🏆 Rating: 4.5/5
✅ Pros
🔋 3+ days of battery life is wildly impressive
⌚️ Gorgeous, large screen that’s easy to see in the sun
❤️ Upgraded health sensors means more accurate data
💪 Durable enough for every adventure
🚀 Faster performance and charging
🤖 Siri AI is so much better in watchOS 27
❌ No price hike, unlike the iPhone
❌ Cons
💔 Key features like the new Health app are still missing
🤷 Same design might not appeal to those who want something different
💰 Still quite expensive for a smartwatch
The Shortcut review
Let’s get one thing out of the way: the Apple Watch Ultra 4 looks identical to the Ultra 3 on the outside, and therefore, it’s very easy to assume there’s nothing new here. But this $799 smartwatch has never been as powerful, accurate, and efficient as it is today, all thanks to vast under-the-hood improvements that take Apple’s most robust smartwatch it’s ever shipped and make it even better.
The Ultra 4 gets an entirely new health tracking system powered by a new heart rate sensor, which tracks your status 60x more frequently than before. That’s backed by new algorithms to understand your health in better context, and it’s all powered by the upgraded S11 SoC (system-on-a-chip), the fastest processor ever in an Apple Watch. What’s more, this watch gets even longer battery life than the Ultra 3, going from roughly two days on a charge to three.
It’s a smartwatch I had no idea Apple could make. By maintaining the same design since the Apple Watch Ultra’s inception four years ago, I always assumed battery life and performance would eventually be capped. But as it turns out, Apple’s engineering chops can somehow cram faster performance, longer battery life, and more accurate health tracking into the same exact chassis - all without sacrificing weight or thickness. If you’ve been wanting a new Apple Watch and love the idea of a super computer on your wrist, this is the one to get.
Review notes
🎶 Same Old Song and Design. Cue up the Aerosmith, because Apple’s doing the same old song and dance it’s done since the Apple Watch Ultra came out in 2022. The chassis itself looks completely unchanged compared to the Ultra 3, with the same bulky form factor that’s rugged and ready for all of life’s adventures. Of course, if you flip the Ultra 4 on its face, you’ll find a sensor array that looks completely different than before, but we’ll get to that later. In short, if you were hoping for some kind of redesign here, you may have better luck when the Ultra 5 drops.
⚫️ The Black finish is growing on me. I usually don’t rock the Black version of the Apple Watch Ultra, but after Apple sent me the darker model to review, it’s kind of growing on me. I like its stealthy aesthetic and ability to stand out a bit less on the wrist, although it does often look dirtier than the Natural version since any dirt or dust it collects above the side button is far more visible. Still, it’s a really nice color that I didn’t expect to like as much as I do.
⌚️ Same bands, too. It’s also worth noting that Apple is still using the same band connection mechanism it always has for the Ultra 4, so all of your existing 49mm bands will work perfectly with it. The company let me check out its Trail Loop in Burgundy this time around, and it’s perfect for anyone picking up the iPhone 18 Pro in Burgundy and want their Apple Watch to match. I also got sent some bands from Nomad, including a couple of new Rocky Point bands and a new Stratos band, all of which have matching black hardware. They look incredibly sleek on this watch and continue to be my favorite third-party bands. (Not sponsored, by the way - these bands are just that good.)
💪 Still rough and tough. The Apple Watch Ultra 4 is just as durable as every other Apple Watch Ultra that’s come before it. The aerospace-grade titanium case is MIL-STD-810H certified for shock and drop resistance, it has WR100 water resistance for scuba diving, the sapphire glass is some of the most scratch-resistant Apple’s ever shipped, and the IP6X dust resistance keeps things like sand and dirt from damaging the internals. I wore my Ultra 3 everywhere last year and dunked it a million times in salt water over the summer, and I have no doubt the Ultra 4 will be up for the challenge as well.
🔋 Big battery life boost. Apple has somehow eked out even more endurance from the Ultra 4 than it did on the Ultra 3. I was impressed with how long the battery could last on last year’s model, and I’m even more impressed this year. Apple delivers with up to 45 hours of use if you use Extended Workout tracking, which is nearly four days between charges. I was able to cruise through three days without having to charge it with a blend of tracking workouts, using apps like Home and Spotify, asking Siri questions, and regularly checking my sleep score. Slowly but surely, Apple is achieving the multi-day battery life power users crave from their smartwatches, and the Ultra 4 is the best at it yet.
⚡ Even quicker charging. Apple gave the Ultra 4 even faster charging, too. If you use the supplied charging puck in the box and a power adapter that supports at least 20W, it’ll juice up quicker than any previous Apple Watch Ultra. I’ll admit, the difference isn’t huge so you might not notice it at first, but quick top-ups for around 10-20 minutes on the charger will give you about 10-15% extra battery, which is nice.
🚀 A little bit faster now. The Apple Watch Ultra 4 does feel a bit faster than the Ultra 3. That’s thanks to the new S11 SoC, which helps apps load quicker, your workouts start faster, and Siri process requests in less time. I’ll admit, you have to be using the Ultra 4 next to the Ultra 3 to notice the difference given how minuscule it is, but it’s definitely there.
❤️ The “most accurate” health wearable yet? The Apple Watch Ultra 4 (and Series 12) gets Apple’s new Health Sensing System, an upgraded array of sensors on the back of the watch that takes the watch to new heights. It measures your heart rate every five seconds, your heart rate variability up to 24x more often, and has improved algorithms to better represent your results from working out, getting to sleep on time, and your recovery. Apple says it’s the most accurate health tracking wearable on the market, which is a seriously bold claim. It even published a whole study breaking down how it compares to other wearables, and the Apple Watch came out on top when it comes to accuracy.
🧑🔬 Far more insightful than before. This new system can apply to any type of user and give you more accurate results. For me, I use my Apple Watch Ultra for tracking walks around New York City, weightlifting, kayaking in the summer, and the occasional bike ride between press briefings. After wearing the watch all day, my rings seem to better represent the amount of movement I’ve had that day. Calories burned aren’t quite as high as they used to be, but the numbers I got from my Ultra 3 always seemed exaggerated anyway. Plus, I have far more granular detail on my heart rate through the day, which isn’t just helpful for workouts, but also for seeing how certain foods and caffeine spikes affect me.
😴 Readiness Scores are (generally) spot on… It’s one of the features I’ve been most excited about, largely because I’d love to ditch my Whoop and go all-in on a single fitness tracker. While I love the recovery scores I get from the Whoop, my Readiness Scores on my Apple Watch Ultra 4 serve the same purpose - and it’s pretty good. Apple’s take on a Readiness Score combines several factors like your heart rate, respiratory rate, wrist temperature, heart rate variability (HRV), and blood oxygen. It also considers how active you were the previous day and how well you slept, then rates your performance on a scale between 0 and 10. For me, my score typically reflects how I’m feeling that day when I wake up, just like my Whoop. While I don’t let it guide my physical decisions that day, I do find value in understanding why I might feel groggy one day, or why I may feel more energized than normal, and the score breakdown is helpful for that.
❌ … but not always. That being said, it’s not always accurate. There seems to be more times with the Apple Watch where it tells me I slept great and I’m ready for the day, whereas I know I went to bed too late and tossed and turned all night long. It doesn’t generally skew negative, either, instead telling me that I slept well but could use improvement. Meanwhile, my Whoop will give me a huge red ring around my recovery and ask me what went wrong when I feel exhausted. It almost feels like the algorithm wants to be much nicer to the end user than blatantly honest. That might be good for continuous encouragement for those just starting their fitness journey, but it’s not ideal for those who’ve been in the game for a while and need to hear the honest truth.
⏳ The new Health app is (still) coming. All of these data points can be found in the Health app, as per usual, but there’s a lot more to come. Apple is completely revamping the Health app with more proactive recommendations to help you stay on track, more detailed information on your data, and new recovery scores that seem squarely aimed at Whoop users (like me). While I did get to play with the new Health app in a previous beta version of iOS 27.2, Apple pulled the updated app and says in a prompt that it’ll ship “later this year.” I’ll update this review with thoughts on the new Health app once I’ve had time to use it.
🔊 Waiting on Audio Intelligence. There are two other missing features from the Ultra 4 I haven’t been able to test yet: Live Rewind and Siri Recap, two AI-powered features that were met with a lot of skepticism when Apple announced them. The features require your watch to constantly listen to your surroundings and record what’s being said around you. The former will let you double tap the Digital Crown and read what was said in the last 15 seconds, while the latter will give you a brief at the end of your day on what happened to help you recall meetings or conversations. I haven’t tried either of these features yet, so I don’t have any thoughts on them. Once again, when Apple releases them in a future software update, I’ll update this review with my impressions.
🤖 watchOS 27 is a great update… for Siri. The Apple Watch Ultra 4 comes with watchOS 27 out of the box, and you won’t notice a huge difference between it and watchOS 26 until you fire up Siri. The company integrates its revamped virtual assistant so you can ask it questions, research different topics, and speak to it like you would Gemini or ChatGPT. It’s much better at understanding what you’re trying to say, you don’t need to speak in robot voice anymore, and all of your past conversations live in the Siri app for future reference. If there’s an AI update on this watch that’s 100% worth using, it’s this one.
Should you buy the Apple Watch Ultra 4?
Yes, if…
✅ You’ve been waiting to upgrade your Apple Watch Ultra 1 or 2
✅ You need your smartwatch to last more than two days on a charge
✅ You want a watch that’s super durable and waterproof
No, if…
❌ You own an Apple Watch Ultra 3
❌ The design is too big on your wrist (get the Apple Watch Series 12)
❌ You use an Android phone (get the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2)
Max Buondonno is an editor at The Shortcut and co-host of The Shortcut Live. He’s been reporting on the latest consumer technology since 2015, with his work featured on CNN Underscored, ZDNET, How-To Geek, XDA, TheStreet, and more. Follow him on X @LegendaryScoop and Instagram @LegendaryScoop.