Here’s why the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is our Health and Fitness Device of the Year
Apple’s best watch yet takes the top spot
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Last year, if you’d offered me any watch to run with, I’d have reached for aGarminForerunner 955, or maybe a Polar. But over the last couple of months, something strange happened, and I began strapping on theApple Watch Ultra 2more and more until it overtook my trustyGarmin Forerunner 955as my run companion of choice.
Maybe it’s the fact that I’m getting more out of using thebest Apple Watchday-to-day than I used to, as my skill in eking as much as I can out of watchOS continues to grow. Or maybe it’s because no fitness watch – or fitness product, really – made huge strides this year, and theApple WatchUltra 2, despite an incremental update on last year’s model, edges closer to perfection than the rest.
From watches to bikes to running shoes, the fitness tech world seems to be in a period of consolidation rather than innovation.Pelotonrebranded, uncoupling itself from the bikes and treads with a new-look, gym-focused app, but it faces stiff competition from thebest fitness apps. In e-bikes, I got my first ride on the fantastic Cowboy 4, but despite the brand’s impressive software, the new Cowboy Cruiser isn’t reshaping thebest electric bikelandscape yet.
Fitbit’s had a pretty bad year, and theGoogle Pixel Watch 2andFitbit Charge 6arrived too late for this year’s awards. In running, theASICS Gel Nimbus 25is a great shoe – possibly the most comfortable shoe I’ve ever run in - but it’s not for those who like firmer, more responsive rides. A squishier shoe and a new-look app aren’t enough to kick theApple Watch Ultra 2off its perch.
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 gets a new S9 chipset, which allows it to take advantage of Apple’s innovative new double-tap function and the redesigned directional Find My Devices feature (when paired with aniPhone 15). It also boasts the best and brightest screen of any smartwatch, with up to 3,000 nits ofOLEDRetina Display glory at your fingertips. It’s got new credentials too, as the watch is said to be carbon neutral when paired with its new bands.
However, the changes aren’t too significant here – they’re only building on what came before, but as I’m really discovering now, that makes the full package of the watch a doozy. Runners get virtual pacing features simpler and easier to set up than Garmin’s alternatives, ground contact time and vertical oscillation metrics, new adventuring features and topo maps thanks to watchOS 10, and access to outrageously good third-party content.
It also turns your iPhone into a working cycling computer. For active types, the Action button (and now Double Tap) is making all the difference, with the ability to start and stop workouts with gloves on, in cold weather.
Crucially, it’s a fantastic everyday wearable too, and certainly perhaps the best smartwatch overall on the market right now from a technical perspective. Thanks to the Action button, Siri, Double-Tap, and iPhone connectivity, there are lots of ways to interact with the watch, allowing it to fit into all sorts of lifestyles.
The downside? The Ultra 2 only lasts two days compared to serious activity watches, and if I were going away for an activity trip with fewer opportunities to charge, I would take a Garmin for convenience.
However, as a tradeoff for this lack of battery, you get a far more complete wearables experience. When I stopped to think about which devices I’d reached for the most this year, it was an easy pick both for me and for TechRadar readers, despite only using it for around four weeks.
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Matt is TechRadar’s expert on all things fitness, wellness and wearable tech. A former staffer at Men’s Health, he holds a Master’s Degree in journalism from Cardiff and has written for brands like Runner’s World, Women’s Health, Men’s Fitness, LiveScience and Fit&Well on everything fitness tech, exercise, nutrition and mental wellbeing.
Matt’s a keen runner, ex-kickboxer, not averse to the odd yoga flow, and insists everyone should stretch every morning. When he’s not training or writing about health and fitness, he can be found reading doorstop-thick fantasy books with lots of fictional maps in them.
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