> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://averagetechnerds.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Apple Watch Ultra 4 Unboxing: What Changed From the Ultra 2 - URL: https://averagetechnerds.com/apple-watch-ultra-4-unboxing-ultra-2-comparison/ - Published: 2026-09-30T18:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-05T16:11:53.000Z - Description: The Ultra 4 looks almost identical to the Ultra 2. The upgrade is inside: a new heart sensor, 14 more hours of battery, 5G and satellite messaging. - Author: Victor - Tags: First Impressions, Everyday Tech The Apple Watch Ultra 4 replaces my Apple Watch Ultra 2, which I bought as a pre-order in 2023 and have worn daily since. I skipped the Ultra 3 because nothing in it made me want to upgrade, but the Ultra 4’s new heart sensor and longer battery life convinced me this time. The new watch is the black titanium model with a burgundy nylon band. This first look covers the unboxing, a side-by-side comparison with the Ultra 2, the price after a trade-in, and setting it up. Bottom line up front ## So what does this mean for the *Average TechNerd*? The Ultra 4 looks almost exactly like the Ultra 2, so the case for upgrading rests entirely on what is inside. Ultra 2 owners gain about 14 hours of battery life, faster charging, a larger and brighter-at-an-angle display, 5G, satellite messaging and a heart sensor that samples far more often. Features such as Apple’s new Readiness score depend on that sensor and will not come to older watches. The design, the durability ratings and the $799 price stay the same. For someone who wears the watch mainly for health tracking and keeps it for several years, those changes add up to a worthwhile upgrade, especially with a trade-in. Anyone whose Ultra 2 already covers their day, or who never uses cellular or satellite features, loses little by waiting. Owners of the Ultra 3 get the same screen, 5G and satellite features already, so for them the decision comes down to the new sensor and the extra battery life. At a glance What it is Apple’s rugged titanium smartwatch, fourth generation of the Ultra line. Price paid $799 launch price, about $499 after a $300 trade-in of my Ultra 2. Good - Redesigned heart sensor that reads heart rate every five seconds - Up to 50 hours of battery life, against 36 on the Ultra 2 - 5G and satellite messaging, neither of which the Ultra 2 has Not good - Physically almost identical to the Ultra 2, and 1.6 g heavier - Arrived with a flat battery - Early units needed a software fix for unexpected restarts Key specs - 49 x 44 x 12 mm grade 5 titanium case, 63 g - S11 chip, 64 GB storage - Wide-angle OLED, 3000 nits - Up to 50 hours battery, 84 hours in Low Power Mode - 5G, satellite SOS and messages - Water resistant to 100 m, diving to 40 m ## UPDATE What’s new since publishing October 5: The restart fix, real battery life and Readiness Apple has fixed the unexpected restarts that early Ultra 4 units suffered. watchOS 27.0.1, released on September 23, addresses a bug that made the Series 12 and Ultra 4 restart on their own, according to [iClarified](https://www.iclarified.com/102378/watchos-2701-fixes-unexpected-restarts-on-series-12-and-ultra-4-download?ref=averagetechnerds.com). My watch never had the problem, but the update is worth installing on any Ultra 4; it needs more than 50 percent charge and installs through the Watch app on the iPhone or the Settings app on the watch. Battery life has been the clearest improvement over my Ultra 2\. In my everyday use, including overnight health tracking, I am seeing about two and a half to three days per charge, comfortably beyond Apple’s 50-hour rating. That is a big step up from the 36 hours Apple rates the Ultra 2 for, and the Ultra 4 manages it while reading my heart rate every five seconds and building a far more detailed health record. The Readiness score is exclusive to the Series 12 and Ultra 4, because it relies on the new heart sensor. Apple is testing a redesigned Health app, with new Insights and Longevity tabs and a Health Age estimate, in the iOS 27.2 beta, but it will not ship with iOS 27.2 and is due later this year, according to [MacRumors](https://www.macrumors.com/2026/09/16/ios-27-2-health-app-beta/?ref=averagetechnerds.com). Anyone looking for those features on the current software will not find them yet. ## What is in the box ![Apple Watch Ultra 4 box on a red mat between two hands](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/23/b323103c-90c0-46a8-9230-7d317a5ebaf3/content/images/2026/09/aw4-export-box.jpg) The Ultra 4 box, with its debossed Apple Watch logo. The Ultra 4 ships in a rectangular grey box with a debossed Apple Watch logo, and the presentation is as careful as Apple’s packaging usually is. Inside, a small booklet explains the buttons and their functions, which will be familiar to anyone who has owned an Apple Watch. The watch and the band come in two separate boxes. The watch box opens with pull tabs and slides out, with the charger packed above the watch. ![Apple Watch Ultra 4 button guide booklet unfolded over the opened box](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/23/b323103c-90c0-46a8-9230-7d317a5ebaf3/content/images/2026/09/aw4-export-booklet.jpg) Inside, a small booklet walks through the buttons. The band is the 49 mm size that matches the Ultra’s case width. Mine is a burgundy nylon band with a hook-and-loop fastener, and Apple sells the Trail Loop, its nylon hook-and-loop band, in burgundy for the Ultra 4 at $99, according to [MacRumors](https://www.macrumors.com/2026/09/09/apple-watch-series-12-and-ultra-4-new-bands/?ref=averagetechnerds.com). The charger is the same magnetic fast charger with a USB-C cable that came with the Ultra 2 and Ultra 3, and Apple does not include a power adapter. Additional bands from Apple cost $99 for the standard designs and about $199 for premium ones such as the Titanium Milanese Loop. ![Burgundy nylon band being unpacked next to the Apple Watch Ultra 4 box](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/23/b323103c-90c0-46a8-9230-7d317a5ebaf3/content/images/2026/09/aw4-export-band.jpg) The burgundy 49 mm nylon band comes in its own box. ## Ultra 2 and Ultra 4 side by side Placed next to each other, the two watches are almost identical. Both cases measure 49 by 44 by 12 mm and are made of grade 5 titanium, according to Apple’s specifications for the [Ultra 2](https://support.apple.com/en-us/111832?ref=averagetechnerds.com) and the [Ultra 4](https://www.apple.com/apple-watch-ultra-4/specs/?ref=averagetechnerds.com). Apple describes the 2023 Ultra 2 as 95 percent recycled titanium and the Ultra 4 as 100 percent recycled. The Ultra 4 is slightly heavier, at 63 g for the natural finish against 61.4 g for the Ultra 2. ![Apple Watch Ultra 2 in natural titanium and Ultra 4 in black titanium face up on a red mat](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/23/b323103c-90c0-46a8-9230-7d317a5ebaf3/content/images/2026/09/aw4-export-fronts.jpg) From the front, the Ultra 2 (natural) and the Ultra 4 (black) are almost identical. The buttons, the emergency siren, the three-microphone array with wind noise reduction and the two speakers are all unchanged. So are the ratings: water resistance to 100 metres, recreational scuba diving to 40 metres, IP6X dust resistance, an operating temperature of minus 20 to 55 °C and an altitude range of minus 500 to 9,000 metres. The only visible difference is on the back. The Ultra 4’s sensor is redesigned, with a ring of photodiodes and a larger electrode, according to [Apple’s announcement](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2026/09/apple-unveils-apple-watch-ultra-4/?ref=averagetechnerds.com). ![Backs of the Apple Watch Ultra 2 and Ultra 4 held side by side, showing the redesigned Ultra 4 sensor](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/23/b323103c-90c0-46a8-9230-7d317a5ebaf3/content/images/2026/09/aw4-export-backs.jpg) The Ultra 2 (left) and the Ultra 4 (right): the redesigned sensor is the clearest visible difference. Both watches come in natural or black titanium. My Ultra 2 is natural because I pre-ordered it when it was announced in 2023, and Apple only added the black finish in [September 2024](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2024/09/apple-watch-ultra-2-now-available-in-black-titanium/?ref=averagetechnerds.com). With the Ultra 4 I went with black. It pairs with the red band in a colour combination I keep coming back to. ## What the Ultra 4 adds over the Ultra 2 The differences sit inside the case, and several of them arrived first with the Ultra 3, which I skipped. The display is one of these. The Ultra 3 introduced a wide-angle OLED panel with LTPO3 technology, which Apple says is easier to read at an angle, along with a slightly larger display area and an always-on mode that updates once per second. The Ultra 4 carries that same screen, and it keeps the Ultra 2’s peak brightness of 3,000 nits. The redesigned heart sensor is the main reason I upgraded. According to [Apple](https://www.apple.com/apple-watch-ultra-4/?ref=averagetechnerds.com), the Ultra 4 measures heart rate every five seconds throughout the day, 60 times more often than the Ultra 3, and it samples heart rate variability as often as every five minutes. Apple’s comparison works out to roughly one heart rate reading every five minutes on the older sensor design, which the Ultra 2 shares with the Ultra 3\. Those readings feed a new Readiness score that is exclusive to the Ultra 4 and Series 12, according to [Notebookcheck](https://www.notebookcheck.net/Older-Apple-Watch-models-miss-out-on-Apple-s-biggest-new-health-feature.1396039.0.html?ref=averagetechnerds.com). The Ultra 2 keeps its older sensor layout and does not get the feature. Battery life is the other large change. Apple rates the Ultra 4 at up to 50 hours of normal use against 36 hours for the Ultra 2, and at up to 84 hours in Low Power Mode. A new Max Extended workout mode stretches GPS workouts to up to 45 hours, with 18 hours for a standard GPS workout. The Ultra 4 also charges faster, reaching 80 percent in about 45 minutes against about an hour for the Ultra 2. Connectivity changes as well. The Ultra 2 supports LTE, while the Ultra 4 adds 5G, which the Ultra 3 introduced. The Ultra 4 can also send emergency SOS calls and messages and share its location in Find My over satellite when there is no cellular or Wi-Fi signal, free for two years, according to Apple. None of this exists on the Ultra 2. | | Ultra 2 (2023) | Ultra 4 (2026) | | ------------------- | ------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------ | | Chip | S9 | S11 | | Display | LTPO2 OLED, 1185 sq mm | Wide-angle OLED, LTPO3, 1245 sq mm | | Battery life | Up to 36 hours, 72 in Low Power Mode | Up to 50 hours, 84 in Low Power Mode | | Fast charge to 80% | About 1 hour | About 45 minutes | | Heart rate sampling | Standard | Every 5 seconds, all day | | Cellular | LTE | 5G and LTE | | Satellite | None | SOS, Messages, Find My | | Weight (natural) | 61.4 g | 63.0 g | | Launch price | $799 | $799 | A few details go the other way. Apple no longer lists GLONASS, the Russian satellite navigation system, among the Ultra 4’s positioning systems, although DC Rainmaker found [no meaningful change in GPS accuracy](https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2026/09/apple-watch-ultra-4-in-depth-review.html?ref=averagetechnerds.com) in testing. Some early Ultra 4 and Series 12 units restarted unexpectedly, and Apple released watchOS 27.0.1 for those models to fix the problem, according to [MacRumors](https://www.macrumors.com/2026/09/21/apple-watch-series-12-ultra-4-reported-reboots/?ref=averagetechnerds.com). Installing the latest update during setup avoids it. ## Price and trade-in Apple launched the Ultra 2, Ultra 3 and Ultra 4 at the same $799 in the US. Sales and Apple’s education discount can bring that down, and AppleInsider reported the Ultra 4 at [$779 during a weekend sale](https://appleinsider.com/articles/26/09/25/apple-watch-ultra-4-drops-to-779-during-weekend-sale?ref=averagetechnerds.com) within a week of launch. I traded in my Ultra 2, and Apple offered $300 for it when I placed the order. That brings my effective price for the Ultra 4 to about $499. Trade-in values change over time, and Apple’s quote depends on the watch’s condition. For the Ultra 2, Apple’s published trade-in value has been up to $305 in recent updates, according to [MacRumors](https://www.macrumors.com/2026/05/27/apple-updates-trade-in-values-may-2026/?ref=averagetechnerds.com). My Ultra 2 cost me about $600 in 2023, also after a trade-in of an older Apple Watch, and I wore it for three years. On that basis, about $500 for another two or three years of use is a fair price to me. ## Setting it up The Ultra 4 arrived with a flat battery, so it needed charging before it would turn on. Once charged, it started automatically and the iPhone recognised it straight away. Pairing works by holding the watch up to the iPhone’s camera, and it took only a moment. Because I was replacing an Ultra 2, the new watch inherited my existing settings without any customisation. ![iPhone pairing screen asking to hold the Apple Watch up to the camera](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/23/b323103c-90c0-46a8-9230-7d317a5ebaf3/content/images/2026/09/aw4-export-pairing.jpg) Pairing takes a moment: hold the watch up to the iPhone’s camera. The rest of setup is a series of screens: a passcode, accessibility options, a list of safety features, cellular service, gestures, Apple Pay and a sync. The Ultra 4 has cellular built in, but using it requires a service plan from a carrier, which I have never had, so I skipped that step. The one-handed gestures and diving features are there for anyone who uses them. I wear the watch mainly for health and fitness tracking, so I left them alone and set Apple Pay aside for later. The final sync takes a few minutes, and it keeps going in the background after setup reports that it is done. Apps download, the watch checks for updates, and the watch face fills in details such as location and temperature as the sync completes. In my case, the watch had already installed an update by the time setup finished. Fitting the band clip took a couple of attempts. ![Apple Watch Ultra 2 and Ultra 4 held side by side with their screens on after setup](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/23/b323103c-90c0-46a8-9230-7d317a5ebaf3/content/images/2026/09/aw4-export-synced.jpg) The Ultra 2 and the Ultra 4 side by side while the new watch finishes syncing. ## Why I upgraded The Ultra 4 was not a necessary upgrade for me. My Ultra 2 still works, and Apple’s watchOS 27 still supports it. I wear my watch for health and fitness monitoring, including overnight, and the new sensor’s frequent heart rate readings are aimed squarely at that. The new Readiness score is the feature I most want to try over the coming weeks. ![Black titanium Apple Watch Ultra 4 with a burgundy band on a wrist, watch face lit](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b3/23/b323103c-90c0-46a8-9230-7d317a5ebaf3/content/images/2026/09/aw4-export-wrist.jpg) The black Ultra 4 on the burgundy band, with the Ultra 2 it replaces behind it. That pattern matches how I usually upgrade. I have worn an Apple Watch since the second generation, and I only replace mine when a generation brings something I will use every day. The Ultra 3 did not meet that bar for me, and the Ultra 4’s sensor did. The Ultra 2 goes back to Apple as part of the trade-in, after a reset. Which Apple Watch are you wearing now, and what would make you upgrade? Share whether the Ultra 4’s sensor or battery life would change your mind. [Watch the companion video.](https://youtu.be/kOxAT0JvVVM?ref=averagetechnerds.com)