Apple designs Watch Ultra for athletes, serious explorers; Here’s all you need to know about price, specs, release date

A contender to serious watchmakers like Polar and Garmin, the Apple Watch Ultra is swim-proof, dustproof and crack-resistant.

The latest addition to the smartwatch family of products from Apple, the device is focused on a more prominent face design for extreme sports use. The device was unveiled for the first time at the company’s ‘Far Out’ event on September 7 at the company headquarters in Cupertino.

Ultra-marathoner Scott Jurek from 'Born to Run' appeared in the presentation for the new watch, which focused on a more prominent face design for extreme sports use.

Customers in the UAE can order Apple Watch Ultra today, with in-store shopping available beginning Friday, September 23. The price of the Apple Watch Ultra is Dh3,199.

Apple Watch Ultra introduces a 49mm titanium case and flat sapphire front crystal, revealing the most prominent and brightest watch display yet. With the Ultra's capabilities, it would be wasted on a regular smartphone wearer.

However, while the Ultra’s battery life is a significant improvement for the Apple Watch line, it’s still not enough for lovers of off-grid living. Better for a weekend warrior, perhaps? Thirty-six hours per charge is exceptionally long—for an Apple Watch.

The Ultra’s battery can last up to 60 hours in a low-power setting (that will debut this fall with a software update), but it reduces the frequency with which the watch checks heart rate and pings the satellite systems and 60 hours are a mere 2.5 days. Suitable for a light weekend backpacking trip, but is it enough for an alpine expedition? Or a live-aboard boat dive? That’s yet to be seen.

Similar to shortcuts, the new customisable action button on its side offers instant access to a wide range of valuable features, including workouts, compass waypoints, backtrack, and more.

The Wayfinder watch face is designed specifically for the Apple Watch Ultra display and includes a compass built into the dial, with space for up to eight complications.

Jeff Williams, Apple’s chief operating officer, said the watch was inspired by explorers and athletes worldwide. “The Watch is designed for new and extreme environments, and it is a versatile tool that empowers users to push their boundaries with adventure, endurance, and exploration,” said Williams.

Bigger, brighter, and stronger

The Apple Watch Ultra does look like it can take a beating. It is made from aerospace-grade titanium and has a decent weight balanced and durability. It is also corrosion-resistant.

The case rises to surround all edges of the flat sapphire front crystal, protecting the Retina display, up to 2000 nits — 2x brighter than any Apple Watch display. The new Action button is in high-contrast international orange and has three built-in microphones to significantly improve sound quality in voice calls during these harsh conditions.

What’s more? An adaptive beam-forming algorithm uses microphones to capture voice while reducing ambient background sounds. In windy environments, the watch uses advanced wind noise-reduction algorithms, including machine learning, to deliver precise and intelligible audio for calls.

Designed for the great outdoors

Designed specifically for endurance athletes and runners, the Trail Loop band is the thinnest Apple Watch band to date. The lightweight woven textile is soft and flexible, allowing it to cinch to the optimal fit, and the convenient tab is designed for quick and easy adjustment.

With explorers in mind, the Alpine Loop band features two integrated layers made from one continuous weaving process that eliminates the need for stitching. The top loops, interspersed with high-strength yarn, provide adjustability and a secure attachment for the titanium G-hook fastener.

The Ocean Band is explicitly designed for extreme water sports and recreational diving with a titanium buckle and corresponding spring-loaded loop. Moulded from a flexible fluoroelastomer, it stretches and utilizes the tubular geometry for a secure fit. The Ocean Band also has an optional extra-long tail that allows users to wear it over a wetsuit comfortably.

Here are some of its most impressive features:

For endurance sports and elite athletes

> The precision dual-frequency GPS integrates both L1 and the latest frequency, L5, plus new positioning algorithms

> Accurate GPS providing users with the precise distance, pace, and route data for training and competing

> Powered by watchOS 9, the watch includes new advanced running metrics to measure performance, like stride length, ground contact time, vertical oscillation, and running power

> New Workout Views, such as segments, splits, and elevation

> Can show six metrics at once

> Features such as Heart Rate Zones, Custom Workouts, Pacer, and, coming later this year, Race Route

> For triathlons, duathlons, or activities with any sequence of swimming, biking, or running, the new Multisport workout includes autodetection to switch between exercises easily

> Apple Watch Ultra has enough battery life for most users to complete a long-course triathlon, consisting of a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride, and full marathon at 26.2 miles

> It can also be used to mark segments, complementing the new Track running experience, which automatically provides the ultimate pacing and distance estimates for runners at a track

For explorers

> The redesigned Compass app in watchOS 9 surfaces more in-depth information and three distinct views

> The app displays a new hybrid view that simultaneously shows both an analogue compass dial and a digital view

> Turning the Digital Crown reveals an additional idea that includes latitude, longitude, elevation, and incline, as well as an orienteering view showing Compass Waypoints and Backtrack

> Compass Waypoints are a quick and convenient way to directly mark a location or point of interest in the app. Pressing the Action button or tapping the Compass Waypoint icon drops a waypoint that can be edited by tapping the icon that appears. The Compass Waypoint complication updates dynamically in real-time with the direction of the waypoint and the approximate distance.

> Backtrack uses GPS data to create a path showing where the user has been, which is helpful if users get lost or disoriented and need help retracing their steps

> An 86-decibel siren is designed for emergencies, should users become lost or injured, and can help draw attention to a location

> The unique sound signature incorporates two distinct alternating patterns, which can repeat for several hours. The first pattern suggests distress, while the second mimics the universally recognized SOS pattern

Ocean and water sports enthusiasts

> Designed for water sports, including extreme activities like kitesurfing and wake-boarding, along with recreational scuba diving to 40 meters with the new Oceanic+ app

> Utilizing a new depth gauge, Apple Watch Ultra features a Depth app designed with an intuitive user interface

> With just a glance, the Depth app displays time, current depth, water temperature, duration underwater, and max depth reached

> In partnership with Huish Outdoors, known for delivering innovative and reliable equipment for recreational diving, the new Oceanic+ app turns Apple Watch Ultra into a capable dive computer

> Available from the App Store later this fall, the app runs the Bühlmann decompression algorithm and includes dive planning, easy-to-read dive metrics, visual and haptic alerts, no-decompression limit, ascent rate, and safety stop guidance

> Oceanic+ also offers a personalised user profile, reports on current and local dive conditions, and features a dive logbook that can be shared with family, friends and automatically syncs to iPhone

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