The Apple Watch Ultra 4 arrives four years after the original model. Across three subsequent generations, Apple added a brighter and larger display, satellite connectivity, new health sensors, more capable chips, and longer battery life. For owners of the original Ultra, are those cumulative improvements enough to justify upgrading now, or can their existing watch last another year?
Both watches retain a 49mm titanium case, an Action button, a siren, dual-frequency GPS, and support for recreational diving to 40 meters. The Apple Watch Ultra 4 starts at $799 in the U.S. Apple discontinued the original Ultra in 2023, and it no longer supports the latest major watchOS release. Here are the key differences between the two models:
Apple Watch Ultra (first-generation)
?Apple Watch Ultra 4?
Natural titanium finish
Natural and black titanium finishes
LTPO2 OLED display with always-on updates once per minute
Wide-angle LTPO3 ?OLED? display with 1Hz always-on updates, allowing supported faces to show ticking seconds
Up to 2,000 nits of brightness
Up to 3,000 nits of brightness; 1-nit minimum brightness
410 by 502 pixels; 1,185 sq mm display area
422 by 514 pixels; 1,245 sq mm display area (5% larger), with thinner display borders
Flashlight
Flashlight boost via Digital Crown
S8 chip
S11 chip
1GB RAM
4GB RAM
Neural Engine
4-core Neural Engine
Secure Exclave for isolated audio processing
32GB storage
64GB storage
Single tap, Double Tap, and wrist flick gestures
Siri processed in the cloud via an internet connection
On-device ?Siri? for supported requests, including access to and logging of health and fitness data
Dictation
Improved on-device dictation
?Siri? AI support
First-generation Ultra Wideband chip
Second-generation Ultra Wideband chip
Play a sound to locate an iPhone; locate accessories using Find Devices and Find Items
Precision Finding for compatible iPhone models, AirTag 2, and the AirPods Pro 3 charging case, with distance and direction guidance
Automatic Now Playing controls and Smart Stack media suggestions when near a HomePod
Electrical heart sensor and third-generation optical heart sensor
Health Sensing System with new electrical and always-on optical heart sensors
Background heart-rate measurements
Background heart-rate measurements every five seconds
Heart-rate variability (HRV) measurements
More frequent measurements of overall HRV and Recovery HRV
Overnight Vitals view
Overnight and daytime Vitals views
Readiness app
Sleep apnea notifications
Hypertension notifications
Blood Oxygen readings viewable on the watch
On affected U.S. models, Blood Oxygen readings are analyzed on the paired iPhone and viewed in its Health app
Step tracking and estimated indoor workout distance
More accurate all-day step tracking and indoor workout distance measurements, plus a Steps watch-face complication
Workout Buddy requires a nearby Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone
Enhanced Workout Buddy with additional insights and Spanish support
Live Translation in Messages when paired with a compatible Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone
LTE and UMTS cellular connectivity
LTE and 5G cellular connectivity, with improved weak-signal reception through simultaneous use of both antennas
Emergency SOS, Messages, and Find My via satellite
Audio Intelligence: Sound Recognition, automatic music identification, Live Rewind, and ?Siri? Recap
Built-in speakers for calls, alerts, and ?Siri?
Built-in speakers for calls, alerts, ?Siri?, and media playback
Up to 36 hours of normal use
Up to 50 hours of normal use
Up to 72 hours in Low Power Mode, according to Apple’s current comparison page
Up to 84 hours in Low Power Mode
Up to 12 hours of standard outdoor workout tracking
Up to 18 hours of standard outdoor workout tracking
Low Power Mode during workouts, with an optional setting for fewer GPS and heart-rate readings
Extended Workout mode: up to 25 hours with full GPS and heart-rate readings; Max Extended Workout mode: up to 45 hours with GPS readings every second
Charges from 0 to 80% in about one hour
Charges from 0 to 80% in about 45 minutes; 15 minutes of charging for up to 18 hours of normal use; five minutes for up to 10 hours of sleep tracking
61.3 grams
Natural titanium: 63.0 grams; black titanium: 63.1 grams
Dual-frequency GPS supporting GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, and BeiDou
Dual-frequency GPS supporting GPS, Galileo, QZSS, and BeiDou
Supports watchOS 26
Supports watchOS 27, including the ?Siri? app, dynamic app grid, new Smart Stack suggestions, Call Context, and consolidated ?Find My? app
Now discontinued
Starts at $799
Existing first-generation Apple Watch Ultra owners can reasonably keep their watch for another year if its battery still covers their usual days and workouts. Losing support for ?watchOS 27? is significant, but it does not prevent the original Ultra from continuing to handle notifications, activity tracking, navigation, and its other existing features. Owners satisfied with those capabilities may prefer to eke out another year of use and wait to see whether next year’s model offers a more substantial upgrade.
However, the Ultra 4 is a worthwhile upgrade for anyone already running into the original model’s limitations. The new Health Sensing System provides more detailed heart-rate and recovery insights, while sleep apnea and hypertension notifications expand its health capabilities. These changes are most compelling if you will use the additional information to follow changes in your daily condition or adjust your training.
Longer battery life and satellite connectivity strengthen the case for owners who record extended workouts or regularly travel beyond cellular coverage. If your original Apple Watch Ultra now struggles to finish an outing without charging, the improved battery life is a practical reason to replace it. The larger, brighter display, newer gestures, Audio Intelligence, and expanded Precision Finding support also make the cumulative upgrade more noticeable in everyday use.
Software support is a major reason to move on. The original Apple Watch Ultra cannot run watchOS 27, so it misses ?Siri? AI and the latest operating system’s other additions. If those features would materially improve how you use your watch, waiting another year means accepting those limitations in the meantime.Related Roundup: Apple Watch Ultra 4Buyer’s Guide: Apple Watch Ultra (Buy Now)Related Forum: Apple WatchThis article, “Apple Watch Ultra 1 vs. Ultra 4 Buyer’s Guide: Is It Worth Upgrading?” first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums
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Author: Hartley Charlton