3 Things I Want to See From the Apple Watch Ultra 2

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Rumours about the Apple Watch Ultra 2 are creeping through the door.

Rather than a bi-annual upgrade cycle (which is what I was expecting for Apple’s bonkers high-end smartwatch), it sounds like we will be treated to a new version just twelve months after the first release.

The rumours aren’t what you’d call detailed. They suggest that the second-generation Apple Watch Ultra may feature a 50mm display, which would be an increase of one millimetre over the current version, and that it might be the first Apple Watch to feature a micro-LED display which would, apparently, make it appears as though the content is “painted on top of the glass”.

If we really are getting a new Apple Watch Ultra later this year, I need to throw my hat in the ring with some predictions – or, more accurately, wishes – of my own.

As it turns out, and thanks to the already brilliant updates coming in watchOS 10, I can only think of three.

1. Better battery life

The success of the Apple Watch Ultra has always relied on two things: wantability and battery life.

Apple has nailed the first element. This is the silliest and most impressive Apple Watch you can buy. Although I have zero data to back this up, I’m pretty sure that most people who buy it will never take it on even a moderate hike, let alone a trek deep into unchartered territory that requires communication with base camp.

The battery life? I’m afraid it just doesn’t cut it if you have ambitions beyond your regular 5K schlep around the neighbourhood. You can squeeze three days out of the Ultra, but only if you potter around and avoid using any of the adventure-focused features.

Adventurers don’t ‘potter around’. They throw themselves into dangerous situations. They run further than most people would deem sensible. They enter environments which are more likely to kill you than make you feel at home. Apple’s promo video for the Apple Watch Ultra focuses entirely on that crowd, yet the watch itself simply doesn’t have the stamina required for those endeavours.

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 needs seriously better battery life, I’m afraid.

2. Two colour options

Hey, come on, this is an Apple product – I’m allowed at least one wish that is entirely style over substance.

The Apple Watch Ultra is only available in one colour which is, I think, the ‘natural’ colour of the metal from which it is made – titanium. You can spruce it up with a colourful watchband, of course (my current favourite is the bright yellow Ocean Band) but I’d love to see a darker option for the watch itself next time around.

Imagine a ‘midnight’ (I’m fairly sure that’s what Apple would call it) version of the Apple Watch Ultra. How absolutely, biblically, awesome would that look – particularly when you flick the Wayfinder watch face to Knight Rider Mode Red?

Take my money, Tim. Again.

3. A smaller version

If there’s one element of the Apple Watch Ultra that courted the most controversy at launch it was the size of the thing. It is unquestionably massive on certain wrists. I’m perfectly happy with its appearance on mine, but the Apple Watch Ultra looks like a poorly parked alien spacecraft on my girlfriend’s.

This limits the appeal of the Ultra and means you absolutely need to go and try one on before committing to spending all of that money. I don’t have big wrists, and, like anything that appears initially oversized, the Apple Watch Ultra quickly becomes ‘normal’ with daily wear. But I do think there’s a need for a smaller version.

Apple has always done this with the Apple Watch. You get two choices: the big one, or the small one. The latter has always suffered from slightly reduced battery life and, of course, less screen estate, but it has at least satisfied those who aren’t keen on large watches – which, I’d guess, is quite a lot of people.

Now, clearly, if Apple heads down this route with the Apple Watch Ultra, we’re smack-bang back into battery life concern territory, but that has long been an acceptable compromise if you opt for the smaller one. If Apple can significantly improve the battery life of the biggest Apple Watch Ultra (even if that means increasing the display size, as has been rumoured) then I’d love to see a smaller version featuring the current battery capabilities of the Ultra.

I wouldn’t buy it myself, but I think a great many people would.

Wrap up

I think the fact I can only dream up three changes for the next Apple Watch Ultra speaks volumes about this device. It is damn near perfect if you’re after the most rugged and capable Apple Watch ever.

I’ve lifted those words from Apple, who hits us immediately with “adventure awaits” on the Ultra’s landing page. And it really is so close to delivering on that promise.

The price is, I think, spot on. The titanium case is as robust and ruggedly good-looking as it should be. The inclusion of the International Orange Action Button is as useful as it is silly. The fact that every Apple Watch Ultra comes with cellular connectivity and dual-frequency GPS makes it a far more impressive standalone device than any other Apple Watch.

It just isn’t quite as ‘hard’ as it says it is.

Sure, you can take this thing hiking for a couple of days through the English Lake District, but you probably will need to charge it halfway through if you put all of the features to use. That pales in comparison to the adventure-focused competition from the likes of Garmin, whose batteries will last for weeks.

I know the Apple Watch Ultra is doing an awful lot more than those devices, but it is competing with them, thanks to Apple’s positioning and choice of marketing material. It needs to do better, which is why I cannot wait to see what might be in store later this year.

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