Apple Watch Ultra 4 raises the battery rating from the Ultra 2’s 36 hours to 50, moves two chip generations from the S9 to the S11, adds satellite messaging that Ultra 2 never had, charges to 80 percent in about 45 minutes instead of about an hour, and keeps the $799 price Apple set for Ultra 2 in 2023. Ultra 2 stays on Apple’s watchOS 27 list, so this is a hardware decision rather than a support one.
Ultra 2 launched in September 2023 at $799 with the S9 chip, according to Apple’s press release, and Ultra 3 introduced satellite features two years later on the S10. Ultra 4 adds the S11 and the Health Sensing System covered in our Ultra 4 announcement coverage.
| Key fact | Ultra 4 (Apple’s tech specs) |
|---|---|
| Price | From $799; $24.99 a month on a 24-month Apple Upgrade lease |
| Case | 49 x 44 x 12 mm Grade 5 titanium, natural or black; 63.0 g or 63.1 g |
| Chip | S11, 64-bit dual-core, 4-core Neural Engine, 64GB |
| Battery | Up to 50 hours; 84 hours Low Power Mode; 25 hours Extended Workout; 45 hours Max Extended Workout |
| Charging | 80 percent in about 45 minutes; 15 minutes gives up to 18 hours |
| Satellite | Emergency SOS, Messages and Find My via satellite, two years included |
| In stores | Friday, September 18 |
Ultra 4 vs Ultra 2: the spec sheet
| Spec (Apple’s tech specs and Apple Support) | Ultra 4 (2026) | Ultra 2 (2023) |
|---|---|---|
| Chip | S11, 4-core Neural Engine, 64GB | S9, 4-core Neural Engine, 64GB |
| Case | 49 mm Grade 5 titanium, natural or black | 49 mm Grade 5 titanium, natural or black |
| Weight | 63.0 g natural, 63.1 g black | 61.4 g natural, 61.8 g black |
| Peak brightness | 3000 nits, 1 nit minimum | 3000 nits, 1 nit minimum |
| Heart sensors | New optical sensor, third-generation electrical sensor | Previous generation |
| Depth gauge | Recreational scuba to 40 m, EN13319 | Recreational scuba to 40 m, accuracy plus or minus 1 m |
| Water resistance | 100 m, IP6X | 100 m |
| Battery | Up to 50 hours | Up to 36 hours |
| Low Power Mode | Up to 84 hours | Up to 72 hours |
| 80 percent charge | About 45 minutes | About 1 hour |
| Satellite | Yes | No |
| watchOS 27 | Yes | Yes |
| Launch price | $799 | $799 |
Battery: 36 to 50 hours, plus two workout modes Ultra 2 does not have
Apple Support rates Ultra 2 at up to 36 hours of normal use and 72 hours in Low Power Mode. Apple’s Ultra 4 tech specs list up to 50 hours normal, 84 hours in Low Power Mode, 18 hours of outdoor workout, 25 hours in Extended Workout mode and 45 hours in the new Max Extended Workout mode, which keeps one-second GPS intervals and is aimed at 100-mile races, according to Apple’s press release.
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Charging is quicker too. Apple Support gives Ultra 2 about an hour to 80 percent. Ultra 4 reaches 80 percent in about 45 minutes, gets up to 18 hours from 15 minutes on the charger and up to 10 hours of sleep tracking from 5 minutes.
S9 to S11: chip, heart sensors and Audio Intelligence
Both chips are listed by Apple as 64-bit dual-core with a 4-core Neural Engine and 64GB of storage. The S11 adds a Secure Exclave for on-device audio processing, which enables Audio Intelligence: Sound Recognition alerts, Live Rewind for the previous 15 seconds of conversation as text, Siri Recap and Shazam.
Ultra 4 also gets the same Health Sensing System as Series 12: new optical and electrical heart sensors reading heart rate every five seconds and HRV every five minutes. Apple’s Ultra 4 page states its 60 times and 24 times frequency claims against Ultra 3, not Ultra 2. The data feeds the Readiness app, a 0 to 10 daily score, and Apple calls the Ultra 4 dual-frequency GPS the most accurate on-device GPS in a sports watch.
Satellite, case and what stayed the same
Ultra 2 has no satellite features; Apple’s own comparison notes say satellite arrived with Ultra 3 in 2025. Ultra 4 supports Emergency SOS, Messages and Find My via satellite, with two years of service included, a window Apple says applies to Ultra 3 and later.
The case is otherwise familiar: 49 mm Grade 5 titanium in natural or black on both, a 3000-nit display with a 1 nit minimum on both, 100 m water resistance and a depth gauge rated for recreational scuba to 40 m on both. Ultra 4 weighs 63.0 g or 63.1 g against 61.4 g or 61.8 g, per Apple Support and Apple’s tech specs, and its case is 100 percent recycled titanium with 45 percent recycled content overall. New bands include the Trail Loop in dark umber, sand and burgundy, the Alpine Loop in desert, dark olive and burgundy, and the Ocean Band in translucent gray, kelp and black.
What Apple has not said
- A trade-in value for Ultra 2; Apple’s Trade In page shows no per-model estimate without condition questions.
- Band prices and the Hermès Ultra 4 price.
- Heart rate and HRV frequency figures for Ultra 2 specifically; Apple’s comparisons cite Ultra 3.
- Whether the Readiness app or Audio Intelligence will reach Ultra 2 through watchOS 27.
Ultra 4 is on pre-order now from $799 and reaches stores on Friday, September 18, according to Apple’s press release. Ultra 2 owners who stay put still get watchOS 27 on Monday, September 14, alongside iOS 27; those weighing a cheaper new watch can compare the $399 Apple Watch Series 12, which shares the S11 and the same heart sensors.
