Apple Watch Ultra 2 Still Wins the Long Game, Here’s Why

Late-fall walks through muddy trails and early-winter sprints along fog-shrouded coasts both require one thing: a buddy who can keep up without leaving you behind. The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is that companion, a tough titanium slab that confidently enters the harsh stuff. For the everyday person who values endurance over having the latest bells and whistles on their watch, the Ultra 2 provides a seamless marriage of toughness as well as brains for a price that is a steal to say the least, or more specifically $599 (was $799).

Titanium is the backbone here, machined into a 49mm case that is flat on the sides, allowing it to fit securely under gloves or against jacket sleeves. It’s also far less prone to scratches than steel, and the ceramic back is lovely on your skin even if you wear it all day. There’s no need to worry about it exposing a scratch or being irritated. It’s suitable for a 100-meter-deep swim or bouncing it off rocks on a scramble up a boulder field; the Ultra 2’s MIL-STD 810H certification guarantees it can withstand high temperatures, altitudes, and all types of vibration. On the right side, there are two buttons with a pleasing click: the digital one, which allows you to quickly view some of your watch faces, and the configurable Action Button that enables you to start a dive or mark waypoints.

Early morning sunrise across a mountain ridge? The Ultra 2’s display won’t even flinch. Its always-on Retina LTPO OLED display has a brightness of 3,000 nits, making it just sharp enough to read while running, even when the clouds are blazing. The 1.92-inch screen with 502 by 410 pixels ensures that text and maps appear as clear as possible, and the edge-to-edge feel does not reduce the amount of useful space – you have plenty of room to explore. You can swipe among watch faces like the Modular Ultra, which combines tide charts and depth gauges into a one view, or you can use the Depth app to get real-time freediving logs. And it everything looks great; the colors pop and are not washed out. Furthermore, the second generation LTPO technology adjusts the refresh rate on the fly, from 1Hz to 60Hz, allowing you to simply sip on your battery life. When paired with watchOS 11’s Smart Stack, you get widgets that stack up predictions for weather changes or battery drain, all of which are viewable without having to visit menus. As darkness falls, the display dims to a soft glow, perfect for stargazing after a long day out.

Battery life claims rarely hold up in real-world use, but the Ultra 2 does, with a 564mAh cell that lasts 36 hours of mixed use—time checks, notifications, and an hour-long trail run with Bluetooth music streaming. When you turn on the always-on display at maximum brightness, it lasts 55 hours, which is enough for a weekend excursion with sleep tracking intact. When you switch to Low Power Mode, the battery life is extended to 72 hours, with frills like the always-on screen turned off while GPS remains functioning for navigation.

A watch that monitors without bothering fits into busy days. The ECG app takes 30 seconds to detect aberrant beats, and background checks for high or low heart rates give subtle messages. Fall Detection detects hard falls on slippery or loose gravel and automatically calls for help if you are unable to reply. Roadside Assistance sends your location to towing services after a flat tire on a lonely stretch, and the built-in siren emits 86 decibels up to 600 feet to indicate in fog or crowds. Temperature sensing monitors cycles or ovulation shifts, while noise alerts limit exposure during chainsaw work or concert nights.