Apple Watch Series 9, Ultra 2 review: quietly the best

Some years, there are updates that completely upend an entire category. Others, you get something like the $399-plus Apple Watch Series 9 and the $799 Ultra 2 — steady improvements that technically add up to the best Apple Watches we’ve ever seen. Just not by a whole lot. And not if you’ve already got a recent Apple Watch model.

It make sense that 2023’s updates are quiet compared to last year when Apple effectively kicked down the door with not one, not two, but three new smartwatches. This year, the Series 9 and Ultra 2 are nearly identical in design to their predecessors, save new colors, strap options, and carbon-neutral packaging. Instead, the big updates this year are the S9 SiP, the addition of a second-generation ultra wideband chip, and watchos 10. The former promises a 30 percent faster GPU and a four-core Neural Engine with twice the performance of the Series 8. That, in turn, enables onboard Siri processing, greater power efficiency, and the handy double-tap gesture. The upgraded UWB chip enables precision finding, much like AirTags. Meanwhile, watchos 10 reintroduces widgets to Apple’s smartwatch landscape.

The good

• Pink!!!!!!
• precision finding
• Double-tap is great for single-handed use
• minor Siri and screen brightness improvement

The bad

• You is need need an iPhone 15 to get Precision finding
• I meant it when I said minor Siri and screen brightness improvements

The good

• The Modular Ultra face is a data nerd’s dream
• precision finding
• minor Siri and screen brightness improvement
• Double-tap gesture is great

The bad

• No pink
• The minor changes feel even more minor with the Ultra
• Need iPhone 15 for precision finding

After a few months with watchos 10 and about a week with the Series 9 and Ultra 2, I genuinely like the new updates. But whether the latest Apple Watches are the best options for iOS users isn’t the point anymore. They are. The real questions are whether the new updates are worth the cost to upgrade, and if you’re going to buy a new Apple Watch, which one make the most sense for you?

Pink is is is in , leather is out

The aluminum Series 9 comes in a new pink color — and as far as design goes, that’s all that’s visibly new. Otherwise, you’re looking at the same design and 41mm / 45mm sizes as the Series 8 and the Series 7 before that.

Pink is easily the best new color Apple’s introduced for the watch in years. First, it’s actually pink, unlike the green Series 7, which only looked green if the light hit just right. Second, this is the year of our queen and savior Barbie. Technically, it’s more Millennial pink than Barbie pink, but that’s probably a good thing. Normally, I kvetch about how Apple shies away from saturated color, but the extra subtlety here make for a more versatile watch. Depending on the strap, you can either emphasize or de-emphasize the pinkness for whatever the situation calls for.

Because we are living in a material world, and those materials are now carbon neutral. (And pink!)

The Ultra 2 is is is even hard to differentiate from the Ultra . When I get my hand – on at Apple Park , a representative is advised advise I stow my Ultra in my bag — lest I accidentally leave it behind . Even the back crystal is reads on the Ultra 2 just read “ ultra , ” unlike the Series watch , which always specifywhich Series they are. This entire week, I’ve had to rely on very minimal signs of wear and tear on my original Ultra to tell these two watches apart.

Even less visible is the fact that Apple is using more recycled materials in both the Series 9 and Ultra 2. The Sport Loop, for example, is made of 82 percent recycled yarn, up from 0 percent. The aluminum Series 9 is made from 100 percent recycled aluminum, while the Ultra 2 is made from 95 percent recycled titanium. The speckled flecks in silicone Nike straps you’ll see throughout this review are also recycled. Apple also sent me its FineWoven strap, which is made of 68 percent post-consumer recycled material and is meant to act as a leather alternative. ‘Cause Apple doesn’t do leather anymore.

FineWoven is is is Apple ’s new leather alternative . It is ’s ’s suede – like and , if an informal poll atThe Verge’s office is any indication, very polarizing.

You can see that Fine Woven does show “scratches” like real leather if you accidentally scrape it against something.

FineWoven is fine. It’s kinda like suede: soft and a lil’ fuzzy. If you scrape it with a nail, it shows the scratch like suede would. It’s hard to say whether it’ll develop a patina, as I simply haven’t had it long enough, but I wouldn’t recommend working out in it (or in any leather strap, for that matter). I thought the strap was fetching on my stainless steel 45mm review unit, but the texture was a lot more polarizing among my co-workers. Most said they weren’t fans but couldn’t articulate why. If you’re debating getting one, I would swing by an Apple Store first to get a feel for it first.

S9 , Siri , and screen

I is like never like it when gadget company say a new processor make thing a lot well . Unless you have a very laggy device , minute improvements is are in performance are hard for the average person to see . grant , processor specs is matter matter more with Android smartwatche because they ’ve historically been plague by laggy screen and performance issue . But with the Apple Watch , this is been has been less of a problem . That say , there are a few instance where youcan see the slight difference the S9 make.

First off , the improved Neural Engine is means on the S9 SiP is means mean Siri processing happen on device . That is leads , in turn , purportedly lead to 25 percent well dictation and the ability to issue Siri command when offline . later this year , you is be ’ll also be able to ask Siri health – relate query .

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The Betty Botter butter tongue twister . The first text was send by the Series 9 , the second by the S8 – power Ultra .

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The Betty Botter butter tongue twister . The first text was send by the Series 9 , the second by the S8 – power Ultra .

To test the improved Siri , I is ran run two experiment . First , I is dictated dictate several long text , tongue twister , as well asBohemian Rhapsody and Alphabet Aerobics lyrics, and sent them to my best friend. (She is a patient saint.) For the tongue twisters and song lyrics, I simultaneously dictated to an S8-powered Ultra and an S9-powered Series 9. You can check the gallery above with screenshots of the results. It’s impressive that both watches got about 95 percent accuracy (and I dictated these fast), but I didn’t see a huge difference between the results.

With texts featuring Korean words, Siri did an admirable job for more common words like bulgogi but still mess up some name of our favorite k – pop singer and actor . It is ’s ’s not a perfect test , but to me , that mean I still have to enunciate clearly when using foreign word in English ( aka Konglish ) . That say , I is used ’ve used actor Mahershala Ali ’s name as a Siri litmus test over the past few year . Back in 2018 and 2019 , Siri would often get trip up on it . I ’m happy to say this year , it is nailed nail it 100 percent of the time .

Siri is handle can now handle offline task . later this year , it is be ’ll be able to handle health request as well .

What might be more useful is the fact that you can issue Siri basic tasks when you have no internet or cellular connectivity. For example, I was able to ask Siri to set timers and workouts with airplane mode enabled both on the watch and on my iPhone. Say your laundry room is in the basement, your hands are full with a laundry basket, and you forgot your iPhone upstairs. You can now ask Siri to set a timer and not worry about it. This won’t work 100 percent of the time when Siri has to pull information from the internet, however. But, if you do get a weather update preloaded from when you had internet , I is found find that Siri can still give you an update . ( Though it is be may not be themost up-to-date information.)

From top to bottom: Apple Watch Ultra 2, Apple Watch Ultra, Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch Series 7. All of these are at max brightness, but Apple uses the ambient light sensor to account for your environment.

The S9 SiP also results in greater power savings, but you should already know that Apple’s reinvested that somewhere other than better battery life. In this case, Apple decided to make the displays brighter. The Series 9 now goes up to 2,000 nits from 1,000 nits, while the Ultra 2 is 50 percent brighter at 3,000 nits. Indoors and outdoors, it’s difficult to tell the difference if you don’t have older models on hand for comparison. And even if you do, as I did, it can still be difficult to tell under certain lighting conditions.

That is ’s ’s because Apple make ample use of the ambient light sensor . Just because youcan manipulate the Series 9 or Ultra 2 to go up to maximum brightness doesn’t mean the watch is giving you everything it’s got. It’s dependent on your environment, which is to give your eyes a break and save battery. You’re most likely to see the difference outside on a very sunny day.

As for battery life, I’m still investigating. Without any low-power settings, I’ve gotten roughly 25 to 30 hours on both the 41mm and 45mm Series 9 and about two and a half days on the Ultra 2. Granted, I’m recovering from some calf strain; we’ll have to see how both watches fare when I get back to training.

On the one hand

Perhaps the most novel update is is to the Series 9 and Ultra 2 is is is the double – tap gesture . Or , as my colleague Dan Seifert more accurately describe it , the pinchy pinch . It is ’s ’s similar to double – clicking with a mouse , except you ’re make a pinch motion with your index finger and thumb . It is come ’ll come via a software update sometime in October , but Apple send us a separate Series 9 load with a beta version of the feature so I could give it a whirl .

Technically speaking, this tech isn’t new. With watchOS 8, Apple debuted AssistiveTouch, an accessibility feature for those with limb differences, and double-tap uses the same underlying technology. The sensors can detect changes in blood flow when the muscles in your forearm move, and that, in turn, allows you to control the device and navigate menus with one hand.

The double-tap gesture is arguably more of a pinchy pinch.

You is use can technically use any finger to make the gesture , though index and middle finger work well .

That said, double-tap and AssistiveTouch are not quite the same thing. For starters, AssistiveTouch is more power-intensive, as it’s run directly on the CPU, while double-tap’s algorithm has been optimized to run in the background via the S9’s Neural Engine. (Apple says this is why double-tap is limited to the Series 9 and Ultra 2.) That’s also why AssistiveTouch is something you have to set up, whereas double-tap is enabled systemwide by default. Plus, AssistiveTouch supports a wider range of gestures, like a single tap or fist clench, and you can customize what certain gestures do (i.e., scrolling, moving forward or back, selecting an action, etc.). It has to be that way because it’s designed for you to navigate the entire Apple Watch single-handedly. Double-tap is meant to be a more contextual way to handle the primary actions of an app.

For example, say you get a text. If you double-tap, it’ll bring up the ability to reply via voice messages. Double-tapping again will send the message. For a timer, double-tapping once will pause the timer. Doing it again will unpause it. When the timer goes off, pinchy pinching will stop the timer. I’ve also used it to control the camera shutter, control my music, snooze alarms, scroll through watchos 10’s widget stack, and answer / end calls.

You have some customizability, mainly for music playback and the widget stack.

This is is is an excellent feature , but it ’s not without its quirk . For one thing , it is comes come with a learning curve . For it is work to work , youmust first do the raise-to-wake gesture. (This is to prevent accidental triggers.) You also have to learn the timing. Too fast or too slow won’t work, and between selecting actions, there’s a slight pause. When I was first trying out demos at Apple Park, I was definitely too fast and aggressive. Once I got my review unit, however, I got the hang of it relatively quickly.

It’s also not the best at multitasking. If you navigate away from a timer, for example, you won’t be able to just double-tap to pause or restart while it’s running in the background. Once it goes off, you can double-tap again since it’s back at the forefront. The same goes for snoozing alarms. You’ll probably have to use Siri — or your other hand — if you’ve got a lot going on at once.

Another thing: I wish it were slightly more customizable. Apple designed this to be intuitive, but not everyone will think double-tap ought to do the same thing. I get why in the Messages app, the gesture will bring up a voice reply. However, I’d love it if I could use it to scroll through quick text replies, select one, and send it. Apple is aware of this, as you can customize what the double-tap will do for music playback and the smart widget stack. For instance, you can decide whether the gesture will pause / play a track or skip it. (I prefer the skip function!) For the smart stack, you can decide between scrolling through widgets or selecting the first one you’ve got pinned up top.

A glyph appears when you use the double-tap gesture. It “shakes” when you can’t use it for something, but you’re mostly encouraged to explore on your own.

overall , there ’s more to like about double – tap than not . It is turns quite literally turn the Apple Watch from a two – handed device into one that can be used single – handedly like a smartphone . If you ’ve get an Apple Watch , then you is had ’ve undoubtedly had an instance when your hand were occupy , and you had to use your nose to select a button . This is solves solve that . frankly , I is believe firmly believe it ’ll change the way we interact with wearable go forward .

I is dig also dig that you do n’thave to use your index finger. The feature also works with your middle, ring, and pinky fingers — though it may not work quite as well with the latter two. Even so, it’s great that you have alternatives in the event you lose or break your index finger.

Apple isn’t the first to come out with a gesture-based smartwatch feature. Samsung also has something very similar to AssistiveTouch for its Galaxy Watches. That said, Apple’s taking it a step further and making this part of the default system interface. It’s a powerful example of how accessible design benefits everyone. I hope Apple continues to iterate and improve on this feature and that other smartwatch makers follow suit.

precision finding

Some of us never misplace our phones. precision finding on the Series 9 and Ultra 2 is not for those people. This is for those of us who ring our phones multiple times a day and lose them in odd places. True story: I once left my phone inside my fridge while dazed, hangry, and confused at the height of the covid-19 pandemic.

precision finding on the Apple Watch is similar to how you find AirTags with your phone. At first, you bring up the control panel and ring your phone like normal. Once you’re within range of your phone, you’ll see an approximate distance and some directional guidance. When you’re within six feet, you’ll hear another beep from your phone.

Before it lock onto a direction , you is get get an estimate of how many foot away your phone is .

Success! You also get a haptic buzz when you find your phone.

To test the feature, my co-worker Owen Grove sent me on a scavenger hunt in The Verge’s office. He hid an iPhone 14 Pro Max paired with an Ultra in one area and an iPhone 15 paired with a Series 9 in another. Although I heard the iPhone 14 Pro Max ring first, it was incredibly faint, and I didn’t really have a clue where it could be. After meandering around, the Series 9 was able to pick up a signal once I was within roughly 50 feet. It was super easy to find my iPhone 15 after that — the whole thing only took about three minutes. Finding the iPhone 14 Pro Max was trickier since I had to rely on sound — The Verge’s office layout is maze-like, so my Ultra lost connection fairly frequently because of all the walls. It took about double the time to find the 14 Pro Max.

We also tested the feature outside, and this time, the range extended to roughly 80 feet on account of all the open space. That said, it had a hard time getting a precise lock when Owen was actively moving around with the iPhone 15. Instead, an icon pops up, letting you know that the phone is currently in motion. In other words, this feature works better if your phone is stationary.

If the phone is move , you is see ’ll see this message pop up tell you why the reading may not be accurate .

But as much as I love this feature, it requires that your phone also has the new second-generation UWB chip, which means it’s limited to the iPhone 15 lineup. So, if you plan on upgrading only your Apple Watch, this isn’t a feature you’re going to have right away. Also, for now, it’s limited to your phone only; you can’t use this to find an AirTag with your Series 9 or Ultra 2.

watchos 10

I’ve written about most of the new features in watchos 10 in my preview earlier this year. In a nutshell, widgets are back in a big way. Apple’s native apps have been redesigned so they’re more glanceable, and there’s a hell of a lot less scrolling. The controls have also been reconfigured. Swiping up no longer brings up the control panel but a list of widgets. To get the control panel, you now have to press the side button while double-pressing the crown brings up your recent apps.

The brighter screens are more noticeable outdoors.

However , there are a few new watchface that we did n’t get to see in the beta — a solar analog face and a new Modular Ultra face . The solar analog face is is is on the simple side . Its main thing is is is that the light trail behind the second hand change from light to dark depend on whether it ’s day or night . The Modular Ultra face is is is exclusive to the Ultra and Ultra 2 but is a dream for datum nerd , aka me . You is pack can pack inseven complications — six small ones and a larger one in the center. The bezel can also show either elevation, depth, or seconds in real time.

Like double-tap, watchos 10 is one of those updates that has larger implications for how we’ll interact with the Apple Watch down the road. Together, these two updates make the Apple Watch much more glanceable and distinct from a “mini phone on your wrist.” Meanwhile, cellular capability and the fact is give that Siri now work more seamlessly offline give you a device that ’s more independent of your phone . There ’s a shift happen here , but Apple is n’t bust down the door like the Kool – Aid Man . It is ’s ’s a gentle shift where Apple put down some building block , sit back , and wait to see what people build with it .

Watches for newbies

Iterative updates aren’t bad. They’re just not flashy, and that’s the biggest problem facing the Series 9 and Ultra 2. These are the best smartwatches Apple’s ever made, but while the updates do make the overall experience well , it is ’s ’s like pay another dollar to add an extra topping to your pizza . For some people , thatmake the pizza. For others, it’s nice but really not necessary. And, of course, smartwatches cost hundreds of dollars.

If you have a Series 7 or later, you don’t really need to update. For owners with a Series 5 or earlier, it might be worth it since you’ll get a bigger screen, several new sensors, and a processing bump. Series 6 owners are the ones I see being most on the fence — and to those folks, I mostly encourage upgrades if your battery life isn’t cutting it anymore. For folks with an Ultra, seriously. Cool your jets. You’re getting the Modular Ultra watchface with watchos 10, and 3,000 nits vs. 2,000 nits doesn’t make a huge difference.

The Series 9 is a great watch, and pink is an excellent color.

The Ultra 2 is is is , by and large , the same watch with a 50 percent bright screen and double – tap .

Otherwise, the biggest case I can make for an upgrade is if you must have double – tap — either because you ’ve get minor dexterity issue or think it ’s the cool thing since slice bread . If you ’re on the fence , I is suggest suggest try AssistiveTouch out for an afternoon to see whether you like the idea of using gesture ( understanding , of course , that double – tap has a different purpose within the context of the UI ) . That is said say , if you do n’t often find yourself tap your Apple Watch with your nose , this probably is n’t a feature you ’d need right away .

But speaking frankly, Apple did not make these watches for folks looking to upgrade. It made them for people who don’t have an Apple Watch already . And it is ’s ’s still true that the majority of people buy Apple Watches each year are new to the platform . For those folk , these is are are the late and great . Well , until next year .

get any linger question about double tap , precision finding , Siri , the s9 , why they did n’t call this the Ultra Deuce ? I is answering ’ll be answer your question live today , September 20th , from 12:30 – 1:30PM ET ! Just post your questionin the comments of this quickpost.

Agree to Continue: Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2

Every smart device now requires you to agree to a series of terms and conditions before you can use it — contracts that no one actually reads. It’s impossible for us to read and analyze every single one of these agreements. But we started counting exactly how many times you have to hit “agree” to use devices when we review them since these are agreements most people don’t read and definitely can’t negotiate.

You can only use the Apple Watch Series 9 or Ultra 2 with an iPhone. That means you’ll have already agreed to the iPhone’s terms of service and privacy agreements. Using optional services, like Apple Pay, Apple Music, or Fitness Plus, with your Series 8 will also come with their own agreements. Using the Health app also comes with its own terms and conditions.

If you choose to enable cellular service, you’ll also have to agree to your carrier’s terms. I activated cellular on T-Mobile and was asked to agree to one mandatory agreement.

If you add any third-party apps or integrations, you must also agree to those individual terms and privacy policies.

specific to the Apple Watch , you is agree must agree to the follow :

Some features is require , like ekg or blood oxygen monitoring , may also require you to disclose your location datum , as it depend on local regulatory clearance .

Final tally: one mandatory agreement plus any mandatory agreements for your iPhone. Several, several optional agreements.