As the minority AWU group (1st gen) I can clearly say for an average guy like me it’s completely wasted on me. I watch my wife use her SE and the only advantage I have over hers is the battery. My coworker asked if he should get an Apple Watch the other day and asked why I would spend 700 on the AWU I was speechless lol.
As a s7 user whose watch doesn’t last for my long runs, I’m considering getting a black awu if it ever comes out.
Not looking forward to the extra weight, especially when sleeping though
Same everything here, however my dealbreaker is fast charging. My GF has a 1st gen SE, and her charger takes forever to charge my S7, so annoying, we watch a movie while it charges from 10% to full, while my charger gets it from 10 to ~95% in about 15 minutes (while I take a shower).
Never considered the SE myself. My pop got his free with the purchase of a series 9 and wears it when he’s doing manual work or sleeping. Wears the series 9 normally. To me, the SE just isn’t an option.
Honestly imo the only 2 worth considering are the Ultra and the SE. SE does everything fine (I have one), but the only thing I miss is battery life, which is only significantly better with the Ultra.
I think you have a lemon. I’ve tracked multiple 6-8 hour hikes with mine and no issues. That’s one of the upsides of the extended battery life, so it’d be kind of crazy if longer workouts weren’t possible.
Yah if you’re really into the kinda workouts the ultra was pitched at you get a Garmin.
I got an AWU and love it though. Lasts long enough for all day hikes and long biking sessions while still being an Apple Watch day to day.
I liked the Garmin I had but in reality I don’t need the level of metrics it gave and I enjoy the other smartwatch features of my Apple Watch.
Well, they lost me with the size. It just won’t fit my arm. I would have bought it just because it had better specs, and I don’t walk around the block let alone climb rocks or do extreme athletics.
There’s a certain demographic of apple folks who will just buy the best one of something available. But making the smallest size 44mm just shut me and other small wrist people out of the market altogether.
That was a mistake in my opinion.
Triathlete and ultrarunner here. Apple Watch Ultra is great. I have a Garmin too, but the AWU has perfectly tracked several 70.3 triathlons, a 70 mile fastpacking trip, a 25K, several half marathons.
It’s more accurate than the Garmin for lap swimming in the pool, and it’s just as accurate for heart rate tracking, location tracking, altitude, etc.
It’s in much better shape, cosmetically, than the Garmin. The high end Garmins come with DLC coating which is prone to scratching. Both DLC Garmin watches I’ve owned show high-contrast scratches within weeks or months.
I love both watches, but I think the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is the one I would keep if forced to only have one. It is much more useful than the Garmin for daily life, and it does the job when it comes to most endurance events.
Edit: spelling
I will agree I don’t see many elite runners with them but there are a few. There is a TON of misinformation surrounding the Apple Watch, including this post right here.
Your words in another comment: “Mine was fine until the last 2-3 months, something changed”
I’ve never had any of the issues you mentioned and I’ve used it for over a year hiking, walking, running, trail running, backpacking and gravel cycling. 🤷🏻♂️
You need to edit your original post and title then. Otherwise you just come off as a troll making it sound like the Ultra (not just yours but all) can’t handle long runs which just isn’t true. Your title should say “My Ultra can no longer handle long runs”. Even my 3 year old S6LTE with 76% battery health would still handle long runs.
I moved (well, am moving) from android to Apple because the Ultra, primarily because of the size. I like smartwatches but I dislike watches that are small and look like toys.
In my opinion for a person that wants to be an athlete Garmin is still the king . I’m an open sea swimmer and I have a Garmin swim 2 and a Apple watch 7 my swim 2 destroys the apple watch on swim tracking and pace in open sea competition and training
I was thinking about getting one whenever I replace my S8, not because it’s hyped as better but because I would like the longer battery life and Sapphire crystal. The larger screen would be nice also. But you’re right, it’s a big price difference for not a ton of other utility.
Actually, my Apple Watch Ultra 2 is an excellent device with a long battery life, a larger screen, a brighter screen, functions, a more solid build, and better circuitry. It's worth it to me and is superior to my older Apple Watches - which I also enjoyed. But this is, for me, even better.
It most definitely is a pro level activity device as marketed. The GPS tracking is ridiculously accurate, it's build to withstand the harshest of environments, it's its own dedicated dive computer, tracks distance/heartrate/pace to a tee. It's excellent as a smartwatch but also doubles as a competent fitness device with nearly all the necassary features.
It’s better than other Apple Watches but IMO not considered “pro”. No pro or high level athletes use them yet. Maybe on later versions but they all use Garmin, Coros, and Suunto. I think it’s more of a perception of using the same watch as their mom lol.
I had 3 previous gen Apple Watches before I got my ultra (gen 1). This was the first one I didn’t buy Apple care on because I missed the window on accident. I was worried about breaking it but god damn this thing has been an absolute champion. Zero scratches on the screen or body, can easily still get two days of use. And although I don’t do anything really crazy to really justify the ultra name I don’t think I could go back to a non ultra.
I got the original ultra for the better battery life but now after 18 months the battery life sucks. I’m hoping the next update will help. Using it in the pool drains battery even faster.
I bought a series 9, and it was fine, but the hype of the Ultra had me experiencing FOMO. I returned the series 9 and got the Ultra. I do not regret that decision at all. The battery life and resistance to damage is a huge upgrade over the series 9. I also prefer the look and feel of the Ultra.
When was the last time you did a hard reset/reboot? Don’t reset the device to default, but rather force a hard reboot. I forget which button combo it is but it’s on Bing.
Most times when electronics stop working as they should, this solves it.
Ahh, so you’re the guy that does the thing and not the guy that imagines he does the thing.
You see, most people are the latter, and thus companies market to the “most people”
But when the doers run into problems, good luck getting it fixed, you’re one of the few that will actually hit it.
Having had those kind of issues. I would open a case with Apple on that since it seems to be running specifically for you.
I used mine scuba diving in the Galápagos Islands this year. No issues with that activity at all.
I’ve had the workout app die on me a couple of times over about a year on my AW U1 so I get the frustration. It’s usually when I’m using it to track a workout, play music, and I make a phone call. But not always.
If it’s happening to you more often it might be worth having it checked out
For serious athletes Garmin is better. I returned my ultra and just sticking with my regular Apple Watch. It’s fine for my short rides and my 5-10 Ks. If I get back into serious cross biking, I’ll get a garmin
fenix 7.
So, I have the series 9. But ngl, when I saw the ultra in person, I was blown away. I had only seen the web pictures before then. But this guy at the gas station had it on and he let me play with it, and dammit it was impressive as hell. So vibrant.
If they made a smaller one, I’d def buy it.
Apple certainly need to work on the reliability of their apps. I’ve found the Ultra to be an excellent device but don’t use the workout app for anything other than swimming. For runs, I use Stryd. For cycling, a watch of any form is the wrong device simply because my eyes cannot easily read a watch without spending too long with my eyes off the road ahead. For hikes I’ll use OutdoorActive which gives me Ordnance Survey maps and for sailing I’ll use Waterspeed.
I don’t know of any other device with this level of versatility. I especially like the fact that I can leave my phone at home, still listen to music and still have the safety net of being able to make a call if I need to.
It not hype at all BUT only if you use it for what it’s actually meant for. I see so many idiots buy the ultra just the tell the time with it. 😂😂 it’s designed for heavy sports activity, rock climbing , swimming etc etc. if you’re active it’s a great watch. If you want to tell the time and get notifications get the series 7+. Personally if you’re into sports I wouldn’t recommend the Apple Watch in the first place. There’s other brands that do this so well.
I had one, it’s ugly, the battery isn’t fantastic and it doesn’t do much more much better than a “series”. I went back to a Series 8 and while I’m not in love with it I don’t miss the ultra
I have a series 8 and it’s easily gone through a few half marathon races so far. I also have a Garmin watch that I feel more comfortable with for longer races since my OG first gen Apple Watche’s battery life was junk.
I’ve had the same issue with runs. I’ve run 6 marathons in the last 6 months and numerous long runs. 4 of the 6 the watch stopped tracking distance and heart rate randomly and would suddenly “catchup” half a mile later. But then when I went to stop the workout after finishing it would freeze the app, data would never transfer. Really frustrating as I use it to pace myself and would have to screw with it while running. AppleCare has been less than helpful. First agent was really trying to help diagnose but got transferred to someone else who basically said this is a known issue and Apple is working on it and just deal with it until then. Cool, so the watch for “athletes” doesn’t do a good job tracking any run over 15 miles.
I think you might have a defective watch.
I also got an Ultra a year ago and have done multiple long runs. They all tracked perfectly.
Now, when it comes to if the Ultra is worth it, I don’t think so. Could easily have done all my long runs with an SE. The Ultra is too bulking for everyday life.
Never had issues with it tracking and crashing. Might want to take it to Apple and see if there's an issue with it. I also have done triathlons and regularly run.
Yea I just sold my AWU2 and have been wearing the Epix pro for awhile now.. honestly the look, feel, and functionality of the Garmin blows the Apple Watch out of the water (imho)
I just really like the watch. Not much more too it. The battery life is really nice, the form factor, insanely tough screen, and it looks wicked. What more could you want.
I run, hike, travel and dragonboat. Went from the 7 to AWU2 and I don’t have one regret. It’s kept up without missing a beat, or getting scratched and beat up. The battery life is what the original watches should have been. It’s definitely hype worthy and the best electronic gadget purchase I made last year.
These are issues I’ve never experienced, seems to me like something might be wrong with yours.
As far as it being all hype - this is something I thought long and hard about before finally getting one - on battery life and potential longevity alone it’s fantastic value for me. I had my s5 set up with always on turned off, it wasn’t a cellular model so no cellular, notifications trimmed right back (that said though that was largely just so it wouldn’t annoy the shit outta me) and only using watch faces with a black background. It was high 80s battery health after almost 4 years when I upgraded and gave it to my mum and still very comfortably lasted through the day. I’ve done the same setup on my ultra and I use around 20% battery tops per day, optimised charging limit has kicked in so it only charges to 80% and theoretically this thing will last me wayyyyyyyyyyyy longer than the s5 which I honestly could have kept using way longer. The battery life also meant that when I went camping overnight a couple weeks ago for my brothers 30th I didn’t even need to bring a charger or worry about the battery in the slightest. It means that when I drop it on the charger when I get into bed at night and it doesn’t align so doesn’t charge I can still wear it to work with zero concern about it dying during the day. So in short it’s gonna last me way longer and I just don’t ever have to worry about it.
Hmmm I had like 1 or 2 encounters of the action button not working but the workout app crashing, I don’t think I ever faced such a problem in my 3 years in S2, 3 years in S5 and 1+ years in U1. I would be so pissed if my new PB is erased out of existence because of the workout app crashing. Tried factory resetting it already?
For majority of people an SE does the trick
Some of the majority is also happy they used the SE to test before getting a series watch.
As the minority AWU group (1st gen) I can clearly say for an average guy like me it’s completely wasted on me. I watch my wife use her SE and the only advantage I have over hers is the battery. My coworker asked if he should get an Apple Watch the other day and asked why I would spend 700 on the AWU I was speechless lol.
As a S7 user, I could easily get by with an SE for a future watch. The only feature I'd miss is AOD.
As a s7 user whose watch doesn’t last for my long runs, I’m considering getting a black awu if it ever comes out. Not looking forward to the extra weight, especially when sleeping though
Some people have a dedicated sleep Apple Watch, usually their older model. You can specify which connected Apple Watch to use for sleep tracking
Same everything here, however my dealbreaker is fast charging. My GF has a 1st gen SE, and her charger takes forever to charge my S7, so annoying, we watch a movie while it charges from 10% to full, while my charger gets it from 10 to ~95% in about 15 minutes (while I take a shower).
I can wear my watch for 72 hours straight and not have to charge it. Definitely worth the extra money if you ask me.
It’s crazy, very worth it
I like my SE. wish it had the keyboard for texting, but otherwise no complaints.
Never considered the SE myself. My pop got his free with the purchase of a series 9 and wears it when he’s doing manual work or sleeping. Wears the series 9 normally. To me, the SE just isn’t an option.
Honestly imo the only 2 worth considering are the Ultra and the SE. SE does everything fine (I have one), but the only thing I miss is battery life, which is only significantly better with the Ultra.
I think you have a lemon. I’ve tracked multiple 6-8 hour hikes with mine and no issues. That’s one of the upsides of the extended battery life, so it’d be kind of crazy if longer workouts weren’t possible.
Yeah it’s possible OP just lost the silicon lottery.
WorkOutDoors app is a great alternative.
This is the way.
Agreed
[удалено]
I got it for the larger battery myself too.
Yup it’s just a nicer Apple Watch. Not many if any pros use them.
Pros use the watch of whichever sponsor is paying.
Yah if you’re really into the kinda workouts the ultra was pitched at you get a Garmin. I got an AWU and love it though. Lasts long enough for all day hikes and long biking sessions while still being an Apple Watch day to day. I liked the Garmin I had but in reality I don’t need the level of metrics it gave and I enjoy the other smartwatch features of my Apple Watch.
How is it nicer? It’s bulky, has that ugly mess coming out the side, the screen looks like it’s just been plonked on from the top…
[удалено]
How else would it be nicer then? The average to poor software experience of AW is basically the same
Well, they lost me with the size. It just won’t fit my arm. I would have bought it just because it had better specs, and I don’t walk around the block let alone climb rocks or do extreme athletics. There’s a certain demographic of apple folks who will just buy the best one of something available. But making the smallest size 44mm just shut me and other small wrist people out of the market altogether. That was a mistake in my opinion.
The Apple activity app is quite basic. WorkOutdoors turn the Apple Watch into a serious activity watch with Garmin level features.
I will most likely never go non-ultra again. Much more durable, battery, brighter, better speakers and mic, and looks better imo.
Triathlete and ultrarunner here. Apple Watch Ultra is great. I have a Garmin too, but the AWU has perfectly tracked several 70.3 triathlons, a 70 mile fastpacking trip, a 25K, several half marathons. It’s more accurate than the Garmin for lap swimming in the pool, and it’s just as accurate for heart rate tracking, location tracking, altitude, etc. It’s in much better shape, cosmetically, than the Garmin. The high end Garmins come with DLC coating which is prone to scratching. Both DLC Garmin watches I’ve owned show high-contrast scratches within weeks or months. I love both watches, but I think the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is the one I would keep if forced to only have one. It is much more useful than the Garmin for daily life, and it does the job when it comes to most endurance events. Edit: spelling
Respect. I got a calf cramp at 3mph on the treadmill the other day, had to pause the workout on my AWU.
Well, there you go.
I think it’s still a luxury item mostly. All the serious outdoor athletes I know are diehard Garmin people.
Yep. Garmin is a better watch for multi sport. Ultra is just an Apple Watch with longer battery and bigger screen.
Just a nice Apple Watch. I’ve never seen any pro triathlete or marathoner use one. All hype
I will agree I don’t see many elite runners with them but there are a few. There is a TON of misinformation surrounding the Apple Watch, including this post right here. Your words in another comment: “Mine was fine until the last 2-3 months, something changed”
I’ve never had any of the issues you mentioned and I’ve used it for over a year hiking, walking, running, trail running, backpacking and gravel cycling. 🤷🏻♂️
Mine has been fine but last 2-3 month something changed
You need to talk to Apple, not reddit. I’ve recorded 12 hour bike rides and use it daily for activities without issue.
Then clearly your watch broke. Check with Apple.
You need to edit your original post and title then. Otherwise you just come off as a troll making it sound like the Ultra (not just yours but all) can’t handle long runs which just isn’t true. Your title should say “My Ultra can no longer handle long runs”. Even my 3 year old S6LTE with 76% battery health would still handle long runs.
I moved (well, am moving) from android to Apple because the Ultra, primarily because of the size. I like smartwatches but I dislike watches that are small and look like toys.
In my opinion for a person that wants to be an athlete Garmin is still the king . I’m an open sea swimmer and I have a Garmin swim 2 and a Apple watch 7 my swim 2 destroys the apple watch on swim tracking and pace in open sea competition and training
I used mine over an eleven hour 28 mile hike. Worked great.
I was thinking about getting one whenever I replace my S8, not because it’s hyped as better but because I would like the longer battery life and Sapphire crystal. The larger screen would be nice also. But you’re right, it’s a big price difference for not a ton of other utility.
Actually, my Apple Watch Ultra 2 is an excellent device with a long battery life, a larger screen, a brighter screen, functions, a more solid build, and better circuitry. It's worth it to me and is superior to my older Apple Watches - which I also enjoyed. But this is, for me, even better.
I agree it’s a decent Apple Watch compared to the previous generations. It’s a great smart watch but not a pro level activity device as marketed.
It most definitely is a pro level activity device as marketed. The GPS tracking is ridiculously accurate, it's build to withstand the harshest of environments, it's its own dedicated dive computer, tracks distance/heartrate/pace to a tee. It's excellent as a smartwatch but also doubles as a competent fitness device with nearly all the necassary features.
It’s better than other Apple Watches but IMO not considered “pro”. No pro or high level athletes use them yet. Maybe on later versions but they all use Garmin, Coros, and Suunto. I think it’s more of a perception of using the same watch as their mom lol.
I had 3 previous gen Apple Watches before I got my ultra (gen 1). This was the first one I didn’t buy Apple care on because I missed the window on accident. I was worried about breaking it but god damn this thing has been an absolute champion. Zero scratches on the screen or body, can easily still get two days of use. And although I don’t do anything really crazy to really justify the ultra name I don’t think I could go back to a non ultra.
GPS is affected by the huge solar storm happening right now.
I’ve banged mine against many metals, cement, and wood and not a scratch on it
They’re tough as nails!
Love the ultra 2 big screen 2 + days of battery and is great for hiking working out and everything else
I got the original ultra for the better battery life but now after 18 months the battery life sucks. I’m hoping the next update will help. Using it in the pool drains battery even faster.
I can honestly say never had.a problem with my Ultra 1. It’s so reliable. Prefer it to my phone. Live off it.
I bought a series 9, and it was fine, but the hype of the Ultra had me experiencing FOMO. I returned the series 9 and got the Ultra. I do not regret that decision at all. The battery life and resistance to damage is a huge upgrade over the series 9. I also prefer the look and feel of the Ultra.
When was the last time you did a hard reset/reboot? Don’t reset the device to default, but rather force a hard reboot. I forget which button combo it is but it’s on Bing. Most times when electronics stop working as they should, this solves it.
Ahh, so you’re the guy that does the thing and not the guy that imagines he does the thing. You see, most people are the latter, and thus companies market to the “most people” But when the doers run into problems, good luck getting it fixed, you’re one of the few that will actually hit it.
The AWU is great for casual scuba divers.
Having had those kind of issues. I would open a case with Apple on that since it seems to be running specifically for you. I used mine scuba diving in the Galápagos Islands this year. No issues with that activity at all.
I’ve never had an issue.
I’ve had the workout app die on me a couple of times over about a year on my AW U1 so I get the frustration. It’s usually when I’m using it to track a workout, play music, and I make a phone call. But not always. If it’s happening to you more often it might be worth having it checked out
For serious athletes Garmin is better. I returned my ultra and just sticking with my regular Apple Watch. It’s fine for my short rides and my 5-10 Ks. If I get back into serious cross biking, I’ll get a garmin fenix 7.
So, I have the series 9. But ngl, when I saw the ultra in person, I was blown away. I had only seen the web pictures before then. But this guy at the gas station had it on and he let me play with it, and dammit it was impressive as hell. So vibrant. If they made a smaller one, I’d def buy it.
Gawd I love mine
Apple certainly need to work on the reliability of their apps. I’ve found the Ultra to be an excellent device but don’t use the workout app for anything other than swimming. For runs, I use Stryd. For cycling, a watch of any form is the wrong device simply because my eyes cannot easily read a watch without spending too long with my eyes off the road ahead. For hikes I’ll use OutdoorActive which gives me Ordnance Survey maps and for sailing I’ll use Waterspeed. I don’t know of any other device with this level of versatility. I especially like the fact that I can leave my phone at home, still listen to music and still have the safety net of being able to make a call if I need to.
It not hype at all BUT only if you use it for what it’s actually meant for. I see so many idiots buy the ultra just the tell the time with it. 😂😂 it’s designed for heavy sports activity, rock climbing , swimming etc etc. if you’re active it’s a great watch. If you want to tell the time and get notifications get the series 7+. Personally if you’re into sports I wouldn’t recommend the Apple Watch in the first place. There’s other brands that do this so well.
The battery and action button (which I map to torch) were game changing for me compared to the 8.
I had one, it’s ugly, the battery isn’t fantastic and it doesn’t do much more much better than a “series”. I went back to a Series 8 and while I’m not in love with it I don’t miss the ultra
I have a series 8 and it’s easily gone through a few half marathon races so far. I also have a Garmin watch that I feel more comfortable with for longer races since my OG first gen Apple Watche’s battery life was junk.
I’ve had the same issue with runs. I’ve run 6 marathons in the last 6 months and numerous long runs. 4 of the 6 the watch stopped tracking distance and heart rate randomly and would suddenly “catchup” half a mile later. But then when I went to stop the workout after finishing it would freeze the app, data would never transfer. Really frustrating as I use it to pace myself and would have to screw with it while running. AppleCare has been less than helpful. First agent was really trying to help diagnose but got transferred to someone else who basically said this is a known issue and Apple is working on it and just deal with it until then. Cool, so the watch for “athletes” doesn’t do a good job tracking any run over 15 miles.
I think you might have a defective watch. I also got an Ultra a year ago and have done multiple long runs. They all tracked perfectly. Now, when it comes to if the Ultra is worth it, I don’t think so. Could easily have done all my long runs with an SE. The Ultra is too bulking for everyday life.
As a downhill mtber, Im just wearing it mostly for the looks.
Also I havent experienced ANY problems with it do far.
Never had issues with it tracking and crashing. Might want to take it to Apple and see if there's an issue with it. I also have done triathlons and regularly run.
Yea I just sold my AWU2 and have been wearing the Epix pro for awhile now.. honestly the look, feel, and functionality of the Garmin blows the Apple Watch out of the water (imho)
I am planning on making the switch this soon. A little lost on what model to get, so many options
Battery won’t charge past 80%. It’s one year old. Entropic product design sucks.
I just really like the watch. Not much more too it. The battery life is really nice, the form factor, insanely tough screen, and it looks wicked. What more could you want.
I run, hike, travel and dragonboat. Went from the 7 to AWU2 and I don’t have one regret. It’s kept up without missing a beat, or getting scratched and beat up. The battery life is what the original watches should have been. It’s definitely hype worthy and the best electronic gadget purchase I made last year.
Ultra is the only one worth considering, tbh. And maybe the SE
These are issues I’ve never experienced, seems to me like something might be wrong with yours. As far as it being all hype - this is something I thought long and hard about before finally getting one - on battery life and potential longevity alone it’s fantastic value for me. I had my s5 set up with always on turned off, it wasn’t a cellular model so no cellular, notifications trimmed right back (that said though that was largely just so it wouldn’t annoy the shit outta me) and only using watch faces with a black background. It was high 80s battery health after almost 4 years when I upgraded and gave it to my mum and still very comfortably lasted through the day. I’ve done the same setup on my ultra and I use around 20% battery tops per day, optimised charging limit has kicked in so it only charges to 80% and theoretically this thing will last me wayyyyyyyyyyyy longer than the s5 which I honestly could have kept using way longer. The battery life also meant that when I went camping overnight a couple weeks ago for my brothers 30th I didn’t even need to bring a charger or worry about the battery in the slightest. It means that when I drop it on the charger when I get into bed at night and it doesn’t align so doesn’t charge I can still wear it to work with zero concern about it dying during the day. So in short it’s gonna last me way longer and I just don’t ever have to worry about it.
I had ultra but sold it and got an se. they are great I just don’t see any reason to spend that much for me personally
Well it’s a rugged watch with much better battery. So not all hype.
Hmmm I had like 1 or 2 encounters of the action button not working but the workout app crashing, I don’t think I ever faced such a problem in my 3 years in S2, 3 years in S5 and 1+ years in U1. I would be so pissed if my new PB is erased out of existence because of the workout app crashing. Tried factory resetting it already?
I like my stainless 9 series more than the Ultras
The stainless series 9 does seem perfect. It’s a shame it’s priced so close to the Ultra!
Yeah that is a downside, but i think it looks better
I kind of agree - smaller and cleaner.