Black Titanium  Watch Ultra 2 Impressions

Should you upgrade to Apple's new Series 10? Or perhaps you've been hoping for the Ultra 3, but with no update this year, is the black titanium Ultra 2 enough to persuade you? There is no correct answer. Upgrading is a personal and subjective opinion, and many factors influence the decision. The criteria for upgrading from a Series 5 are entirely different from those of an Ultra 1 or Series 9.

My current watch is a Series 4  Watch, which I've owned since 2018. It's been my running tracker for many years. I started training for a full marathon in 2023, and I have run one marathon, two half marathons, and one 10K race in 2024. With this in mind, battery life is one of my top priorities for a watch. My Series 4 ran out of battery during the marathon, although I think that was due to a rogue app and not the watch's battery health. However, my Series 4 fails to make it through an entire day more frequently than in previous years.

With my long-distance running hobby, I am the perfect target market for the Ultra. While I was disappointed with the lack of upgrades in the Ultra series, I still felt it was time for an upgrade, especially since Series 4 lost support for the latest WatchOS. So, I recently purchased the Ultra 2 in the new black titanium finish.

Instead of writing another online review and adding it to the many found online, I thought I would go through the features I now have available because of this upgrade from the Series 4. I know the Ultra 2 is not new, but many features are new to me, and depending on what you currently own, they could be new to you.

Series 5

• Always-on display: This is a game-changer! I no longer need to lift my wrist at a certain angle to see the time or put it down and re-lift it if it doesn't work the first time.
• Compass: This is not a feature I genuinely need.

Series 6

• Blood Oxygen Saturation: Unfortunately, I'm in the United States, and this feature isn't currently available (as of this writing). Hopefully, it will be re-enabled in the future.

Series 7

I didn't find any significant updates to write about for this series. It provided a larger display, allowing a QWERTY keyboard to be added to the software. So I guess that's something? The QWERTY keyboard was the default option for my new Ultra in Messages, so I have spent a little time using it. However, I still prefer clicking the pre-rendered responses or speaking my response. The keyboard feels tiny on my wrist, but more time is needed to make a better-informed decision.

Series 8 & Ultra

• Temperature sensor: I was disappointed that my watch doesn't track my temperature in near real-time, but I love new health features. This sensor tracks your wrist temperature while you sleep and informs you if there is an outlier value. With the Ultra 2, the app requires seven nights of sleep before reporting any outliers. I'm on day 4, so I have no data to view. But I look forward to this feature in the Vitals app.
• Crash detection: This is a fantastic feature I hope I never have to utilize. While I wouldn't upgrade a device for something like this, I'm glad I have it.

The Ultra provides many hardware improvements over my Series 4. However, since I bought an Ultra 2 and am unsure what the differences are, I will defer my thoughts on Ultra-specific features to the next section, the Ultra 2.

Series 9 & Ultra 2

• Double-tap gesture: This feature takes some time to get used to, but I have utilized it to reply to messages. If I can train my brain to use the feature, I feel this is another game-changer. At least with the Messages app, I love how the watch lets me reply with my voice after double-tapping.
• Action button: This is another feature I wouldn't upgrade specifically for, but I hope to find it valuable. It has potential upside without much downside since the space on the watch wasn't being used. I now have it set for music recognition since I hate opening my phone and clicking an app when a song is playing. But I haven't utilized this button yet, so I do not have other thoughts.
• The screen: I don't think the screen is a reason to upgrade a device, except for the iPhone 4's Retina display. But wow! This screen is incredible. I considered buying the Series 10 instead of the Ultra 2 because of the Ultra's thickness compared to the Series 10. Still, I made the better trade-off by purchasing the better screen while maintaining an acceptable thickness.
• On-device Siri: I tend to use my iPhone for Siri interaction. I have used it a couple of times, and it's okay.

Series 10

• Sleep Apnea: I haven't owned the watch long enough for this feature, but I have enabled it. While any health addition is not enough for me to upgrade, having multiple additions when I upgrade is very nice.

Finally, the digital crown and buttons are significantly more responsive and smooth. I bought the Trail band, and I like how it fits better than the silicone sports band I owned with the Series 4. I'm worried about wear and tear and sweat after many long runs, but since this watch is marketed toward runners, I'm hopeful it will hold up.

Overall, I'm happy with my purchase so far. The Ultra was significantly more expensive than my aluminum Series 4. Still, I'm hopeful the added battery life and upgraded GPS bring quality-of-life improvements that warrant the added cost.