Apple Watch Ultra 2 vs. Apple Watch Series 9: What are the differences?

The Cupertino tech giant recently launched the 2023 Apple Watch models including the next-generation Apple Watch Ultra 2 and Apple Watch Series 9.

With the exception of a few similarities in both 2023 Apple Watches, there are several differences in their design language, capabilities, battery life, durability, and price that set them apart.

Apple Watch Ultra 2

Similarities in 2023 Apple Watch Ultra 2 and Apple Watch Series 9

Chip New
features
Health
features
Emergency
features
Navigation
features
S9 SiP
W3 wireless chip
4-core Nural Engine
2nd-gen Ultra Wideband
Double tap gesture
Precision finding for iPhone
Blood Oxygen app
Temperature sensing
Cycle Tracking with
retrospective ovulation estimates
Sleep stages
Mental wellbeing
ECG app
High and low heart
rate notifications
Irregular rhythm
notifications
Low cardio fitness
notifications
Emergency SOS
International emergency calling
Fall Detection
Crash Detection
Noise monitoring Backtrack
Compass with Waypoints,
Backtrack, and new Elevation view
Always-on altimeter
Apple Watch Ultra 2

Apple Watch Ultra 2 vs. Apple Watch Series 9: Differences in design, features, color and price

Specs Apple Watch Ultra 2 Apple Watch Series 9
Design Titanium Aluminium
Stainless steel
Variants GPS + Cellular GPS + Cellular
GPS
Size 49mm (1185 sq mm display area) 45mm (1143 sq mm display area)
41mm (904 sq mm display area)
Weight 61.4g 45mm
38.7g (Aluminum, GPS)
39.0g (Aluminum, GPS + Cellular)
51.5g (Stainless Steel)
41mm
31.9 g (Aluminum, GPS)
32.1 g (Aluminum, GPS + Cellular)
42.3 g (Stainless Steel)
Thickness 14.4mm 10.7mm
Case Raised edges to protect the
sapphire front crystal
Flat Ion-X front glass in aluminum casing
Flat sapphire front crystal in stainless steel casing
Display Always-On OLED display
Up to 3000 nits brightness
1 nit minimum brightness
Always-On OLED display
Up to 2000 nits brightness
1 nit minimum brightness
Resolution 410 by 502 pixels 45mm – 396 by 484 pixels
41mm – 352 by 430 pixels
Controls Action Button
Digital Crown
Side button
Digital Crown
Side button
Water resistance 100 meters
Swimproof
Recreational dive up to 40m
High-speed water sports
50 meters
Swimproof
Features Water temperature sensor
Depth gauge
Siren
Depth app
Dive Computer app
Always-on altimeter with 500m to 9000m range
Tested to MIL-STD 810H
EN13319 certification
NIL
Speaker/Mic Dual speaker
Triple-microphone with beamforming
Single speaker and mic
Connectivity Precision dual frequency
(L1 and L5 GPS)
L1 GPS
Battery life Up to 36 hours
Up to 72 hours in Low Power Mode
Up to 18 hours
Up to 36 hours in Low Power Mode
Color options Nautral Titanium Aluminum: Midnight, Starlight, Silver, Pink, and Red
Stainless steel: Graphite, Silver and Gold
Price $799 41mm Aluminium starting from $399
45mm Aluminium starting from $429
41mm Stainless steel starting from $699
45mm Stainless steel starting from $749
Apple Watch Ultra 2

Buy an Apple Watch Ultra 2 if..

Apple Watch Ultra 2 features the largest and brightest display in an Apple Watch which makes it a great smartwatch for outdoor excursions, especially during the day to display your metrics and other information at a glance while hiking, fishing, sandboarding, marathons, and other activities.

Furthermore, it delivers longer battery life and exclusively offers support for recreational dives up to 40m for extreme water sports enthusiasts.

However, it is nearly 2x heavier than Series 9 models and its 49mm size might not be a good fit for all especially for people with slim wrists like me.

Thus, you should buy an Apple Watch Ultra 2, if you have over $700 budget, love extreme sports, and can carry the bigger and heavier smartwatch.

Buy an Apple Watch Series 9 if..

Apple Watch Series 9 is durable, offers good battery life, and features almost the same health, emergency, and navigation capabilities as the Ultra 2.

Series 9 is ideal for users who want the latest features but at an affordable price. It is lighter than Ultra 2 and comes in two different sizes to fit a wider range of wrists, alongside a range of colors and a selection of two materials: Aluminium and Steel.

I will advice you to visit your nearest Apple Store or retailer and try on the new smartwatches to see how it looks on your wrist before purchasing one.

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About the Author

Addicted to social media and in love with iPhone, started blogging as a hobby. And now it's my passion for every day is a new learning experience. Hopefully, manufacturers will continue to use innovative solutions and we will keep on letting you know about them.