Apple Watch Ultra 4 needs these 3 features to compete with the likes of the Garmin Fenix 9

Since its launch in September 2022, the Apple Watch Ultra has been positioned as Apple’s most durable adventure watch. The addition of the Action Button was a game changer for runners and cyclists looking to pause their activity without navigating a touch screen with sweaty fingers, and it is, without a doubt, the best Apple Watch for fitness fanatics.That said, with the smartwatch market getting smarter than ever, Apple needs to make some big upgrades to compete with the likes of the Garmin Fenix 9, which launched last month. I’ll be on the ground in Cupertino bringing you the news from Apple's “Surprise and Shine” event as it happens, but here’s what I’m hoping Apple will bring to the rumored Apple Watch Ultra 4 this week.Continuous heart rate monitoring According to MacRumors, Apple has been testing a continuous heart rate sensor that would allow the Apple Watch to track your health and recovery 24/7 via your heart rate, similar to the way the Oura Ring 5 or Whoop 5.0 works. It's also been predicted from discovered code that Apple will launch a new Readiness app with watchOS 27.The code suggests this new Readiness app will be separate from the current Vitals app and will give users deeper recovery and training load metrics.This is a welcome change, and something that has always been missing from the Apple Watch experience. Until now, Apple hasn't been able to tell you how well your body has recovered from that half marathon you ran yesterday, or how ready you are for a workout based on your sleep and recovery data.If we do see continuous heart rate monitoring on the Apple Watch Ultra 4, this could allow wearers to see at a glance how ready they are with a daily score, similar to Garmin’s Training Readiness or Body Battery scores. (Image credit: Future)A massive battery-life boost The 47mm Garmin Fenix 9 has up to 16 days of battery life in smartwatch mode, and up to 30 hours in workout mode. The Apple Watch Ultra 3, on the other hand, has 36 hours of battery life, extended to 72 hours in low power mode.Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips.In order to compete with other high-spec sports watches, this needs to improve, especially if Apple does add continuous heart rate monitoring, which typically reduces battery life. (Image credit: Dan Bracaglia/Tom's Guide)Touch-free interface I’ve never met a touchscreen that hasn’t made me want to scream when I’m trying to use it with sweaty fingersLike my wish for a smaller version of the Apple Watch Ultra, this is another dream that almost definitely won’t come true with the Apple Watch Ultra 4, but as a marathon runner, I long for more physical buttons on my Apple Watch.I’ve never met a touchscreen that hasn’t made me want to scream when I’m trying to use it with sweaty fingers, or when wearing gloves. An easy workaround for this is physical buttons, and if the Apple Watch Ultra 4 had a button-driven navigation option for workout modes, it would be a game-changer.Follow Tom's Guide on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. More from Tom's Guide‘I wear an Apple Watch every single day, and I never knew you could do this.’I wear an Apple Watch every day, and this is the free app I use all of the timeForget running — I added thousands of steps to my day using this simple trick