Apple has released four Apple Watch Ultra models in four years, every one at $799: the original in 2022, Ultra 2 in 2023, Ultra 3 in 2025 and Ultra 4 this week. Across those generations the chip went from S8 to S11, rated battery from 36 hours to 50 hours, peak brightness from 2000 to 3000 nits, and satellite messaging arrived with Ultra 3.
Only Ultra 4 is sold by Apple today, and only Ultra 2, 3 and 4 run watchOS 27. The table below draws on Apple’s tech specs pages for each model, its compare page and its launch press releases, followed by notes on the two jumps that mattered most.
Every Apple Watch Ultra in one table
| Spec | Ultra (2022) | Ultra 2 (2023) | Ultra 3 (2025) | Ultra 4 (2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Launch price | $799 | $799 | $799 | From $799 |
| Chip | S8 SiP, dual-core | S9 SiP, dual-core, 4-core Neural Engine | S10, dual-core, 4-core Neural Engine | S11, dual-core, 4-core Neural Engine |
| Storage | Apple has not restated | 64GB | 64GB | 64GB |
| Peak brightness | Up to 2000 nits | Up to 3000 nits, 1 nit minimum | 3000 nits, 1 nit minimum, LTPO3 | 3000 nits, 1 nit minimum, LTPO3 |
| Battery, normal | Up to 36 hours | Up to 36 hours | Up to 42 hours | Up to 50 hours |
| Low Power Mode | Up to 72 hours | Up to 72 hours | Up to 72 hours | Up to 84 hours |
| Charge to 80 percent | 45 minutes (compare page) | About 1 hour | About 45 minutes | About 45 minutes |
| 15-minute charge | Not published | Not published | Up to 12 hours | Up to 18 hours |
| Weight | Not restated | 61.4 g natural, 61.8 g black | 61.6 g natural, 61.8 g black | 63.0 g natural, 63.1 g black |
| Finishes | Natural titanium | Natural; black added 2024 | Natural, black | Natural, black |
| Cellular | LTE | LTE | 5G | 5G |
| Satellite | No | No | Yes | Yes, two years included |
| Water | 100 m, dive to 40 m, IP6X | 100 m, dive to 40 m | 100 m, dive to 40 m, IP6X | 100 m, dive to 40 m, IP6X |
| watchOS 27 | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Sold by Apple | No | No | No | Yes, in stores September 18 |
What stayed the same across all four
The case has not changed in size. Every Ultra is a 49 mm titanium watch; Ultra 3 and Ultra 4 are listed at 49 x 44 x 12 mm and fit wrists from 130 to 210 mm, and Apple’s 2022 spec sheet already described aerospace-grade titanium. Ultra 4 and Ultra 3 use 100 percent recycled titanium, and Ultra 4 is 45 percent recycled material overall.
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Water resistance has been 100 m under ISO 22810:2010 with a depth gauge rated for recreational dives to 40 m and a water temperature sensor since the first model. IP6X dust resistance, ECG, Blood Oxygen and temperature sensing were on the 2022 spec sheet too. Ultra 4 adds a third-generation electrical heart sensor and MIL-STD 810H testing to that list.
The price has been $799 at launch every year, per Apple’s press releases for 2022, 2023, 2025 and 2026. Ultra 4 is also offered on Apple Upgrade at $24.99 a month over 24 months.
The two jumps that mattered: Ultra 3 and Ultra 4
Ultra 2 was a chip and display update: the S9 with a 4-core Neural Engine and 64GB, brightness up to 3000 nits, and the same 36-hour battery. Its charge time was listed by Apple at up to 80 percent in about one hour, slower than the 45 minutes Apple’s compare page gives the original.
Ultra 3, after a year without a new Ultra, brought the bigger changes: satellite Emergency SOS, Messages and Find My, 5G, a 42-hour battery, a 15-minute charge worth 12 hours, and an LTPO3 display with a 1 Hz always-on refresh. Ultra 4 keeps all of that and pushes battery to 50 hours, Low Power Mode to 84 hours and the 15-minute charge to 18 hours, while moving to the S11 with its Secure Exclave for Audio Intelligence.
- Workout hours on Ultra 4: up to 18 hours outdoor with full GPS and heart rate, 25 hours in Extended Workout mode, and 45 hours in the new Max Extended Workout mode with one-second GPS intervals. Apple says Extended Workout mode lasts 25 percent longer than before. See the Max Extended Workout explainer.
- Health Sensing System on Ultra 4: heart rate every five seconds and HRV every five minutes, which Apple says is 60 times and 24 times more often than Ultra 3, plus the 0 to 10 Readiness score.
- Satellite on Ultra 3 and Ultra 4 includes two years of service; Apple says the window applies to Ultra 3 and later. Details are in the Ultra 4 GPS and satellite guide.
Which Ultra models run watchOS 27
Apple’s watchOS page lists Ultra 2, Ultra 3 and Ultra 4 among the watches that run watchOS 27, which arrives as a free update on Monday, September 14. The original Ultra is not on the list; its last major version is watchOS 26. Owners of the 2022 model can read our Ultra 4 vs original Ultra comparison for what four years changed, and Ultra 3 owners have the Ultra 4 vs Ultra 3 guide.
What Apple has not said
- The weight and storage of the original Ultra are not restated on Apple’s compare page, so those cells are blank.
- Quick-charge figures for the original Ultra and Ultra 2; Apple published a 15-minute claim only from Ultra 3 onward.
- Trade-in values for any Ultra; Apple’s trade-in page asks condition questions and shows no per-model estimates.
- Per-band Ultra 4 prices, Hermès Ultra 4 pricing and any regional price outside the US.
- Whether an Ultra 4 with different battery ratings for cellular use exists; Apple gave an LTE-specific figure only for the 2022 model.
Apple Watch Ultra 4 is the only Ultra Apple sells, from $799 or $24.99 a month, available to pre-order now and in stores Friday, September 18 in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, India, Japan and more than 50 other countries. The full announcement is in our Apple Watch Ultra 4 launch coverage.
