The Apple Watch Ultra 3 Has Only One Truly Redeeming Feature

But if you’re anything like me, that alone might make it worth the switch…

The Apple Watch Ultra 3. Photo by author.

In a way, it’s Apple’s fault. With the very first version of the Apple Watch Ultra, they already released a very capable smartwatch, and on that was tough to iterate. Plenty of customers are still rocking the first edition and see no reason to switch. Two years ago, when I picked up the Ultra 2, I was switching from the Series 7. That switch for me was a must at that point. As much as I loved the Series 7, just two days or so of battery-life was not something I could put up with. With the Ultra 2 the 50 hours jumped to 80, and for me, that meant a big deal. And no, none of that in low-power mode, but standard use. So why the Ultra 3 then?

Apple dangled yet again the prospect of longer battery-life in front of us, and I couldn’t say no. I really love the Apple Watch and the more I can use it without charging, the more I want it.

And when you put that into the context of my coming from smartwatches like the Pebble or Garmin, it starts making a lot more sense. That’s not to say I have “range anxiety”, I don’t charge my devices until they actually…