Intro
Last year, Apple shook up the smartwatch market by announcing a whole new Apple Watch flavor, one that tastes like titanium, sapphire, and mud –– the Apple Watch Ultra. The $899 Apple Watch Ultra was Cupertino's shot at coming up with a rugged smartwatch that elevates the wearable experience for Apple Watch users further.
While it wasn't clear if the Apple Watch Ultra would be a one-off or will get regular yearly updates, all rumors point out to Apple actually updating the first Apple Watch Ultra this year with some minor touch-ups.
Overall, nothing too major, but those willing to jump on the Apple Watch Ultra bandwagon will have a new color to choose from, as well as potentially slightly better battery life.
Apple Watch Ultra 2nd Gen vs Apple Watch Ultra: differences
- New Apple S9 SiP with better performance
- Better battery life thanks to more efficient chip
- New black titanium color
- Possibly new watch bands
- No other changes expected at the moment
Table of Contents:
Design & Sizes
Apples to apples
Well, don't expect any major changes in the design of the Apple Watch Ultra 2nd Gen, as you're not getting any.
No major changes are expected in the overall size or design language of the second-gen Apple Watch Ultra.
The only major new difference would likely be a new color option for the wearable, which might now come in a much darker shade. According to rumors, we'd see the Apple Watch Ultra 2nd Gen in black, as the first-gen is only available in Titanium.
The were some rumors that a potential Apple Watch Ultra 2nd Gen could score a miniLED display, but it's doubtful this would happen with the 2-23 iteration of the smartwatch.
Just like the Apple Watch Ultra, the Apple Watch Ultra 2nd Gen will be available in a single 49mm version. We don't expect a larger or a smaller version of the smartwatch.
Bands
Possibly new ones coming
With the Apple Watch Ultra, Apple revealed three bespoke new watch bands, namely the Alpine Loop, Trail Loop, and Ocean Band. Each was introduced with a certain type of activity in mind.
Performance & Features
A brand new chipset
After years and years of using the same chip on its Apple Watch wearables, just repackaged with a new name and some minor new features but keeping the general specs the same, Apple is finally improving the most important piece of hardware on the wearables.
The upcoming Apple S9 chip will be based on the Apple A15 Bionic chip, which powers the iPhone 13 series as well as the iPhone 14 and the iPhone 14 Plus, and should deliver a decent performance gains as well as improved battery life.
Previously, the Apple Watch Series 6, Series 7, and Series 8 came with basically the same chipset based on the Apple A13 Bionic.
Battery and Charging
No changes expected
Currently, we don't expect the Apple Watch Ultra 2nd Gen to come with a battery any different from the one available on the Apple Watch Ultra. A 542mAh battery will be powering Apple's next rugged smartwatch. However, the improved chipset might deliver distinctly better battery life than the first Apple Watch Ultra.
Models and Prices
There will be only one Apple Watch Ultra 2nd Gen version, a 49mm one.
Due to the lack of any significant changes, we highly suspect that the Apple Watch Ultra 2nd Gen will cost just as much as its predecessor, starting at $799.
Summary
Don't expect too much out of the second-gen Apple Watch Ultra as far as major upgrades.
The Apple Watch Ultra 2nd Gen will be a mostly minor generational refresh that potentially delivers slightly better battery life and a new color option.
If you've bought the first Apple Watch Ultra, you shouldn't upgrade to the next version of the wearable, as you wouldn't gain anything in particular.
