Kuo: Apple Watch Ultra to Get 'Almost No' Hardware Upgrades This Year

[jonnysods]

I went from 6 to ultra2, if the ultra fits your wrist the additional battery life is SO NICE

I have the 6 and I have been fighting and fighting and fighting myself to hold off until the fall. I want that battery life! The watch is an essential part of my work and personal life, but now that I'm halfway to a new release I gotta hold out. The AWU2 is awesome, enjoy it!

 

[HazeAndHahmahneez]

I have the 6 and I have been fighting and fighting and fighting myself to hold off until the fall. I want that battery life! The watch is an essential part of my work and personal life, but now that I'm halfway to a new release I gotta hold out. The AWU2 is awesome, enjoy it!

Hang in there man! So you’re waiting to see what the watch 10 and UW 3 release will be like??

I have the 9 45 mm and yes I charge everyday and sometimes twice if had to do a massive run since I use Always on Display most of the time and like sleep tracking and keeping up with my heart rate..::I say all that to say that charging is not an issue.

I came from 7 and the charging is noticeably faster. Never had the 6 but if you just jump to a 9 you’ll be fine. Highly recommend the 9 and am wary of the 10 because I like the bands I have and they might not work with the 10 and also blood oxygen…

I do not recommend the ultra. It’s grotesque and very inelegant. When I see people with em on I’m just like ok whateva.

Preposterous proportions.

 

[throAU]

View attachment 2374009

I have the 6 and I have been fighting and fighting and fighting myself to hold off until the fall. I want that battery life! The watch is an essential part of my work and personal life, but now that I'm halfway to a new release I gotta hold out. The AWU2 is awesome, enjoy it!

I can reliably get 2 days with battery to spare without using low power mode!



3 if I get to day two and then realise I won't be able to charge and engage low power mode.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

It would be nice if they made a smaller version of the Ultra at least. Currently it is very focused on bigger people due to its XL sizing. I'll be getting a Apple Watch 10 this year I think, where hopefully there is an actual leap in improvements.

 

[throAU]

It would be nice if they made a smaller version of the Ultra at least. Currently it is very focused on bigger people due to its XL sizing. I'll be getting a Apple Watch 10 this year I think, where hopefully there is an actual leap in improvements.

For sure, it seems much more durable so far. I've banged it on a lot of things and it hasn't got a scratch on it yet.

 

[jonnysods]

I can reliably get 2 days with battery to spare without using low power mode!



3 if I get to day two and then realise I won't be able to charge and engage low power mode.

I get up at 5am each day, I work out every morning, and only use the watch for health, text/email notiffications, everything else is shut off or optimized for battery, and I can barely get through to the end of the day. I even cancelled the ceulllar plan on it to save battery. I want an Ultra so bad!

 

[jonnysods]

Hang in there man! So you’re waiting to see what the watch 10 and UW 3 release will be like??

I have the 9 45 mm and yes I charge everyday and sometimes twice if had to do a massive run since I use Always on Display most of the time and like sleep tracking and keeping up with my heart rate..::I say all that to say that charging is not an issue.

I came from 7 and the charging is noticeably faster. Never had the 6 but if you just jump to a 9 you’ll be fine. Highly recommend the 9 and am wary of the 10 because I like the bands I have and they might not work with the 10 and also blood oxygen…

I do not recommend the ultra. It’s grotesque and very inelegant. When I see people with em on I’m just like ok whateva.

Preposterous proportions.

I want the battery life of the ultra, but I was waiting to see if they reduce the black bezel around the screen, because ironnically your 9 is almost idential in size. I just need to be able to solidly rely on a battery for over a day, which is why I'm leaning towards the ultra. I think its too big as well, but its a practicality thing. It would be less goudy if they got rid of the orange colours on it too.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

For sure, it seems much more durable so far. I've banged it on a lot of things and it hasn't got a scratch on it yet.

I've not had issues with durability on the Apple watches I've owned so far. My aluminium Series 5 has been put through its paces for the past four and a half years and handled everything very well. I have never worried about scratches as these watches are throwaway items at the end of their use anyway. I don't even get a trade-in quote now as its effectively worthless, but will be fine until September.

 

[throAU]

I've not had issues with durability on the Apple watches I've owned so far. My aluminium Series 5 has been put through its paces for the past four and a half years and handled everything very well. I have never worried about scratches as these watches are throwaway items at the end of their use anyway. I don't even get a trade-in quote now as its effectively worthless, but will be fine until September.

They've generally been pretty good for me however I did get some scratches on my SS s6 from the Milanese loop.

The Aluminium S2 and S4 I had got some minor nicks and scratches on the metal, the s2 cracked the screen but I think that specific damage was due to a design fault on that one and NOT from me smashing it. The Aluminium S4 took far more punishment without screen damage.

Conversely, I hit my Ultra2 on a pillar in the office at work the other day and it took a bit of plaster/whatever out of the pillar (that I wiped off), but absolutely no damage to the case or glass 🤣

 

[throAU]

I get up at 5am each day, I work out every morning, and only use the watch for health, text/email notiffications, everything else is shut off or optimized for battery, and I can barely get through to the end of the day. I even cancelled the ceulllar plan on it to save battery. I want an Ultra so bad!

Yeah I had a s6 with cellular and was very disappointed with both the battery life in general and the battery longevity. I get up at 5am, and by the time I got home after work around 6 it would be below 20-30% or less without fail. My s4 (non cell) which I still have has better battery life and battery health than my s6!

If you can deal with it (I could) turn off the always on display on the s6 - it helps a lot!

Same usage pattern (5am wake up, took it off charge at 5am two days ago), I'm on 22% right now on the ultra 2 and its 9pm on day 2 with no power saving.

 

[Neodym]

I hope Apple starts its photocopiers sooner rather than later:

That approach demoed on MWC 2024 (done in „nice“ and refined) is what I’m hoping for to see as a future Apple „Watch“ …

 

[throAU]

I hope Apple starts its photocopiers sooner rather than later:

That approach demoed on MWC 2024 (done in „nice“ and refined) is what I’m hoping for to see as a future Apple „Watch“ …

That will last approximately 2 hours in the real world before it gets smashed on a door frame, wall, etc.

looks super uncomfortable and cumbersome.

Also, lol at OLED screens for headphones.


Samsung are clearly a tech company with ABSOLUTELY ZERO CLUE as to what actually makes a useful product. What use is a smart-watch/phone combo that is uncomfortable to wear as a watch, cumbersome and will catch on everything, that can only do the fitness tracking in that mode?

Idiocy.... fancy tech, no freaking clue what to do with it.

 

[jonnysods]

Yeah I had a s6 with cellular and was very disappointed with both the battery life in general and the battery longevity. I get up at 5am, and by the time I got home after work around 6 it would be below 20-30% or less without fail. My s4 (non cell) which I still have has better battery life and battery health than my s6!

If you can deal with it (I could) turn off the always on display on the s6 - it helps a lot!

Same usage pattern (5am wake up, took it off charge at 5am two days ago), I'm on 22% right now on the ultra 2 and its 9pm on day 2 with no power saving.

Yeah I had to turn off the always on pretty quickly after getting it due to battery drain. Our AW6 experience is pretty similar then. And you're killing me with temptation about the ultra. But I'm such a loser that now I'm smack dab in the middle of the refresh cycle I gotta wait 6 more months just to make sure I don't miss out on any enhnacements. I figure for such a big expense I need to maxmimize it, and still save a few pennies for it.

 

[jonnysods]

I can reliably get 2 days with battery to spare without using low power mode!



3 if I get to day two and then realise I won't be able to charge and engage low power mode.

I'm honestly just excited to make it through one whole day without constantly checking my battery complcation.

 

[svish]

This year the attention will be on the Series X

 

[Razorpit]

Yeah I had a s6 with cellular and was very disappointed with both the battery life in general and the battery longevity. I get up at 5am, and by the time I got home after work around 6 it would be below 20-30% or less without fail. My s4 (non cell) which I still have has better battery life and battery health than my s6!

If you can deal with it (I could) turn off the always on display on the s6 - it helps a lot!

Same usage pattern (5am wake up, took it off charge at 5am two days ago), I'm on 22% right now on the ultra 2 and its 9pm on day 2 with no power saving.

Do you turn the screen off on your Ultra?

 

[Neodym]

That will last approximately 2 hours in the real world before it gets smashed on a door frame, wall, etc.

looks super uncomfortable and cumbersome.

Also, lol at OLED screens for headphones.


Samsung are clearly a tech company with ABSOLUTELY ZERO CLUE as to what actually makes a useful product. What use is a smart-watch/phone combo that is uncomfortable to wear as a watch, cumbersome and will catch on everything, that can only do the fitness tracking in that mode?

Idiocy.... fancy tech, no freaking clue what to do with it.

You may be too young to understand, but while aging, your eyes are eventually degrading to a point where even the screen of an Apple Watch Ultra is too small to properly read the content.

So while the demoed designs may still leave room for improvement (both technically and from a design pov), the general approach of significantly increasing screen size on your wrist is going in the right direction, IMHO.

Major target markets are facing an increasingly older society, which makes readability of content on a wrist-worn device a key factor in purchasing decisions.

Plus, even with young fingers, using an AppleWatch can be challenging at times. That’s why Apple put such great focus on voice / gesture controlling the Apple Watch.

Now with aging bodies, fingers may tremble more and hitting tiny targets on a small screen like the one of the Apple Watch is an ever-increasing challenge in itself.

Having a screen the size of only half the size of a current smartphone wrapped around your wrist, would offer significantly bigger hit zones for all kinds of interaction.

Apple has a reputation to take a good idea and implement it in a nice design and technically matured. That’s what I’m hoping for. And unlike you I can see such a product offering tremendous value to older (potential) buyers.

 

[throAU]

You may be too young to understand, but while aging, your eyes are eventually degrading to a point where even the screen of an Apple Watch Ultra is too small to properly read the content.

I get it, I'm in my late 40s.

That doesn't mean it won't be smashed to bits on doors, etc. as I walk around with it. The idea might be sound, but the execution with a very fragile flexible screen and that form factor is certainly not.

Futurama did it right, something like Leela's wrist computer that looks far more sturdy.

If you want to make a large screen wrist device for the elderly, that device is not how you do it.

 

[throAU]

Do you turn the screen off on your Ultra?

No not normally, but power save mode will do this.

 

[xDKP]

Very happy with my AWU first gen and don't foresee any reason to upgrade any time soon.

I do hope they fix the software issues that have been plaguing watchOS 10 though.

WatchOS 10.4 has been the absolute worst. Battery life is slightly down and my weather and sunrise/sunset complications stop working every few days. I have to do a reset of both my watch and phone before they work again.

Features, speed etc. is still great with my Ultra - but the battery life if severely down compared to when I got it on WatchOS 9 - WatchOS 10 has been crap all the way through and no great features as a benifit - just slight UI changes

 

[surfzen21]

Features, speed etc. is still great with my Ultra - but the battery life if severely down compared to when I got it on WatchOS 9 - WatchOS 10 has been crap all the way through and no great features as a benifit - just slight UI changes

I like the way they redesigned or improved the workout app on my watch but aside from that, it was two steps back.

I will say the fitness app on my phone is worse too.

They removed the drop down to select a specific workout to browse through. Now its a long scroll across the top. It may seem small but having to scroll all the way across to get to a workout at the end is annoying. I went from seeing all my workouts vertically to seeing 2 at a time across the top.