Apple Watch Ultra 4 reviews: two-day battery and new health sensors, but Ultra 3 owners can wait

Apple’s Apple Watch Ultra 4 is “a great smartwatch” with a bit more battery life and features that make it a more insightful training and health companion, but it “might not be enough to warrant an instant upgrade for Ultra 3 owners,” according to a Trusted Reviews review by Michael Sawh published Monday. His conclusions are in line with September reviews from WIRED and Tom’s Guide, which praised the new health sensors and longer battery life but noted that the design has not changed. In Canada the watch starts at $1,099 on Apple’s Canadian store.

Sawh found the Ultra 4 “basically identical” to the Ultra 3. It has the same 49 mm grade 5 titanium case, the same thickness, buttons and strap styles, and a negligible amount of extra weight, and it works with Ultra 3 bands. The biggest change is on the back: a new Health Sensing System with larger electrode surfaces and bigger LEDs that can check heart rate more often than earlier models. Apple’s Canadian listing offers natural and black titanium finishes, a wide-angle always-on display rated at up to 3,000 nits, a sapphire front crystal and MIL-STD-810H durability testing.

Battery life is the most tangible improvement. Apple rates the Ultra 4 for up to 50 hours of normal use, 84 hours in Low Power Mode, 18 hours of standard workout tracking and up to 45 hours in Max Extended Workout mode, and says a 15-minute charge provides up to 18 hours. Tom’s Guide said normal-use battery life is up from 42 hours on the Ultra 3. In testing, Sawh averaged about two days before the watch prompted him to switch on Low Power Mode, and he never quite reached three. The battery dropped 7 per cent during a half marathon of just over an hour and a half. “The wait for an Apple Watch that can last a week does unfortunately go on,” he wrote.

The new Readiness score needs seven nights of sleep data and draws on sleep scores, heart rate variability and vitals such as respiratory rate and wrist temperature. Sawh found its scores broadly matched Garmin’s training readiness and the third-party Bevel app, and its heart rate variability averages were similar to a Garmin watch on most days. He described heart rate tracking as “not spotless, but … solid on the whole.” Compared with a chest strap, average readings were similar but the watch slightly underreported maximum heart rate. GPS was strong on a twisty half-marathon course, and daily step counts came within a few hundred steps of other trackers.

The Ultra 4 runs watchOS 27 on Apple’s new S11 chip, with a more conversational Siri and a set of features Apple calls Audio Intelligence. In Sawh’s testing, sound recognition and the faster Shazam integration worked. Live Rewind, which captures the last 15 seconds of a conversation, and Siri Recap, which summarizes conversations such as meetings, are not available yet and are due later in the year. Apple’s Canadian page says these audio features do not create or store recordings and that users choose whether to opt in. The watch still works only with the iPhone, and it has no blood pressure sensor.

WIRED scored the Ultra 4 8 out of 10 and said the gap with the cheaper Series 12 “seems to shrink a little further every year.” In its view, the Ultra’s multiday battery, dedicated Action button and satellite messaging are its main advantages, and they suit people who actually spend time off the grid. WIRED said the Ultra 4 makes sense for first-time Apple Watch buyers who spend enough time outdoors to use those features.

Tom’s Guide gave it 4.5 out of 5 after running 22 miles with the watch. Its reviewer was “not sure” about upgrading from an Ultra 3, since heart rate monitoring on the older watch is decent. He said it is worth buying for anyone wearing an older Ultra, anyone who wants longer battery life or anyone curious about the Audio Intelligence features.

Taken together, the reviews point to a clear buyer: people new to the Ultra line, or owners of the original Ultra or Ultra 2, who get the bigger battery and new sensors at the same price tier. Trusted Reviews said Ultra 3 owners have “little reason to upgrade just yet,” especially while Live Rewind, Siri Recap and Apple’s redesigned Health app are still on the way. Canadian buyers should note that the US$799 and £749 figures in some reviews are not Canadian prices. Apple Canada lists the Ultra 4 from $1,099, or $94.08 a month over 12 months at 4.99 per cent APR through its financing offer.

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Sources: Trusted Reviews; WIRED; Tom’s Guide; Apple Canada.