As expected, Apple presented several watches during the keynote on September 12, 2023: the Watch Series 9 and the exuberant Watch Ultra 2. The latter takes up the positioning of the first Watch Ultra: large case, bright screen, sensors many. If the number of new products is limited this year, they are nevertheless quite important. And good news: the price is not increasing. Better yet, it’s going down!
The big day has finally arrived for Apple. Once a year, the firm presents its new smartphones: the iPhone 15, 15 Plus, 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max. You can find in our columns a complete file on its new products, as well as an article summarizing all the new products. Apple, however, did not only present smartphones. The firm also took advantage of the exceptional media exposure to announce its new connected watches.
We obviously find there the Apple Watch Series 9 which will replace the Watch Series 8. We have published a complete article on this watch, as well as a summary file. But that’s not all: Apple took the opportunity to replace the Watch Ultra, its ultra premium outdoor watch. Its name: Apple Watch Ultra 2, without much surprise. It largely takes over the aesthetics, with the 49 mm case and the 1.92 inch screen, of course, but also the extreme sports positioning: diving, hiking, mountaineering, etc.
Few changes in the Apple Watch Ultra 2, but they are important
The changes between the two generations of smartwatches are quite few. But they are significant. On the outside first of all, Apple has changed the backlighting of the screen. This panel is now capable of displaying up to 3000 nits. The brightest screen on the connected watch market. Naturally, displaying that much light certainly has an impact on the watch’s battery. However, Apple claims that the autonomy of the Apple Watch Ultra 2 does not change: 36 hours in standard use and 72 hours with energy saving mode.
Inside, Apple replaced the S8 processor with the S9 processor which you also find in the Apple Watch Series 9. Its advantage: better management of artificial intelligence to provide services and relevant information when the user needs it. Remember that the S9 was developed from the A15 Bionic which you find in 6 iPhones, including the iPhone 13 and the iPhone 14. This processor is used to power watchOS 10, the new update of the operating system Apple Watch, the main novelty of which is “Double Tap“, a new gesture to easily interact with the watch. We recommend reading our article detailing the most important new features of this iteration.
Small changes, but a price falling in euros
For the rest of the technical sheet, no changes. You find the same screen, the same storage volume, the same battery and above all the same biometric and environmental sensors. Rumors have long denied the presence of new components linked to health and sport. We are thinking in particular of the blood pressure monitor and the blood sugar sensor which have long been mentioned.
All that remains is to mention the price of the Apple Watch Ultra 2: it amounts to 899 euros with a bracelet (against 799 dollars). And it’s a very good surprise, because the price in euros drops by 100 euros while the price in dollars does not change. This is a very good surprise, because the Cupertino company had accustomed us to price increases every year. Good news accompanied by a general price reduction, both on the iPhone 15 and the Apple Watch Series 9.
