In addition to these new upgrades and dive computer features coming later this year, the Ultra also has the same temperature sensing and crash detection perks as Series 8. Again, I drew the road to an auto accident to test it. But I do Tried the new 86-decibel siren when I heard a suspicious person loitering behind me on the trail. This level of noise isn’t loud enough to startle an attacker, but it’s surprisingly jarring and travels long distances. My dog hates it too.
If you want a great smartwatch that is also a great water tracker, your options are somewhat limited. The closest competitor I can think of is Garmin Epixhas the same big and beautiful screen but suffers from similar battery life issues, is a few hundred dollars more expensive, has less interesting accessories, and is generally less easy to use if you have an iPhone.
If your interests include backpacking for a week, I can still recommend getting another Garmin, although longer battery life still comes with trade-offs. But if you’re a weekend warrior who wants to wear your Apple Watch during the week and not get hopelessly lost in the trail system over the weekend, the Ultra’s functionality is unmatched.
However, I have a word of caution that being able to carry your Apple Watch everywhere you go might not always be a good thing. I have always treasured going outside as a time to clear my head. Every problem seems smaller and more manageable once you’ve spent an hour or two in the woods.
But when I ran with Ultra, I was never really alone. A coworker pinged me something funny on Slack. A song appeared on my Apple Music playlist that I yes to fall in love immediately. Going up the hill made my heart work too hard. Ping, ping, ping. Then my child’s school nurse called, and my heart sank, but she just wanted to know the date of my child’s positive Covid test. Then a friend. The mics on the Ultra are good enough to catch the wind rustling through the trees, because she immediately says, “Where are you?” to be friend?”
I stare around me. “Uh… God knows where actually,” I said. I hung up and checked Backtrack. I was miles away from civilization but still attached to it. As I rounded the corner to get back to my car, my brain was still spinning. Wearing the Ultra, I never got to the point where I could turn off my brain. I’ll have to consider the long testing process, but maybe getting my lost peace back is worth getting lost or missing a phone call or two.
