Apple Watch Ultra 1 Vs. Ultra 2: What’s The Difference?

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Apple is one of those companies that every year or every other year releases a new version of one of its many popular products. For example, we recently got the 16th generation of the iPhone in 2024, and you can bet that in 2025 or 2026 that the iPhone 17 will be announced with the iPhone 18 to come a year or two after that. The Apple Watch first debuted in 2015, and in 2024, the company released the Series 10 version of it. Apple churns these things out like clockwork, and for those of us who amass our collections of Apple products, it is often frustrating. This is because we don’t know if the upgrade will be worth the hundreds of dollars. What is even more curious is determining whether you should get the upgrade within a subsection of a particular product.

There are several different varieties of the Apple Watch, with the Series 10 being the flagship model. However, there is also the Apple Watch Ultra line as well. This is the largest, heaviest, and most expensive model of the watch available, and in September 2023, Apple introduced the Ultra 2 alongside the Series 9 model to replace the original Ultra. While there are certainly some upgrades with this newer model, you may want to know about all of the differences before putting down the $800 it takes to own an Ultra 2 before getting rid of the original Ultra. Let’s run down what makes each of these Apple Watches unique to help answer your potential purchase dilemma.

The looks

One of the more surprising changes that has occurred between the Apple Watch Ultra and Ultra 2 is a change in look. The basics are essentially the same. Both watches feature a 49-millimeter case made out of titanium that house a LTPO2 OLED display. The two sides of the watch feature the same buttons and click wheel.

Where you see the changes is in two specific places. The first is the color. The original Apple Watch Ultra came solely in one color, which was this tan color that the company describes as “natural.” It goes against the grain of the rest of the Watch lineup that utilizes black as its default color. Well, with the Ultra 2, you actually have a choice in color between black and natural. The casing is still titanium, so it is purely an aesthetic decision.

The other difference in the look is with the screen itself. Yes, they have the same OLED Retina display, but the Ultra 2 is a significantly brighter screen than the original. The first Ultra had a brightness that could reach up to 2,000 nits, but the Ultra 2 ups that number to 3,000 nits. This extra level of brightness is excellent if you often find yourself out in sunlight that obscures the screen. Outside of those two factors, the two Ultras look basically identical.

The chips

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Beyond the look of these two models, the real upgrade is in what powers the respective watches. Apple continues to develop new chips to power them, continuously upgrading performance and memory capacity with each successive generation. The changes may be small from generation to generation, but the constant evolution is able to generate big leaps at certain points in time. Unfortunately, the jump from the Apple Watch Ultra to the Ultra 2 isn’t all that seismic, but it is noticeable to those looking to have a watch operating at the highest possible functionality possible.

The first Apple Watch Ultra was introduced back in 2022 alongside the Series 8 and SE models of the watch. The Ultra was fitted with the same S8 SiP that powers that Series 8 models, along with a first generation Ultra Wideband chip. The Ultra 2 hit the market with the Series 9 model, so it makes sense that it has a S9 SiP with the second generation Ultra Wideband chip. This upgrade increases the capacity of the Watch from 32 GB to 64 GB. Also, it comes with increased performance, allowing the watch to do things the original Ultra could not do. These include things like precision finding of your iPhone, accessing your health data right on your watch, and being able to do double tap gestures as well.

It should be noted that the current Series 10 model uses an ever further upgraded S10 SiP, so if an Ultra 3 ever comes out, it will use that or the next S11 SiP.

The features

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With the improved performance in the Apple Watch Ultra 2, you might expect the newer model to far outpace what the original was able to do in terms of all the features it is capable of. Well, the two are actually quite a bit closer in their features than you might expect. The original Apple Watch Ultra is an incredibly capable device, so if what you want are things like the ECG app, menstrual cycle tracking, noise monitoring, and, of course, exercise tracking. That being said, there are a few differences, and it isn’t just the Ultra 2 being able to do things the original couldn’t.

One of the big features the Ultra 2 can do is give you sleep apnea notifications. Being able to know how well you are breathing at night can be extremely helpful in taking steps to improve your health going forward. For more fun, the Ultra 2 also has the ability to play media through its own speakers. If you do not have a pair of headphones at the ready, the Apple Watch speakers can play your music, podcast, audiobook, or whatever. Just be mindful of others if you do this.

There is one thing the original Ultra could do that the Ultra 2 no longer can, and that is monitoring your blood oxygen level. The reason for the removal of this feature was a patent dispute, leading the company to remove it for legal purposes. Outside of these things, the Apple Watch Ultra and Ultra 2 are fairly similar watches.

The price

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Of course, the capabilities of these two Apple Watches are not the only determining factor in selecting which one is right for you. After all, these are Apple products, and they do not come cheaply. You are making a serious financial investment whether you are selecting the original Ultra model or the Ultra 2, especially considering that the Ultra is the most expensive watch that the company sells.

Apple no longer sells the original Ultra on its site, so if you want to buy directly from the company, you are looking at a minimum price of $799 for the Ultra 2. If you want to have the Titanium Milanese Loop wristband for it, that goes up to $899. If you do buy direct from Apple, you do have the added benefit of trading in your current Apple Watch to help offset the cost of an Ultra 2. You just need to enter that watch’s serial number, and depending on what watch it is, you will get some value for it.

While you can’t get the original Ultra from Apple anymore, that Apple Watch is still available from other retailers. Depending on what style of wristband you want, the Apple Watch Ultra can be found for anywhere from $420 to $500 on Amazon. However, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is also available on Amazon, and you may see it for a lower price on there as well than direct from Apple, such as the model selling for $735 as of this writing. Now, it is up to you to determine whether the Ultra 2’s capabilities justify the $300-400 price gap.

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