So have an apple watch series 8, have had it for about 2, 3 years now, and i'm thinking about upgrading. I'm thinking either the 11 or ultra 3. For those of you who have ultra watches; has it been worth it? I mean battery does seem neet. For context experimenting a bit, even though series 8 says 18 hours of battery life, with voiceover plus screen curtain, I'm getting about 30 hours on mine on a full charge. I.e, ffinished charging at 1:33pm on Thirsday and the watch was at 10% at 9:20pm on friday. So yeah the larger battery does seem useful. The siren also doesn't sound like a bad feature although, likely seldom will use it but, it does sound like a nice feature in case of emergencies. Celular... This one is not i'm sure I can take advantage of as i'm not sure if in my country adding your celular plan to the watch is supported to begin with; so that one i'm on the fense on.
For those who have apple watch ultras but had other moddles, not ultra, before; was it worth it? I know in the end the decision is mine to make, but I'm looking for other's experiences with this.
Edit, checked with my phone's carrier. You can get a line on the watch, but you cant have your line active on 2 devices at once, at least not yet, leaving the following options: either get a new line for the watch which here lines aren't expensive so its worth considering or, transfer the line between phone and watch but, this one, it'll be a pain in the neck, so first option would be best.
By Igna Triay, 27 September, 2025
Forum
Apple Hardware and Compatible Accessories
Comments
Went from SE 2 to Ultra 3
I went from the 40mm aluminum SE 2gen to the 49mm titanium Ultra 3, and the positive differences start right in the form factor, not just because the touch area of the Ultra 3 is much bigger but also because it doesn't have that annoying chamfered design with round edges that make it hard to identify exactly where the touch surface actually ends. The action button is also a really useful highly customizable addition that can be used to activate many basic actions on supported applications as well as run your own Shortcuts, which currently I have set to launch the Workout app but dropping waypoints on the map also feels appealing in my personal case. The improved localization accuracy in less than ideal conditions and long battery life while using the GPS are also very welcome additions in my opinion. The internal speaker is good enough to actually enjoy music played through it, making them better than those built into many laptop computers.
The siren doesn't seem that loud, but there's also a chance that I might not have let it run for long enough for it to reach peak volume, and I'm not going to test that now since it's already 10PM here and I have some elderly neighbors, however I can record an audio clip tomorrow if needed. The only thing that I can say about the cellular connection is that it works, based entirely on the fact that I cloned the eSIM on my iPhone to the watch and it registered to the network successfully, so while it can't be used simultaneously with the iPhone because both are operating the same number, I don't find this to be an actual problem because the watch takes over when it's on my wrist and away from the iPhone, whereas the iPhone takes over and shares it with the watch when both devices are together.
The Ultra 3 model that I ordered is the one that ships with the titanium Milanese loop, which I bought on a whim, and was on the verge of returning after learning that other versions of this band actually pull hair and have magnets, however when this one arrived I was pleased to realize that at least this version of the Milanese loop don't actually pull any hair out of my skin, and that its buckle is now mechanical so it won't influence compass readings, The titanium on both the watch and the band makes the combo relatively heavy compared to the standard aluminum case, but material difference really adds to the weight and the difference is not even that small.