, as you already know, I jumped from the Apple Watch Series 7 to the Ultra 2. But that doesn’t stop me from talking to those who already have an original Apple Watch Ultra and want to know if it’s worth getting the second generation model.
Definitely not. This was one of the least significant annual upgrades in the history of all Apple products, with it basically gaining a new chip (the SiP S9, which is slightly faster than the previous ones) and an even brighter screen.
The display’s brightness went from 2,000 to 3,000 nits, which honestly sounds more impressive than it is in practice — it was already bright enough for use in the sun (another benefit is increasing the flashlight’s intensity even further by turning the Digital Crown, but it’s nothing out of this world). Another thing it is capable of doing is now operating at just 1 nit, great for completely dark environments; But, of course, no one is going to buy the new model just for that reason…
The S9, which also powers the Apple Watch Series 9, brings another new feature that Apple promoted as much bigger than it really is: Double Tap (Double Tap). With it, you can now double-tap with your fingertips (index and thumb) to perform the main action on the watch screen, such as answering a call, replying to a message, stopping an alarm and others.
The idea here is to allow you to perform certain actions on the watch when your other hand is dirty or busy — something I used to do with the tip of my nose. ???? But, although it is a welcome novelty and works relatively well, it is something that I must have used a lot a couple of times in all this time.
As much as Apple says that the S9 is what allows this feature to work properly and precisely, it is difficult to swallow the fact that it left this exclusive feature for this year’s watches, with something very similar, focused on Accessibility, it already existed on watchOS for a few years. Ball out.
Another flaw related to the S9 is that it allows Siri to perform certain actions locally/offline on the watch, much faster. The problem is that Apple forgets that it is a globalized company and, for now, this new feature only works in English and Mandarin. ????
Other observations
Okay, some more details and extras that didn’t make it into any of the previous sections of this review:
- Apple kept the same three bracelet options for the Ultra, from the first to the second generation. I chose Oceano (Ocean) blue, which is perhaps closer to the sporty one I was used to wearing for years. It’s just as comfortable, just a little more difficult to put on your arm — but, of course, I’ve got the hang of it.
- Interestingly, the bracelet I chose is the only one that does not yet have the “Carbon Neutral” seal. The other two options already follow this new Apple environmental classification, which also applies to certain combinations of the Apple Watch Series 9.
- In addition to Apple’s original Oceano bracelet, I also had the opportunity to present to you on video a titanium bracelet from SANDMARC that I have been using on certain special occasions and really liking it:
- The right “bump” of the Apple Watch Ultra, where the Digital Crown and the side button, caused a small problem for me. As I wear the watch a little closer to my hand than other people, it’s normal for it to accidentally take a screenshot of the screen when pressing both buttons simultaneously (and I don’t even see when this happens). I could disable this feature, of course, but I need it from time to time so I end up having to delete some involuntary screenshots from my photo library every now and then.
- Apple has doubled the internal memory capacity of the Ultra 2, now at 64GB. Again, it enters that field of things that are better to “left over” than being at the limit; I honestly don’t even know how much space I’m taking up on my Watch (since I always have my iPhone on me, I don’t need to transfer music, podcasts and more to the Watch’s storage to use at the gym, for example), but more is always welcome .
- One thing I also “gained” in my migration, which arrived with the Apple Watch Series 8, was its integrated thermometer. However, as Apple continues to limit this sensor to use for menstrual cycles, it ends up having no use for me. It’s curious because the Ultra even has another thermometer to measure the water temperature when it’s submerged, but it still doesn’t tell us if we have a fever or not. ????????
Conclusion
I am satisfied with my upgrade. Unless Apple brings something really significant to the new generation next year (and there are rumors of that, including a blood pressure meter), I intend to keep changing Watches every other year.
It is also not, at least for me, interesting to space this out even further because I end up recovering part of my “investment” in the resale of the previous model and I can still sell it with the current AppleCare+. Putting it on the scale, it’s worth it.
At the same time, it’s curious to recognize how, by bringing some changes that don’t even make that much of a difference to the daily use of the watch, Apple managed to make me spend a lot more on this Ultra model than I ever did on all previous generations of the Watch. And I know that this applies to the reality of many other consumers.
The Ultra is definitely not for everyone — starting with its size, which I think is right at the limit of what I would accept for a watch (and I don’t have a thin wrist). Although its feature set has already convinced me to make the switch, I hope Apple continues to add even more value to it in future generations.
If it offered more flexibility for the Action button and started to explore more of the Watch’s thermometer, two things that, by the way, only depend on software updates, I would certainly be even more satisfied than I already am with this product.
Apple Watch Ultra 2
of Apple
Cash price: from R$8,729.10
Price in installments: from R$9,699.00 in up to 12 installments
Bracelets: loop Alpina, loop Trail ou Oceano
Apple Watch Series 9
of Apple
Cash price: from R$4,499.10
Price in installments: from R$4,999.00 in up to 12 installments
Material: aluminum or stainless steel
Cores: pink, midnight, stellar, silver or (PRODUCT)RED
Sizes: 41mm or 45mm
Connectivity: GPS or GPS + Cell phone
TRANSPARENCY NOTE: MacMagazine receives a small commission from sales completed through links in this post, but you, as a consumer, pay nothing more for the products by purchasing through our affiliate links.
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#Review #Apple #Watch #Ultra #vindo #Series