For the adventurous and outdoorsy, there’s a clear winner

The Apple Watch is one of the most popular smartwatches available. It’s been both a chic fashion accessory and a trusted fitness tracker since its introduction. The Apple Watch Series 9 has refined all the Apple Watch models that came before into a sleek, stylish and powerful device that looks elegant on your wrist.

Then Apple introduced the Apple Watch Ultra series. Now in its second generation, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 has a bigger screen, a rugged titanium case, and navigation and water-resistance features that make it an outdoor and adventure sports powerhouse.

The BestReviews Testing Lab has put both these Apple Watches through their paces. While we think the Apple Watch Series 9 is the top choice in speed and features for general use, anyone who lives for the thrill of the great outdoors and extreme or endurance sports will find that the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is made with them in mind.

Apple Watch specs

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 and the Apple Watch Series 9 don’t look a lot alike, but they do share a lot of their internals. Still, the Ultra 2 is bigger, brighter and more rugged than the Series 9.

Apple Watch Series 9 specs

The Apple Watch Series 9, in addition to its color and finish options in aluminum and stainless steel, is also available in Nike and Hermes co-branded models.

Product specifications

Case Size: 41 or 45 mm | Battery Life: 18 hr (32 hr on battery-saver mode) | Connectivity: GPS or GPS + Cellular | Processor (Apple S-series): S9 | Storage Capacity: 64GB

The Apple Watch Series 9 is Apple’s flagship watch model, refining all the developments of models that came before. It’s available in two case sizes, 41 and 45 millimeters, and in two case materials, a satin-finish aluminum in five colors or a polished stainless steel in three.

The Series 9 runs on Apple’s S9 system-in-package (SiP), which introduced faster speed and increased storage over the previous generation, and also allows for onboard processing of Siri commands for faster responses and better privacy. The Series 9 has an edge-to-edge always-on screen that keeps a face visible at all times at brightness as low as 1 nit in the dark or 2,000 nits in broad daylight. It has a full suite of health and fitness sensors, including ECG, heart rate and skin temperature. It’s waterproof for swimming, sweat and rain and comes with either GPS-only or GPS + cellular connection.

Apple Watch Ultra 2 specs

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 looks bigger and weighs more than the largest Series 9, but we found it comfortable and almost not noticeable after wearing it for a while.

Product specifications 

Case Size: 49 mm | Battery Life: 32 hr (72 hr on low-power mode) | Connectivity: Dual GPS + Cellular | Processor (Apple S-series): S9 | Storage Capacity: 64GB

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 runs on the same S9 SiP as the Series 9, with the same processor speed, onboard Siri and 64-gigabyte storage capacity. Otherwise, the Ultra 2 is a different animal entirely, with a single-size 49-millimeter case made of strong but light titanium in a single color and a bigger screen that gets a third brighter at 3,000 nits.

The Ultra 2 has the same health and fitness sensors as the Series 9 but adds more navigation and emergency features, such as a dual-frequency GPS, enhanced satellite emergency calling, more sensitive crash detection and even a loud emergency siren. Its waterproofing is enhanced, too, allowing it to work in saltwater as a dive computer as well as for other high-speed water sports. It’s bigger and bulkier than the Series 9, and its bands aren’t compatible with other Apple Watch models. Finally, its battery life is much longer than that of other Apple Watches as well, making it suitable for use in areas where recharging isn’t convenient.

Key differences

• Battery life: The Apple Watch Ultra 2 lasted much longer than any other Apple Watch, which greatly impressed us during testing.
• Action button: The Ultra 2 has a third programmable button in addition to the Digital Crown and side button of other Apple Watches.
• Water resistance: The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is waterproof to 100 meters, making it suitable for diving and high-speed water sports, unlike the Series 9.
• Navigation: The Ultra 2 has two GPS frequencies instead of just one for more exact tracking and navigation even in remote areas.

Key similarities

• Health and fitness tracking: Both the Apple Watch Ultra 2 and Apple Watch Series 9 have the same suite of health and fitness sensors.
• Processor: Both the Series 9 and Ultra 2 run on the ninth-generation S9 system-in-package with 64GB of storage.
• Siri: Both the Ultra 2 and Series 9 can process Siri commands locally, allowing for faster performance and access to more private information, including health data.

Design and materials comparison

If you want a smartwatch that’s both functional and elegant, the Apple Watch Series 9 is for you. We tested the aluminum 41-millimeter model in Midnight and were struck at how much it looked like a fashion statement on the wrist. Its case is smoother and more streamlined than other Apple Watches and is available in polished stainless steel in colors that include glossy silver and gold. It’s also compatible with a wealth of Apple-branded and third-party bands.

The Apple Watch Ultra 2, on the other hand, is big and rugged. It can look a little boxy on the wrist, with its flat display and thick edges, available in only one 49-millimeter size and compatible with only bands made for the Ultra series. Its biggest difference, however, is its material: titanium, which is stronger and lighter than stainless steel, and comes in a single natural finish. The size of the Ultra 2 made it more prone to knocks and scrapes during testing than the Series 9, but the case withstood all the extra impact, plus harsh testing conditions, with no visible damage. The Ultra 2 notably meets the MIL-STD 810H standard for resistance to any environmental conditions, such as extreme temperatures and ice and freezing rain.

Navigation and connectivity comparison

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is designed for outdoor sports and activities including trail running, hiking, snow sports and more. To meet the needs of users in the backcountry far from cell towers, it has enhanced navigation and connectivity features that are superior to the Apple Watch Series 9. These include a dual frequency GPS for more accurate navigation and positioning in both remote places and crowded urban areas, an altimeter with extended range from as low as -500 meters below sea level up to 9,000 meters ASL (higher than Mount Everest), and an advanced Compass app with support for waypoints, elevation and backtracking.

By contrast, the Series 9 has the same single-frequency GPS as all previous Apple Watch models and more limited altimeter and Compass. Both models, however, share emergency call functionality, although we noted that the Ultra 2 seemed to be able to contact emergency services even without a reliable cellular signal.

Battery life comparison 

WIth all the bells and whistles that make it into smartwatches, the one difference that actually wowed us the most between the Ultra 2 and Series 9 is battery life. The Apple Watch Series 9 has an estimated 18-hour battery life that can be extended to 36 hours by putting the watch in Low Power mode. The Apple Watch Ultra 2, on the other hand, has twice the battery life as the Series 9 — 36 hours on full power and 72 hours on low power. That’s up to three days of usability without charging. Other smartwatches and fitness trackers may exceed this battery life, but it’s the best we’ve seen yet from Apple, and we feel it was the single best benefit to choosing an Ultra 2 over a Series 9.

Health and fitness features comparison 

Both the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 share the same health features and fitness trackers. Both have Apple’s third-generation optical heart rate sensor that underpins so much of the Apple Watch’s health and fitness tracking, not just heart rate but also activity and sleep tracking, plus the same sensitive gyroscopes and accelerometers that help gauge steps and balance. Both have the same electrical heart sensors for Apple’s single-lead ECG app.

Both have a thermometer to measure skin temperature, which can help estimate ovulation and fertility in association with Apple’s cycle-tracking features. We liked the ability to track sleep duration, sleep stages, sleep quality, heart rate and breathing rate with the Series 9, and the Ultra 2 can do the same thing; its added bulk and size didn’t translate into discomfort, as it felt natural and comfortable on the wrist during testing.

Apple Watch Series 9 vs. Ultra 2: Other features 

Screen size and brightness

Both the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 have always-on Retina screens that can show a face or elements of a face even when idle. The Series 9 has two screen sizes, 352 by 430 pixels in the 41-millimeter case size and 396 by 484 pixels in the 45-millimeter case size, while the Ultra 2 has only one case size with a 410 by 502 pixel display. The Ultra 2 gets brighter than the Series 9 at 3,000 nits to 2,000 nits, and both can dim as low as 1 nit in pitch darkness.

We found the display of the Series 9 highly legible both in darkness and in bright sunlight, while noting that the Ultra 2 seemed like a different animal altogether, resembling a computer or smartphone display rather than a smartwatch.

Action button

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 sports what Apple calls an Action button, which is a large button that can change function depending on the situation, such as starting a workout without needing to open the home screen or tap an app, or marking a compass waypoint while orienteering. The Series 9 lacks an Action button.

Water and dust resistance

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is enhanced for use in water sports and diving, with a depth gauge, water-temperature sensor, depth app and dive computer functionality. It’s waterproof to 100 meters compared to the Apple Watch Series 9 at 50 meters, and supports recreational diving down to 40 meters as well as high-speed water sports. The Apple Watch Series 9 isn’t quite as robust but is waterproof down to 50 meters, enough for recreational swimming; we wore one in the shower and found it completely unscathed. Both models are rated IP6X dust-tight, so you can use them near sand or dust without worry.

Emergency features

Both the Series 9 and Ultra 2 support emergency calling, international emergency roaming, fall detection and crash detection. The Ultra 2 adds a siren that can be heard, Apple claims, up to 600 feet away.

Double-tap

The S9 SiP introduced the double-tap gesture that lets you control the Apple Watch by tapping your thumb and forefinger. Both the Series 9 and Ultra 2 support double-tap, which we found particularly useful when viewing and interacting with notifications while both hands are full.

Operating system

Both the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 support watchOS 10 and will both support watchOS 11.

Speakers

Apple Watches have speakers that emit notification sounds, play music or audio, and work for hearing phone calls. The Apple Watch Series 9 has one speaker, while the Ultra 2 has two speakers.

Price

The Apple Watch Series 9 has two pricing tiers for its aluminum and stainless steel cases. The aluminum models cost $399 for the 41-millimeter case and $449 for the 45-millimeter case, while the stainless steel models start at $749 for the 41-millimeter size and $799 for the 45-millimeter size. The Apple Watch Ultra 2 costs $799. 

Bottom line

Not everyone likes to go deep into the woods or mountains for fun. Some of us, maybe most of us, spend our time at home, at work, at the gym and around town. The Apple Watch Series 9 is made for these people, combining cutting-edge features and health sensors with plenty of style.

But there are those of us who need to go further: go mountain biking, scuba diving, trail hiking, or even mountain climbing. If you’re one of these folks, you should choose the Apple Watch Ultra 2. And even if you aren’t, its extra battery life and super rugged design might win you over, too.

Prices listed reflect time and date of publication and are subject to change.

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