Device hub · Fitness watches · Desk research
Apple Watch Ultra
Ultra 1 is the 2022 49mm adventure watch: S8, 32GB, 2,000-nit LTPO2, 36-hour OEM table, Action Button, 86 dB siren, 40m dive path — and no satellite stack.
In short
Ultra 1 is the 2022 49mm adventure watch: S8, 32GB, 2,000-nit LTPO2, 36-hour OEM table, Action Button, 86 dB siren, 40m dive path — and no satellite stack. Ultra 2 added 3,000 nits / S9 / 64GB; Ultra 3 added satellite; Ultra 4 added S11 and Health Sensing System. Buy leftover Ultra 1 only if the chassis is enough and the discount is real. Skip it if you need watchOS 27, satellite, or the 2026 sensor pack.
Product images
Placeholder — OEM press not licensedApple Watch Ultra
Credit: GadgetShowdown labeled placeholder (not an Apple asset). View official product image
Apple product images are copyrighted. Apple’s Guidelines for Using Apple Trademarks and Copyrights and typical Newsroom “editorial use only” language do not grant a commercial comparison site a redistribution license.
Studio still only. Manufacturer press JPEGs are not hosted here. See the Apple product page for the real product photo.
Placeholder — OEM press not licensedApple Watch Ultra
Credit: GadgetShowdown labeled placeholder (not an Apple asset). View official product image
Studio still only. Manufacturer press JPEGs are not hosted here. See the Apple product page for the real product photo.
Who it is for
- Athletes who want the original Ultra chassis (49mm titanium, Action Button, dive path) at a three-gens-back discount and will accept no satellite and no watchOS 27.
- Buyers documenting the first Ultra node: 2,000 nits, S8, 32GB, 36-hour table.
- People already in the Apple Watch stack who will not pay current Ultra 4 $799 for Health Sensing System.
Who should skip it
- Anyone who needs watchOS 27. Apple’s Series 12 Newsroom list is Ultra 2 or later — Ultra 1 is not on it.
- Anyone who needs satellite Emergency SOS / Messages / Find My. Support 111852 connectivity is LTE/UMTS, dual-frequency GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.3, U1 — no satellite row.
- Anyone who wants Health Sensing System, S11, a 3,000-nit panel, or Ultra 4’s 50 / 84 / 45-hour table.
- Buyers without a compatible iPhone. Support 111852 requires iPhone 8 or later with iOS 16 or later. A leftover watch may still need a current iOS floor — re-check Apple.
Key differentiators
- First Apple Watch Ultra: 49mm titanium, raised case edges around flat sapphire, international-orange Action Button, 86-decibel siren (Newsroom 2022).
- OEM battery on Support 111852: up to 36 hours normal use and up to 18 hours LTE. Newsroom separately published a 60-hour low-power setting. No 80%-in-N-minutes row on the leftover Support sheet.
- 2,000-nit LTPO2 at 410 × 502 — Ultra 2 jumped to 3,000 nits on the same grid; Ultra 3/4 moved to 422 × 514 LTPO3.
- S8 + 32GB. Ultra 2 is S9 + 64GB. No Health Sensing System naming.
Caveats
- Every numeric battery and brightness line is an Apple claim. GadgetShowdown has not lab-tested Ultra 1.
- apple.com/apple-watch-ultra/ now 301s to apple.com/watch/. Cite Support 111852 (not Support 111831 — that ID is an iPhone 15 sheet).
- Support 111852 accessed 2026-09-19 does not reprint 80% charge minutes, a named outdoor-workout hour, wrist-fit millimeters, or a Sleep-app row. Leave those cells unpublished rather than borrow Ultra 2/3/4 figures. The 60-hour low-power figure is Newsroom 2022, not the leftover Support table.
Watch-category specs
Same manufacturer rows on every watch page.
| Attribute | Value | Source / note |
|---|---|---|
| Display size | 49mm case; 1,185 sq mm active area | Apple Support 111852 |
| Display type | Always-On Retina LTPO2 OLED; flat sapphire crystal; raised titanium edges to protect the crystal from edge impacts | Apple Support 111852 |
| Display resolution | 410 × 502 px | Apple Support 111852Ultra 2 is the same grid at 3,000 nits. Ultra 3/4 are 422 × 514 LTPO3. ppi is not printed on leftover Support 111852 — do not invent 326. |
| Peak brightness (OEM) | Up to 2,000 nits | Apple Support 111852; Apple Newsroom, 2022-09-07Manufacturer peak-nits claim. Newsroom 2022: “2x brighter than any Apple Watch display yet.” Ultra 2 and later leftover/current sheets list 3,000 nits. Minimum-nit figure is not on 111852. |
| Always-On display | Yes — Always-On Retina LTPO2 | Apple Support 111852 |
| Case size(s) | 49mm only | Apple Support 111852 |
| Case material | Titanium (Newsroom / Support: aerospace-grade titanium). Ceramic and sapphire crystal back | Apple Support 111852 |
| Case dimensions | 49mm height × 44mm width × 12mm depth | Apple Support 111852 |
| Weight | 61.3 g titanium | Apple Support 111852Case-only figure from Apple; band not included. Ultra 2’s leftover sheet splits natural 61.4 g / black 61.8 g — do not blend. |
| Finishes | Natural titanium | Apple Support 111852 |
| Chip / processor | S8 SiP, 64-bit dual-core processor; W3 wireless chip; U1 Ultra Wideband chip | Apple Support 111852 |
| On-device storage | 32GB | Apple Support 111852Not 64GB. Ultra 2 and later leftover/current Ultra sheets list 64GB. |
| Battery — normal use (OEM) | Up to 36 hours of normal use | Apple Support 111852; Apple Newsroom, 2022-09-07Support footnote 9 spells the 36-hour test. Newsroom: “best battery life of any Apple Watch” at launch — that is a 2022 Apple sentence, not a lab result. |
| Battery — low-power / saver (OEM) | Up to 60 hours (Newsroom low-power setting). Not reprinted on leftover Support 111852 accessed 2026-09-19 | Apple Newsroom, 2022-09-07Do not paste Ultra 2’s 72-hour Low Power Mode onto Ultra 1. Newsroom footnote: the extra-low GPS/HR setting was “available later this fall” at launch. |
| Battery — GPS / outdoor workout (OEM) | Not published | Accessed Apple Support 111852 and Ultra Newsroom, 2026-09-19Do not paste Ultra 4’s 18 / 25 / 45-hour Max Extended Workout rows onto Ultra 1. |
| Charging (OEM) | Apple Watch Magnetic Fast Charger to USB-C Cable (1m) in the box. 80% minute not published on Support 111852 or the 2022 Newsroom post accessed 2026-09-19 | Apple Support 111852 |
| Water resistance | 100m (ISO 22810) — recreational scuba to 40m with a compatible App Store dive app; high-speed water sports as worded by Apple; not below 40m | Apple Support 111852 footnote 4 |
| GNSS / GPS | L1 and L5 GPS (GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, BeiDou) | Apple Support 111852 |
| Cellular | LTE and UMTS (plan required). International roaming listed. GPS + Cellular models only on this generation. No 5G RedCap row | Apple Support 111852 |
| Heart rate | Third-generation optical heart sensor + electrical heart sensor | Apple Support 111852Not the named Health Sensing System on Ultra 4 / Series 12. |
| Blood oxygen (SpO2) | Blood Oxygen app (wellness only per footnote 3) | Apple Support 111852 |
| Temperature sensing | Water temperature sensor with the depth gauge. A wrist-temperature row is not printed on leftover Support 111852 | Apple Support 111852 |
| ECG | ECG app (22+; similar to a single-lead ECG — footnote 5). Irregular-rhythm notification listed in the same footnote | Apple Support 111852 |
| Sleep tracking | Not published | Accessed Apple Support 111852, 2026-09-19Do not invent sleep stages, sleep score, or sleep-apnea notifications from later Series/Ultra sheets. Sleep-apnea footnotes on later watches start at Series 9 / Ultra 2. |
| Sport / workout profiles (OEM) | Newsroom 2022: Action Button starts workouts, custom-workout intervals, multisport legs, and track running. Leftover Support 111852 does not reprint the later five-block run/hike/cycle/swim/dive list | Apple Newsroom, 2022-09-07 |
| Other sensors | Compass; always-on altimeter; high-g accelerometer (up to 256 g-forces with Fall / Crash Detection); high-dynamic-range gyroscope; ambient light; depth gauge; water temperature | Apple Support 111852 |
| Durability / ingress | IP6X; 100m ISO 22810; dive-ready to 40m / 130 ft; MIL-STD-810H subsections (altitude, high/low temp, temp shock, immersion, freeze/thaw, shock, vibration) | Apple Support 111852 |
| Safety / incident alerts | Emergency SOS; international emergency calling; Crash Detection; Fall Detection. Newsroom: 86-decibel siren. No satellite SOS row | Apple Support 111852; Apple Newsroom, 2022-09-07 |
| Operating system | watchOS (Support 111852). Newsroom launch OS was watchOS 9. Ultra 1 is not on Apple’s watchOS 27 device list (Ultra 2 or later) | Apple Support 111852; Series 12 / watchOS 27 Newsroom list |
| Phone compatibility | iPhone 8 or later with iOS 16 or later (Support 111852). Current leftover pairing may require a newer iOS — re-check Apple | Apple Support 111852 |
| Wireless (Wi-Fi / Bluetooth) | Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n 2.4GHz and 5GHz; Bluetooth 5.3; U1 Ultra Wideband chip (region limits) | Apple Support 111852 |
| NFC / contactless payments | Apple Pay; GymKit | Apple Support 111852 |
| Band / strap system | Apple Watch Ultra band / loop in the box (selection-dependent). Not 22mm QuickFit | Apple Support 111852 |
| US MSRP (launch) | $799 US on Newsroom 7 September 2022 | Apple Newsroom, 2022-09-07 |
| Price band | Flagship leftover (launch $700–$900) | Derived from $799 launch |
| Announced | 7 September 2022 | Apple Newsroom |
| Availability | Order from 7 September 2022; stores from Friday, 23 September 2022; leftover after Ultra 2 (2023), Ultra 3 (2025), and Ultra 4 (2026) | Apple Newsroom, 2022-09-07 |
Apple Watch Ultra extras
Unique to this line or SKU.
| Attribute | Value | Source / note |
|---|---|---|
| Action Button | Customizable physical Action Button in high-contrast international orange (Workouts, Compass Waypoints, Backtrack, Depth app, and other assigned functions — Newsroom 2022) | Apple Newsroom, 2022-09-07 |
| Siren | 86-decibel siren (Newsroom): two alternating patterns, including an SOS pattern, that can repeat for up to several hours | Apple Newsroom, 2022-09-07 |
| Depth gauge | Built-in depth gauge; dive-ready to 40m / 130 ft. Newsroom: Depth app shows time, current depth, water temperature, duration, max depth | Apple Support 111852; Apple Newsroom, 2022-09-07 |
| Water temperature sensor | Yes — listed with the depth gauge | Apple Support 111852 |
| Dive computer | Recreational scuba to 40m with a compatible third-party App Store app (Newsroom launch partner: Oceanic+ / Huish Outdoors). Not for diving below 40m | Apple Support 111852; Apple Newsroom, 2022-09-07 |
| Satellite communications | Not published | Apple Support 111852 vs Ultra 3 Support 125095 |
| MIL-STD-810H | Tested to listed 810H subsections — not a blanket “military grade” slogan | Apple Support 111852 |
| Speakers and microphones | Dual speakers (Support: 40% louder than Series 8); three-microphone array with beamforming and wind-noise mitigation | Apple Support 111852 |
| Ultra Wideband | U1 chip (region limits) | Apple Support 111852 |
| In the box | Apple Watch Ultra; band/loop (selection-dependent); Magnetic Fast Charger to USB-C cable (1m) | Apple Support 111852 |
| GymKit | Yes | Apple Support 111852 |
| Health Sensing System | No. Ultra 1 keeps third-generation optical + electrical sensors. The named Health Sensing System is Series 12 / Ultra 4 | Apple Support 111852 vs Ultra 4 / Series 12 Newsroom |
| watchOS 27 | Not on Apple’s watchOS 27 device list (Ultra 2 or later, Series 9 or later, SE 3) | Apple Series 12 / watchOS 27 Newsroom list |
| Wrist fit | Not published | Accessed Apple Support 111852, 2026-09-19 |
Overview
Apple Watch Ultra is the September 2022 original Ultra (Support 111852 still publishes the leftover spec sheet). The physical product is a single 49mm titanium watch — 49 × 44 × 12mm, 61.3 g, sapphire front, ceramic/sapphire back, Action Button, Digital Crown, side button, depth gauge, dual speakers — in natural titanium only on this leftover sheet.
This page is the leftover Ultra 1 record from Support 111852 — not a renamed later Ultra.
We have not worn this watch. “Best battery life of any Apple Watch” (2022 Newsroom) stays an Apple sentence.
Display
Always-On LTPO2 OLED, 410 × 502, 1,185 sq mm, 2,000 nits, flat sapphire, raised titanium edges. ppi and 1-nit minimum are not on leftover 111852 — do not invent them from Ultra 2. This panel is not as bright as Ultra 2.
Health and sleep
Third-generation optical HR, electrical ECG, Blood Oxygen (wellness footnote), water temperature with the depth gauge. Wrist temperature and a Sleep-app row are not on leftover Support 111852. Sleep-apnea footnotes on later watches start at Series 9 / Ultra 2. Not Health Sensing System.
Sleep tracking
Keep the category key. The cell stays unpublished on the leftover sheet rather than borrowed from Ultra 2.
Battery and charging (OEM table only)
| Mode (Apple’s words) | Ultra 1 claim | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Normal use | Up to 36 hours | Support 111852 |
| LTE | Up to 18 hours | Support 111852 |
| Low-power setting | Up to 60 hours | Newsroom 2022 (not reprinted on leftover 111852) |
| Outdoor workout / Max Extended | Not on Support 111852 or the 2022 Newsroom post | — |
| Fast charge minutes | Not on Support 111852 or the 2022 Newsroom post | In-box USB-C magnetic charger only |
In the box: Magnetic Fast Charger to USB-C (1m), plus a band/loop.
Workouts, maps, and water
Newsroom 2022 is the OEM source for Action Button workout starts, custom intervals, multisport, track running, Compass Waypoints, and Backtrack. Water: WR100, dive-ready to 40m, IP6X, 810H list. Depth app + Oceanic+ (subscription) as worded in 2022.
Adventure extras that are not here
- Satellite: no.
- Health Sensing System: no.
- watchOS 27: no.
- 3,000-nit panel / 64GB / S9+: no.
Action Button, 86 dB siren, depth gauge, and dual-frequency GPS are here (Newsroom + Support).
Payments and bands
Apple Pay + GymKit. Ultra band / loop in the box (selection-dependent).
How this page compares on a desk
| Desk fact (OEM) | Ultra 1 | Ultra 2 | Ultra 3 | Ultra 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Panel | 410×502 LTPO2, 2,000 nits | 410×502 LTPO2, 3,000 nits | 422×514 LTPO3, 3,000 nits | 422×514 LTPO3, 3,000 nits |
| Battery | 36 h / 60 h Newsroom LPM | 36 / 72 h | 42 / 72 h class | 50 / 84 / 45 h |
| Storage | 32GB | 64GB | 64GB | 64GB |
| Satellite | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Chip | S8 | S9 | S10 | S11 |
| Health Sensing System | No | No | No | Yes |
| watchOS 27 | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| US launch | $799 (2022) | $799 (2023) | $799 (2025) | $799 (2026) |
Winners live on the existing -vs- URLs. This hub does not pick one.
Price and what not to invent
$799 launch. Do not invent outdoor-workout hours, 80% minutes, satellite, Health Sensing System, 72-hour Low Power, or watchOS 27. Do not rewrite Ultra 4 to match this leftover sheet. Do not cite Support 111831.
Sources
- Apple Support — Apple Watch Ultra Technical Specifications (111852) — accessed 2026-09-19
- Apple Newsroom — Introducing Apple Watch Ultra — accessed 2026-09-19
- Apple — Guidelines for Using Apple Trademarks and Copyrights — accessed 2026-09-19
Frequently asked questions
Does Ultra 1 have satellite SOS?
Not on Support 111852. Satellite Emergency SOS, Messages, and Find My are Ultra 3 / Ultra 4 hardware. Do not invent radios on this hub.
Does Ultra 1 get watchOS 27?
No. Apple’s Series 12 / watchOS 27 Newsroom list is Ultra 2 or later, Series 9 or later, and SE 3. Ultra 1 is a separate, older support conversation.
What is actually new versus later Ultras?
Ultra 2 added S9, 64GB, and a 3,000-nit panel on the same 410×502 grid. Ultra 3 added satellite and a 42-hour table. Ultra 4 added S11 and Health Sensing System. Ultra 1 stays S8 / 32GB / 2,000 nits / 36-hour Support table.
Does Ultra 1 work without an iPhone?
Support 111852 requires iPhone 8 or later with iOS 16 or later. Do not describe Ultra 1 as an Android watch.
Is the $799 price a street price?
No. $799 is Apple’s published US launch price on 7 September 2022. Leftover street tickets change. Re-check on the day you quote a number.
How long does the battery last?
Support 111852: up to 36 hours normal use and up to 18 hours LTE. Newsroom 2022 separately published a 60-hour low-power setting. 80% charge minutes and a named outdoor-workout hour are not on the leftover Support sheet — do not copy Ultra 2’s 72-hour or Ultra 4’s 45-hour rows here.
Does Ultra 1 have an Action Button and siren?
Yes. The 7 September 2022 Newsroom post is the OEM source for the international-orange Action Button and the 86-decibel siren. Leftover Support 111852 is thinner on those marketing names but still lists the 49mm titanium adventure chassis, dual speakers, and 40m dive path.
Official product page: Apple Watch Ultra. Tech specs: Apple Watch Ultra specs.