Up close and personal with the Apple Watch Ultra2: Gen 2 looks cool, but not much has changed

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As the Apple Watch has grown to dominate the smartwatch market (currently with a global market share of over 35%), Apple has stepped up its efforts to continually improve it. While the Apple Watch line usually doesn't have many flashy changes when it comes to new models compared to the iPhone, there have been some fine-tuning and improvements made every year since the first Apple smartwatch was introduced.

Last year, Apple especially stepped up its game by releasing three new watches in one fell swoop. Now in addition to the major update, the Apple Watch Series 9, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 has been unveiled. In keeping with the past few years, Apple has made minimal design tweaks to the second-generation Ultra.

At first glance, it may not even be obvious that anything has changed, as most of the upgrades are actual or internal. The new model's casing is made from 95% recycled titanium as part of Apple's goal to become carbon neutral.

The Apple Watch Ultra 2's band has also been eco-improved and is made from 82% recycled yarn. Additionally, Apple has partnered with Nike to make colorful speckled bands using old, ground-up band material.

The differences between the first- and second-generation Ultra become even more apparent when you actually turn the watch on. For starters, the Apple Watch Ultra 2's screen is a whopping 3,000 nits, which is brighter than the previous 2,000 nits maximum, making it Apple's brightest Retina display to date.

This increased brightness will be especially helpful when viewing the screen outdoors in sunlight. While 3,000 nits of brightness may seem excessive for standard indoor use, after all, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is designed for outdoor use.

Both the Apple Watch Ultra 2 and Apple Watch Series 9 are powered by the new S9 chip, which is based on the A15 bionic chip found in the iPhone 13. This new processor is touted to deliver a 30% increase in speed and brings significant improvements in a number of features, providing the new watches with more performance than last year's models.

First, the storage capacity has doubled from 32 GB to 64 GB and the battery life has been extended from 60 hours to 72 hours. Users can now use Siri even when the watch is offline.

This feature in Apple Watch Ultra 2 is especially useful for adventurers who may not have offline service but still want to use voice commands during activities like hiking, running, skiing, or climbing.

Apple has also introduced a new feature called "Double Tap" to improve convenience. As the name suggests, users can trigger certain commands by simply double-tapping their thumb and index finger at the same time.

For example, when opening the Calendar app, use the double-tap gesture to scroll through a list of upcoming events. The double-tap feature seems more intuitive than manually programming the dial to respond to certain commands.

In my personal trial, I found this feature to be quite responsive, but occasionally missed it, and the screen remained stationary even after multiple clicks.

The new Apple Watch Ultra 2 comes with a key feature, Precision Find, which means you no longer have to rely solely on your iPhone's ringtone to locate your watch.

The Precision Find feature will be further improved when the user is within about 15 meters of the Apple Watch Ultra 2. It will provide notifications as the user moves, telling them how far away they are from their missing smartwatch.

Considering that the first-generation Apple Watch Ultra has aged well, it's understandable that the second-generation product doesn't look much different.

Both the Apple Watch Ultra 2 Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 are powered by the S9 chip, so double-tap gestures, precision lookups, and other software improvements are consistent across both devices.

This also means that the most appealing aspect of the new model is the Apple Watch Ultra 2's reputation for being a rugged model, a comparison that will bring back memories of last year's first-generation Apple Watch Ultra and Apple Watch Series 8 for many potential buyers.

While the Apple Watch Ultra 2 offers greater durability and longer battery life, it's obviously much more expensive than the Apple Watch Series 9.

This means you need to think carefully about whether it's worth upgrading. For those who already own a first-generation Apple Watch Ultra, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 introduces some interesting new features, but it may not be enough to inspire them to upgrade.

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