Apple Watch Ultra 3 Is Just Days Away: Here’s What’s Coming
Updated Sept. 1 with more details of what’s reported about Apple Watch Ultra 3.
A new Apple Watch Ultra is on its way, it seems, expected to launch on Tuesday, Sept. 9 alongside the iPhone 17 series. You can read a full run-down of what’s coming when here. This is what’s expected of the third iteration of Apple’s chunkier, sportier smartwatch.
Apple Watch Ultra 2: what will the Ultra 3 be like?
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Apple Watch Ultra 3 At Last
In September 2024, alongside the Apple Watch Series 10, many expected Apple Watch Ultra 3 to be announced. Instead, the world was treated to Apple Watch Ultra 2 again, but in a new color. This led to the slightly confusing situation where Series 10 had a more powerful and more recent processor than the pricier Ultra 2. It’s thought that some capabilities were about the same, so some Series 11 features also worked for the Ultra 2 (in both colors, of course).
This time, it seems, there’ll be an all-new Ultra 3, with a tweaked design and display as well as a new chip.
Apple Watch Ultra 3 New Processor
The new chip will almost certainly be called S11. Reports suggest it may have similar performance to the S10 released last September in the Series 10 Apple Watch. If that sounds disappointing, remember that Apple has never released a chip that’s not up to performing well. The new chip could be smaller, too, which leaves more space for other components — though there’s no report that it will make for extra battery life. Still, since this is already two days, that might not be necessary.
Apple Watch Ultra 3 Display
The iOS 26 beta has code that hints the display will be better by about 12 pixels in each direction, which would make it the biggest Apple Watch display yet. This will most likely be achieved through thinner bezels rather than a changed case.
It will also likely adopt the superior screen tech that came to the Apple Watch Series 10. This meant that select watch faces, like Reflections, could update every second even in standby, meaning a sneaky glance down at your wrist during a dull meeting could tell you the time with to-the-second precision.
The Apple Watch Series 10 display was also brighter than the Ultra 2, so expect that benefit to apply for Ultra 3 as well.
Apple Watch Ultra 3 Blood Pressure Monitoring
Other smartwatches have this, but Apple doesn’t yet. It isn’t a shoo-in this year, and if it does come, it will surely be in Series 11 as well. It’s thought that instead of enabling users to take blood pressure readings, it will monitor in the background and alert if there’s sign of high blood pressure — a bit like the heart rate monitoring does right now.
Apple Watch Ultra 3 Connectivity
This could be the first 5G Apple Watch, and it may have satellite connectivity, instead of limiting the cellular model to 4G, and it may have satellite connectivity. That’s something Google just announced for the Pixel Watch 4, but this could go on sale before Google’s timepiece. Satellite connectivity means that an emergency SOS feature could be enabled when you’re out of cellular connectivity and possibly non-emergency messaging, too.
There will be more to learn when the keynote happens on Sept. 9, but these features are intriguing, at least.