Apple Watch Ultra 4 vs. Ultra 3: Why you might want to upgrade to Apples new rugged smartwatch

Table of Contents Apple dropped a new premium rugged smartwatch this fall, the Apple Watch Ultra 4. While it looks the same as its predecessor on the outside, don't be fooled: Its has some updated internal hardware and fresh features that make it "an essential upgrade" for certain users, according to our reviewer.Here's a closer look at the key differences between the Apple Watch Ultra 4 and last year's Apple Watch Ultra 3. The Apple Watch Ultra 4 and Ultra 3 both start at $799 in one size with cellular connectivity. The latter is no longer available in new condition through the Apple Store, but third-party retailers were still selling it as of this writing. Apple Watch Ultra 4 vs. Ultra 3: Design Credit: Stan Schroeder / Mashable Credit: Stan Schroeder / Mashable As mentioned up top, both Apple Watch Ultras look virtually identical. They both have 49mm titanium cases that are water-resistant for up to 100 meters. The Ultra 4 is just slightly heavier by up to 1.4 grams, depending on the case color, and the back of it is made from ceramic and zirconia instead of ceramic and sapphire crystal.Apple Watch Ultra 4 vs. Ultra 3: DisplayApple didn't make any changes to the Ultra's display between the two generations. The Ultra 3 and 4 both have a wide-angle, always-on OLED display with up to 3,000 nits of brightness. They're 50 percent brighter than the standard Apple Watch Series 12.Apple Watch Ultra 4 vs. Ultra 3: Colors and styles Credit: Stan Schroeder / Mashable The titanium cases on the Ultra 3 and 4 both come in the same two colors: natural and black. You can pair them each with an Alpine Loop, Trail Loop, Ocean Band, Titanium Milanese Loop ($100 extra), or premium bands from the Apple Watch Hermès collection that Apple designed in partnership with the luxury French fashion brand. Those cost a pretty penny.Apple rolled out several new band colors and one new Hermès band style for the Ultra 4. They also fit the Ultra 3, and you can buy them separately for $99 to $2,199:Alpine Loops: Desert, dark olive, and burgundyTrail Loops: Dark umber, sand, and burgundyOcean Bands: Translucent gray, translucent kelp, and translucent blackApple Watch Hermès collection: Grand H Titane bandApple Watch Ultra 4 vs. Ultra 3: SpecsLike the Series 12, the Ultra 4 runs on Apple's brand-new S11 chip, which makes it capable of taking more accurate step counts and running some new Audio Intelligence tools (more on those shortly). The Ultra 3 has an older S10 chip.Both Apple Watch Ultras support WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 5.3, and come equipped with 64GB of built-in storage. Mashable Light Speed Apple Watch Ultra 4 vs. Ultra 3: Battery lifeThe Ultra 3 is a very long-lasting smartwatch, but thanks to that S11 chip, the Ultra 4 can stretch its battery life even further in a bunch of different scenarios. It's rated for up to 50 hours of normal usage and 84 hours in Low Power Mode, which is a boost of up to 19 percent compared to the Ultra 3. It taps out at 42 hours of normal usage and 72 hours in Low Power Mode. The best tech deal this week The Apple iPhone 18 Pro is free right now with T-Mobile Both Ultras can charge to 80 percent battery in about 45 minutes, but the Ultra 4 charges quicker on shorter cycles. Fifteen minutes on an outlet gives it up to 18 hours of normal use, while a five-minute charge delivers up to 10 hours of sleep tracking. Those numbers dip down to 12 hours and 8 hours, respectively, with the Ultra 3.The Ultra 4 also has new Extended Workout and Max Extended Workout modes. These get you up to 25 and 45 hours of usage during endurance activities while the watch is taking constant GPS and heart rate readings.Apple Watch Ultra 4 vs. Ultra 3: Sensors Credit: Apple Credit: Stan Schroeder / Mashable Chip and battery life aside, the Ultra 4's biggest hardware upgrade comes in the form of its new optical and electrical heart sensors. The former glow green on the underside of the device.Thanks to these sensors, Apple said the Ultra 4 takes more frequent and accurate heart-rate readings and measures heart rate variability (HRV), a marker of stress and recovery, up to 24 times more often than the Ultra 3. You can now compare your daytime and nighttime HRV measurements as well.Apple Watch Ultra 4 vs. Ultra 3: Features Credit: Apple Both Ultras run on watchOS 27 and support Apple Intelligence tools like and Siri AI. Key health and safety features like hypertension notifications, sleep apnea alerts, blood oxygen readings, cycle tracking, and Emergency SOS via Satellite are available on either model. But since the Ultra 4 has a more powerful chip and better sensors, it can do a couple things that the Ultra 3 can't. One is calculate a Readiness score, which tells the user how fit they are for future exercises on a scale of 0 to 10. This score is based on their recent activity, vitals, and quality of sleep. The Ultra 4 also has a redesigned pedometer model that can track steps more accurately and a new Steps complication on its watch face. On older Apple Watch models, a step count widget is something you have to DIY.Finally, the Ultra 4 adds Audio Intelligence tools like Sound Recognition alerts, Live Rewind conversation transcriptions, Siri Recap conversation summaries, and automatic music recognition via Shazam, which rely on its built-in microphone. Apple said they don't create or store any audio recordings, and that raw audio is processed separately from the rest of the system before being deleted. But if you're too sketched out by them, you can just turn them off.All of these new features are also available on the Apple Watch Series 12, which has the same upgraded chip and sensors as the Ultra 4.Final thoughts: Who should upgrade?After testing the Apple Watch Ultra 4 for a few days prior to its release, Mashable senior editor Stan Schroeder concluded that it's "an essential upgrade" for "an athlete, especially an endurance athlete, who needs the best battery life and the best heart rate measurement system available." If your workouts aren't quite as intense, you'll probably be content with an Ultra 3.It should be noted that the Ultra 3 is easier to find on sale these days since it's an older device. (It's been as cheap as $649 a couple times and regularly falls to $699, while the Ultra 4 has only hit $699.99 once so far since launch.) If you want a fancy and durable wearable at a great value, monitor retailers' listings for deals in the coming weeks, especially around Black Friday. That said, if both models are sitting at their usual price of $799 when you go to buy one, you might as well get the nicer Ultra 4.