Apple Watch Ultra 3 The Apple Watch Ultra 3 may look like a repeat performance, but its subtle upgrades, including a sharper display, smarter safety tools, and better endurance,quietly refine an already exceptional smartwatch. It’s the most complete wearable you can buy if you’re in Apple’s ecosystem.
I’ve been testing smartwatches for years, but even I’ve found the Apple Watch Ultra 3 to be both an easy device to recommend and a challenging one to review.
Apple’s most rugged wearable is already very capable, and annual upgrades risk feeling like déjà vu. Once again, the newest model adds refinements rather than revolutions, but those refinements matter. With a bigger, brighter display, improved battery life, new satellite tools, and smarter health tracking, the Ultra 3 is still the most complete smartwatch you can buy (unless you have an Android phone, of course), just don’t expect it to feel dramatically different from last year’s.
Bigger screen, brighter panel, better battery
Kaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority
If you’re reading this wearing an Apple Watch Ultra 2, go ahead and look down. The Ultra 3 looks just about identical. The 49mm titanium case hasn’t changed, nor have the buttons, speakers, colorways, or band system. Powered up, though, you’ll spot slimmer bezels, squeezing out roughly 5% more display area without altering the footprint. Paired with the new LTPO3 display, that extra space makes data-rich watch faces and maps easier to read.
This panel is also brighter at wider angles, meaning less awkward wrist-twisting mid-run. Still topping out at 3,000 nits, the LTPO3 also allows higher refresh rates in always-on mode without burning extra battery, enabling one of my favorite new touches: a live ticking seconds hand in the dimmed AOD state. It’s subtle, but I’m inexplicably delighted to see time tick by even when my watch dims.
The Apple Watch Ultra 3's larger, brighter display now tops out at 3,000 nits with a higher refresh rate and improved battery efficiency.
Apple also introduced a new Waypoint watch face for Ultra models (shown above). Unlike older compass-style versions, it actively plots your saved points of interest around the dial, rotates them relative to your position, and builds in quick access to satellite features like SOS and Find My. A Night Mode is also built in to make every late-night snack run feel like a caper.
Kaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority
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