Today at its widely anticipated "Wonderlust" event, which also revealed the iPhone 15 series, Apple announces the Apple Watch Ultra 2 smartwatch.

The newest version of the smartwatch doesn't stray away from the formula established by last year's titanium and sapphire trooper. Truth be said, the first Apple Watch Ultra hardly looks dated at all, so it's mostly an incremental update. This is a practice that's not too uncommon when it comes to yearly Apple Watch releases.

What's new with the Apple Watch Ultra 2nd Gen? Here are all the new features at a glance:

  • 3,000 nits of maximum brightness
  • Faster new chipset
  • On-device Siri
  • New cycling features
  • New band colors
  • New Double Tap gesture


Design & display

Design-wise, there are little differences between the Apple Watch Ultra and the Apple Watch Ultra 2. Apple hasn't changed the design language of the smartwatch at all. The Apple Watch Ultra 2nd Gen employes a titanium case with sapphire glass protecting its flat 1.92-inch display.

The oversized digital crown on the side as well as the customizable Action Button are back allowing for easy and intuitive interaction with the smartwatch in any conditions. You can still only get the Apple Watch Ultra 2 in a 49mm size.

New on the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is the much brighter display, which can reportedly go up to 3,000 nits of brightness, making it the device with the brightest display Apple has ever revealed! With such a superb maximum brightness, outdoor legibility even under the bright sun should be perfect.

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is IP6X dust resistant and water-resistant up to 100 meters, or 10 Bar. It's also rated for the MIL-STD 810H standard, which means that it's as tough as it looks, and will live to tell the tale even after rougher use. The Apple Watch Ultra 2 will also allow for -500 to 9000m of elevation range, making it an extremely capable companion for the most capable of adventurers out there.

There are new color options for all the default bands that the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is available in.


Hardware

New on the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is the new Apple S9 chipset. This one is based on the Apple A15 chip that powered the iPhone 13-series, as well as the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus. The Apple S9 chip is therefore built on the efficient 5nm manufacturing process, allowing it to benefit from all the efficiency and performance gains.

As battery life is likely the most important metric associated with modern smartwatches, with performance less of an issue, we'd expect the second-gen Apple Watch Ultra to boast much better endurance than its predecessor, even though the battery size likely isn't increased. Due to the unchanged design, we expect that Apple has outfitted the device with a 542mAh battery once again, likely with fast charging that fully tops it up in around an hour and a half.

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 comes with a new ultra-wideband chip inside, which allows for precisely tracking your iPhone's location.