Latest news with #Ultra2
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Don't Wait—Amazon Has the Apple Watch 10 at Its Lowest Price Ever Right Now
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." MEMORIAL DAY MARKS the unofficial start of summer, and with it comes a wave of major sales. From outdoor essentials to golf clubs, retailers are rolling out serious discounts ahead of the holiday. Right now on Amazon, some of the most eye-catching deals are on Apple gear. Since Apple rarely discounts its own products, Memorial Day is a great time to save—nearly every current Apple Watch model is now up to 24 percent off, including the latest Series 10, Ultra 2, and 2nd Gen SE. It's rare to find discounts on Apple's latest tech, which is why we were shocked to see that the Apple Watch Series 10, which was released last September, is down to the lowest price we've seen at 18 percent off. That might not seem too steep, but trust us, Apple rarely has five percent off its latest work, let alone pushing 20. If you're not a tech junkie who needs the latest release, we also discovered discounts on editor-approed Apple Watches currently available on Amazon, from nearly $60 off the Apple Watch Ultra 2 (our top fitness tracker for iPhone users) to the Apple Watch SE for 24 percent off. And that's just the start of these deals. Below, we break down every Apple Watch Amazon is offering deals on ahead of Memorial Day weekend. SHOP APPLE WATCH MEMORIAL DAY SALES Apple's newest release, the Series 10, is its thinnest watch yet at just 9.7 mm, making it more comfortable for sleep and workouts. Despite its slim build, it features the largest display of any Apple Watch—even surpassing the Ultra 2—and debuts a wide-angle OLED screen that's 40 percent brighter. Though Apple rates the battery at 18 hours, we saw up to 24 hours with regular use. It includes familiar health and safety tools along with new features like sleep apnea alerts, depth and water temperature sensors, and advanced health tracking—making it a solid upgrade for users of older Apple Watch models. $329.00 at about the suped-up version of the Apple Watch 10? It offers the same display and health features, like temperature sensing and sleep alerts, but with added cellular capabilities. By adding LTE connectivity, you can call, text, stream music, and get notifications without your iPhone. Today, you can get it for over $70 off. $629.00 at Apple Watch Ultra 2 is built for adventure, offering premium features the rest of the lineup can't match out in the woods. It boasts up to 36 hours of battery life—or 72 in low power mode—and a bright 49mm display. With water resistance, a compass, and water temperature sensors, it's ready for extreme conditions. You'll also get Apple's full suite of health and safety tools. It's the ideal pick for outdoor enthusiasts. Best part? Right now it's over $50 off. $739.00 at dude always goes for the black Apple Watches, why not stand out a bit with the white version? It'll give you a cleaner, more optimistic look, while matching with everything in your closet. Plus, this is also over $70 off. $329.00 at don't overlook the 2nd Gen Apple Watch SE. For under $200 with a 24 percent off discount, it delivers core Apple features like activity tracking, heart rate zones, sleep monitoring, and an 18-hour battery life. While it lacks ECG and blood oxygen sensors, it's a great value. $189.00 at | | | | | | You Might Also Like The Best Hair Growth Shampoos for Men to Buy Now 25 Vegetables That Are Surprising Sources of Protein
Android Authority
15-05-2025
- Android Authority
This is the biggest mistake Samsung could make with the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2
Kaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority For years, my favorite Samsung Galaxy Watch feature has been the brand's rotating bezel and its satisfying, tactile feedback. Lately, swirling rumors suggest that Samsung will bring the bezel back on the Galaxy Watch 8 after skipping it on the 7. That's all well and good, but if the company is serious about making the Ultra 2 its definitive flagship, the rotating bezel needs to make an appearance there as well. Not doing so would be a colossal mistake in my opinion. Would you like to see a rotating bezel on the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2? 0 votes Yes NaN % No NaN % I am not interested in the Ultra 2 either way. NaN % Samsung's functional rotating bezel first debuted on the Gear S2 and quickly became a standout feature of the company's smartwatches. When the Galaxy Watch 4 series arrived, it offered shoppers two options, including a bezel-touting Classic model. Then the 5 series landed with a Pro option but no Classic, and we were left without it until the 6 series. Most recently, the Galaxy Watch 7 launched without a rotating bezel option, and to my chagrin, we got the oddly shaped Ultra instead. Despite its popularity, the rotating bezel has made inconsistent appearances on Samsung's smartwatch lineups. In other words, the bezel has come and gone, despite its consistent popularity. However, the feature isn't just a design gimmick; it's a smart, functional way for users to interact with their watch. I love that it offers precise control, smooth navigation, and is invaluable in situations where using a touchscreen isn't ideal. For me, spinning through menus is much quicker with the physical bezel than with the digital one. It's also far better for everything from gloved hands to sweaty fingers. Aside from offering intuitive interaction, it also delivers a satisfying mechanical feel that makes every action feel deliberate and the device more responsive to each of my actions. Kaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority The bezel returning to the Galaxy Watch 8 is a welcome sign that Samsung is listening to its loyal user base, but the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 needs the feature just as much, if not more. As Samsung's flagship smartwatch, the Ultra 2 should stand out from the crowded smartwatch landscape and distinguish itself in the ever-growing Pro/Ultra/Suped-up model market, and the squircle shape isn't doing it. The rotating bezel could be an iconic way for Samsung to elevate its premium lineup with an enhanced user experience. It would also help justify the Ultra line's lofty price tag. Of course, adding a rotating bezel to the Ultra 2 isn't as simple as it sounds. The series is built for rugged use, and the addition of moving parts could create some engineering challenges. The bezel would need to be designed carefully to ensure it doesn't compromise the device's durability or water resistance. A great challenge with a greater reward for Samsung. It's a premium design feature that belongs on the company's premium lineup. At the end of the day, the rotating bezel is more than just a nostalgic callback to older Galaxy Watch models. It's a smart, functional feature that genuinely upgrades the user experience and provides a distinctive edge over competitors. Since its debut, there haven't been two consecutive series without a rotating bezel, but it has yet to land on any Pro/Ultra models. If Samsung can find a way to incorporate it without sacrificing the Ultra 2's toughness, I'd be much more inclined to overlook the line's other design decisions.
Tom's Guide
14-05-2025
- Tom's Guide
I tested the Apple Watch Ultra 2 vs the Garmin Instinct 2 by hiking 1,500 feet up the Columbia River Gorge — here's what I learned
The Columbia River Gorge is an 80-mile-long river canyon that cuts through the U.S. Pacific Northwest's Cascade Mountain Range, splitting the states of Washington and Oregon before reaching the mighty Pacific Ocean. Truly a natural wonder to behold, particularly with spring flowers blooming, I had the chance to hike a portion of the Gorge while wearing the Apple Watch Ultra 2 and Garmin Instinct 3. These happen to be two of the best rugged-built smartwatch models you can buy today. Outdoor apparel brand Timberland arranged the opportunity, inviting me along to test out the new Timberland Motion Access Hiking Sneakers (full review coming soon) and other gear. With bright blue skies and perfect temperatures, we began our trek up Washington's Dog Mountain, an appropriately named trail with no lack of furry four-legged friends to greet us along the way. With the Apple Watch Ultra 2 on my left wrist and the Garmin Instinct 3 on my right, I also fired up Strava for the duration of the hike as an additional source of data. Scroll down to see how results from the three methods compare, along with five takeaways from the hike. The Ultra 2 is one of my favorite full-featured smartwatches thanks to its super-bright and immersive AMOLED touchscreen, rugged design, programmable action button, helpful wellness and fitness training tools, and an enormous selection of apps. It's also Apple's longest-lasting wearable. The Garmin Instinct 3 is a tough-as-nails outdoor adventure smartwatch with epic battery life and cool onboard features, like a 'torch' LED flashlight built into the case. It also has some of Garmin's best workout training tools, impressive sleep and recovery insights, and supports an enormous range of exercise types. But first, how do these two popular wearables stack up spec-wise and feature-wise? Here's a full breakdown of the Apple Watch Ultra 2 versus Garmin Instinct 3 across six categories, including price (Garmin wins), build-quality and design (draw), battery life (Garmin), fitness tracking (Garmin), smart features (Apple), and safety tools (draw). Ultimately, the Garmin Instinct 3 is better for folks who want a dedicated fitness and wellness tracking wearable, especially one that's going to last a long time and survive hard knocks. Meanwhile, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is more ideal for folks who want a tough-built, do-it-all smartwatch with solid workout tools and the best apps and smart features. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. Now, on to the hike! Apple Watch Ultra 2 Garmin Instinct 3 Strava Distance 3.67 miles 3.48 miles 3.56 miles Elevation gain 1,578 feet 1,518 feet 1,477 feet Steps no data 9,816 steps 9,280 steps Average heart rate 124 bpm 115 bpm n/a Max heart rate 164 bpm 156 bpm n/a Calories burned 895 calories 694 calories n/a The Apple Watch Ultra 2 and Garmin Instinct 3 have both proven to be competent fitness trackers in my testing. However, the data generated on this hike isn't quite as cohesive as I've come to expect, particularly elevation gain metrics. This was a steep hike right from the start, with loads of switchbacks and nothing but incline. In just under two miles, we made our way from the canyon floor to soaring mountain meadows bursting with yellow flowers. And given our efforts, I was more than a little curious to find out just how much elevation we'd conquered. Unfortunately, my climb data is all over the place, with the Apple Watch reporting 60 more feet of climb than the Garmin and a whopping 101 more feet than Strava. Which device should I trust? While it's tempting to go with Apple, my gut tells me that the Ultra 2 likely inflated my efforts. Still, with 41 feet separating the Strava and Garmin tallies, I'll likely never know whether I cracked the 1,500 feet mark or just came oh-so close. Distance data is a little more consistent, thankfully, with less than 0.2 miles separating the results between Apple, Garmin and Strava. As of this writing, Apple doesn't provide step-count data for individual workouts, only a total for the day, something I'm hopeful will be addressed when watchOS 12 launches. Garmin and Strava, meanwhile, do provide step count totals for hikes and walks, but similar to my climb data for this particular outing, the tallies are annoyingly inconsistent. In roughly 3.5 miles, Garmin calculated 536 more steps taken than Strava. Which one is more accurate? Again, it's nearly impossible to tell, but I am seriously surprised by how off these measures are. Given the device's greater distance and climb data, I'm not surprised that the Apple Watch Ultra 2 noted 201 more calories burned than the Garmin Instinct 3. Apple also calculated my average and max heart rate as roughly 10 bpm faster than Garmin. As noted above, this was a fairly steep trail, and I got the blood pumping and the lungs working overtime on more than one occasion. With that in mind, I suspect Apple's max heart rate of 164 bpm and average heart rate of 124 bpm more accurately reflect my actual cardiovascular efforts than Garmin's 156 bpm max and 115 bpm average. Blame it on Apple Watch fatigue — a square piece of glass on a strap is old hat at this point — or Garmin's sporty yet playful design ethos (and brightly colored cases), but the Instinct 3 drew far more curiosity from onlookers than the Ultra 2 during this trek. On roughly half a dozen occasions, I was asked by someone in our group of journalists and outdoor industry folks about the chunky, "retro" teal smartwatch on my right wrist. Of course, once they found out the Instinct 3 is an outdoor adventure beast that costs half as much as the Ultra 2 on my other wrist, with five times (or more) battery life, better durability and similar safety features, they just had to know more. Smartwatch nerdery and hiking metrics aside, hiking Dog Mountain in the Columbia River Gorge was nothing short of a magical experience. If you have the chance to take on the excursion yourself, I definitely recommend shooting for early May when the Balsamroot flowers are in full-on glorious bloom, as seen in the photos here. As for the Apple Watch Ultra 2 versus Garmin Instinct, the metrics for this hike are less consistent than I've come to expect, particularly the climb data. However, rather than stressing about it, I look forward to pitting these two wearables against one another in a future walk-test showdown, either on Dog Mountain or somewhere equally as scenic. Stay tuned.
CNN
01-05-2025
- CNN
The best Apple Watch to buy in 2025, tested by experts
The best Apple Watches we tested Best Apple Watch: Apple Watch Series 10 Best budget Apple Watch: Apple Watch SE Best splurge Apple Watch: Apple Watch Ultra 2 Choosing the best Apple Watch for your needs used to be simple: you'd just buy the newest one, or maybe score the previous year's model for a discount. But now that Apple offers three distinct models of its mega-popular wearable, it's a bit trickier to decide on the best smartwatch to live on your wrist for the next few years. Do you go with the tried-and-true standard Apple Watch that your friends and family are already wearing? Is that cheap Apple Watch SE actually any good? What the heck is an Apple Watch Ultra, and why does it cost $800? These are all valid questions, and fortunately, we've tested every single Apple Watch extensively to answer them for you. Whether you're an athlete, an extreme adventurer or just want a decent smartwatch that'll keep you on top of your notifications, here's how to pick the right Apple Watch for your needs. Apple Watch Series 10 The Apple Watch Series 10 hits the sweet spot for most people who want a great smartwatch, offering a plethora of useful health and fitness features, a bigger display than before and potentially life-improving sleep apnea alerts. Read our review Apple Watch SE (2nd Gen) If you don't mind forgoing a few features — namely an electrocardiogram app, sleep apnea notifications and temperature sensing — the Apple Watch SE offers nearly everything great about the core Apple Watch experience for a very enticing price. Apple Watch Ultra 2 If you want a watch that can survive long days of hiking, swimming or diving — or are just willing to pay up for the biggest, most feature-packed Apple Watch possible — the Ultra 2 offers a lot for its high our review The standard Apple Watch has been our best smartwatch recommendation for years now. It just hits that sweet spot between price, performance and effortless integration with your iPhone. And while the latest Apple Watch Series 10 largely iterates on things we already love, it also makes some notable improvements that make it feel like a true leap forward. The current Apple Watch marks one of the more significant aesthetic upgrades we've seen in a while, with a design that Apple says is nearly 10% thinner than the Series 7, 8 and 9 while also offering a bigger OLED display than ever. You have a choice of 42mm and 46mm watch face, which, according to Apple, gets you a whopping 30% more display area than the Series 4 through 6 and a solid 9% boost from the Series 7 through 9. The larger 46mm option is the biggest watch display Apple's made yet; even bigger than the one you'll find on the Apple Watch Ultra 2. It's also nice and bright, promising a 40% brightness upgrade over the Series 9 and outshining the much pricier Ultra 2 in our testing. Long story short, you'll be getting a much bigger and brighter screen that makes it even easier to stay on top of your notifications and apps, even on the sunniest of days. Improved design aside, you're getting the same complete Apple Watch experience that's kept the company's wearable at the top of our rankings. On top of the reliable notifications, call functionality and in-depth fitness tracking for a huge breadth of workouts, we really dug playing around with some of the new features introduced in the latest watchOS 11 software. That includes Smart Stack widgets, which give you essential information (think weather alerts and workout data) at a quick glance and feel breezy to tap through. We also really like the double-tap feature, which debuted on the Series 9 and lets you use pinch gestures to easily control the watch with one hand. But the reason we truly love the Apple Watch is its comprehensive and genuinely life-improving health features, nearly all of which are present and accounted for on the Series 10. We loved using it to track our sleep (the Series 10 was much more comfortable to wear to bed than the Ultra 2) and appreciate its ability to notify you about potential sleep apnea, a condition that an estimated 30 million people suffer from, though only six million have been diagnosed. Using its built-in accelerometer, the watch can detect irregular breathing patterns and disturbances, and notify you when it thinks you should go see a doctor. There's also the ever-critical heart rate tracking, which allowed our electronics writer to get an early jump on — and beat — a prediabetes diagnosis. The Apple Watch Series 10, unfortunately, does omit the blood oxygen tracking found in previous models (more on that below), but overall, Apple's latest wearable continues to offer a wealth of critical health tools that have genuinely impacted even our own editors' everyday lives. The Apple Watch Series 10 carries the same 18-hour battery life as the Series 9, and that's not a bad thing. It got our testers through most days with plenty in the tank, and when they went to bed to test sleep tracking, they often woke up with around 80% battery left to go. If you're using low-power mode, you can stretch that endurance to up to 30 hours. The chunky Ultra 2 remains the battery-life king (36 hours of normal use; 72 hours on low-power), but the Series 10 offers more than enough juice for most folks' needs. Sure, there are more affordable and more advanced Apple Watch options, but the Apple Watch Series 10 is still the model I'd recommend to the vast majority of people. It does everything you'd want a smartwatch to do, from its snappy performance to its reliable battery life, all while giving you a bigger canvas for staying on top of text messages or monitoring your workout. And now that it's frequently on sale these day, Apple's already-excellent flagship watch is a better value than ever. If your main reasons for buying an Apple Watch include tracking your workouts, getting a better look at your sleep and staying on top of your heart rate, there's a good chance that the $249 Apple Watch SE is more than enough watch for you. Much like the original model, the second-generation Apple Watch SE does a great job offering the core Apple Watch experience for a notably cheaper price. Looking at the Apple Watch SE and Apple Watch Series 10 side by side, it's not immediately obvious which is the more expensive watch, though the latter's display is noticeably bigger. Still, this is a real-deal Apple Watch, with the familiar curved-rectangle display and the signature Digital Crown that makes navigation a breeze. The latest SE is powered by Apple's S8 chip — meaning it's about two generations behind in terms of speed — but that wasn't very noticeable as I bounced between apps and notifications without issue. Most of the Apple Watch's key features are here, including a robust fitness app that can track everything from quick runs to dancing and kickboxing, Smart Stack widgets that let you flip through what's important and the same quick setup and seamless integration with your iPhone's photos, messages and more, which lets our electronics writer keep his iPhone 16 Pro Max pocketed when he wants to check for texts. It's rated for the same 18 hours of battery life as the Series 10 and has a Low Power mode, though Apple doesn't provide a specific Low Power estimate as it does with the Series 10. So, what are you really giving up at this price point? The Apple Watch SE is the least-bright Apple Watch at 1,000 nits (compare that to 2,000 nits for the Series 10 and 3,000 for the Ultra 2) and isn't optimized to be viewed at an angle like its bigger siblings are. I found the SE's brightness to be perfectly acceptable both indoors and under bright sunlight, but folks who spend most of their time outdoors may want to consider a brighter watch. While the SE can track your heart rate and alert you to irregularities, it lacks the electrocardiogram (ECG) functionality of the more premium models that allows you to record an ECG of your heart and get a detailed analysis of it via an app on your iPhone. These recordings can alert you to possible irregularities like arrhythmia and can be exported to share with your doctor for next steps. Similarly, while the Apple Watch SE will let you track your sleep to get a basic sense of duration and quality, it can't alert you to possible sleep apnea like the Apple Watch and Apple Watch Ultra can. Other notable omissions include double-tap controls, a temperature sensor and the option of a more-durable titanium case. Still, if you're more concerned with tracking the essentials than monitoring potentially serious health issues — or if you're getting a younger family member their first watch — the Apple Watch SE is a fantastic value and plenty of smartwatch for most. It's worth noting that the Series 10 has dropped to near-SE pricing during limited-time sales (we've seen it drop to as low as $300). But unless you manage to score one of those elusive savings, you can go ahead and save some cash on the SE while knowing that you're getting a pretty great Apple Watch for everyday use. The Apple Watch Ultra marked one of the biggest additions to the Apple Watch lineup when it launched back in 2022, offering a kitchen sink's worth of advanced specs and features for hikers, swimmers and climbers within a bigger, more durable design — and a twice-as-high price tag to match. We found the original version to be worth the splurge for adventurers or folks who are simply willing to pay up for the most feature-rich Apple Watch out there, and fortunately, that remains the case with the latest Apple Watch Ultra 2. With its extra-large case and prominent orange digital crown, the Ultra 2 screams 'I'm made for the outdoors' the moment you look at it. The watch's 49mm titanium case is the biggest in Apple's lineup and houses nearly the biggest screen of any Apple Watch (the Series 10 edges it out by a few square millimeters due to its thinner bezels). That extra real estate allows room for the Action button: a customizable, Ultra-exclusive feature that lets you do things like start a workout or mark a waypoint with a single press. Despite all this extra size and heft — the Ultra 2 is roughly 20 grams heavier than the heaviest Series 10 — Apple's premium watch never felt too heavy on our testers' wrists. But this watch truly earns its 'Ultra' moniker with the sheer amount of cool things you can do with it. Right out of the box, you'll notice its unique Wayfinder watch face, which has a dizzying array of complications — including compass directions, sunrise and sunset info, elevation, longitude and latitude — on top of the usual activity rings and weather widgets. It's a lot more than what you get on the standard Apple Watch face, and while it may be overwhelming to some, it's also tailor-made for a day out on the trail or at sea. One of the Ultra 2's standout features is its hyperaccurate GPS, which our tester was able to use to create various waypoints during an overseas trip and get hyper-accurate compass directions for navigating back to them (this is especially ideal if you're out in the woods and want to mark locations you typically wouldn't find on, say, your Maps app). This is complimented by a handy Backtrack feature that shows your recent steps so you can easily retrace them. And should you ever find yourself lost or in need of assistance, there's a built-in 86-decibel emergency siren that we found to be satisfactorily loud in our testing. If you prefer to do your adventuring under the sea, know that the Ultra 2 is swimproof and water-resistant up to 100 meters, and is designed to support recreational scuba diving activities up to 40 meters (by contrast, the Series 10 is rated for 50 meters of water resistance and isn't designed for scuba or water sports). With the latter, you can use apps like Oceanic+ to get a detailed breakdown of your free dives. The Ultra 2 maintains the original's reputation as Apple's longest-lasting Watch, promising up to 36 hours of normal use and a whopping 72 hours with Low Power mode activated; that doubles the Series 10's rating on every count. We found ourselves regularly exceeding Apple's 36-hour rating in day-to-day use and rarely went below 20% battery even after long hours of hiking followed by a full night of sleep tracking. The Ultra 2 doesn't change much from the original, but there are some noteworthy improvements. The wearable's operating altitude has been expanded from 1,640 feet below sea level to 29,500 feet above it. That's up from sea level to 9,842 feet on the Ultra and, as our review notes, is lower than the Dead Sea and higher than Everest. The upgraded Maps app now lets you download maps for offline use for when you're adventuring out of cellular range, and it offers topographic views for hikers in select national and regional parks in the US. Apple boosted the Ultra 2's brightness from 2,000 to 3,000 nits too, making it the brightest Apple Watch in the lineup by a good margin, a perk that we found especially useful in bright sunlight. Factor in all the same features we love on the Series 10 — including Apple's robust set of fitness features and seamless integration with your iPhone apps — and you truly have the ultimate Apple Watch. Existing Apple Watch Ultra owners don't have much of a reason to upgrade, and price-conscious adventurers may want to consider tracking down a refurbished first-generation model at a significant discount. But if you're willing to pay up for an Apple Watch that truly does it all, the Ultra 2 justifies its price tag. Design and display Comfort: A watch is useless if it doesn't feel good to wear, so we heavily factored in how comfortable each Apple Watch felt on our wrists after roughly a week of heavy use. The quality of the included bands also played a role in our rankings. Aesthetics and options: While most Apple Watches more or less look the same, we factored in any major design improvements (such as the significantly slimmed-down Series 10). More importantly, we noted how many size options each Apple Watch offers and how well they cover most folks' wrist sizes. Display: Apple Watch displays have evolved quite a bit in size and functionality over the years, so we paid close attention to how well the screen works in daily use. Was it easy to read notifications? Did the screen stay visible in bright outdoor lighting? These are the things we look for. Performance and features Battery life: We recorded how long each Apple Watch lasts against our standard daily use, paying particular attention to how much battery we had left at the end of the day as well as how much juice aws remaining after a night of sleep tracking. Overall reliability: We factored in how well an Apple Watch works when doing basic tasks like switching between apps and tracking workouts, taking note of any significant moments of slowdown. Feature set: Each Apple Watch's unique feature set played a major role in our evaluations. We compared each model side by side to find the best mix of health, fitness and overall convenience features, and we also tried them all out to confirm they actually worked as advertised. Picking between the three current Apple Watch models may seem straightforward to some — you've got the budget model, the all-around model and the extra-rugged premium option — but there are some other considerations to keep in mind as you're shopping. Case sizes You're likely going to be wearing your Apple Watch all day on most occasions, so you'll want to pick a size that you're comfortable having on your wrist all the time — and one that'll allow you to comfortably see your screen. The current Apple Watch case options are as follows: Apple Watch SE (2nd Gen): 40mm, 44mm Apple Watch Series 10: 42mm, 46mm Apple Watch Ultra: 49mm People with smaller wrists may want to opt for the 40mm SE or 42mm Series 10, while the 44mm SE or 46mm Series 10 will likely be a good middle ground for many. The Ultra's 49mm case is quite big, but we didn't find it particularly bulky. Note that while the Ultra offers the biggest case, the Series 10 actually offers the largest screen in the lineup, thanks to its smaller display borders. Either way, we highly recommend trying on as many different options as possible at your local Apple store or electronics shop if you can. Accessories, bands and special editions One of the best things about smartwatches is that you can often customize them to your heart's content with all manners of bands and cases — and the Apple Watch is no exception. There are a ton of options for making your Apple Watch your own, whether you want to customize your watch at the point of purchase or pick up one of the many first- and third-party Apple Watch bands that let you add some extra flair or functionality to your wearable. When you're shopping on Apple's website, you'll have a choice of bands before you hit 'buy.' The Apple Watch SE and Apple Watch Series 10 offer a choice of rubber, textile and stainless steel bands, while the Ultra 2 offers Alpine Loop (for outdoor activities), Trail Loop (all-around), Ocean Band (for water sports) and Titanium Milanese Loop, which costs $100 extra and is meant to be suitable for both the ocean and a fancy night out. If you want something extra fancy, both the Series 10 and Ultra 2 come in special Hermès editions that feature premium watch bands from the luxury fashion company. As the brand name might suggest, these models don't come cheap, with the Hermès Series 10 starting at $1,249 with various knit, rubber and stainless steel bands and the Hermès Ultra 2 starting at a whopping $1,399 with a choice of water-resistant knit bands. Of course, those are far from your only options for customizing your Apple Watch. There are tons of great choices out there for just about any need, whether you want an Apple Watch band for working out or a stylish leather Apple Watch band to compliment a nice outfit. While there is some crossover in terms of compatibility — Apple Watch Ultra 2 bands also fit the 45mm Series 9, for example — you'll definitely want to make sure your model and size is listed in the band's description before you commit to one. Health and safety features Perhaps the most important thing to keep in mind is what kinds of health and safety features you want on your watch. The latest Apple Watch SE, Apple Watch and Apple Watch Ultra all offer essentials like heart rate tracking, heart rate notifications, sleep tracking and Cycle tracking for those who ovulate, but only the Apple Watch Series 9 and 10 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 feature sleep apnea notifications, while temperature sensors are limited to the Apple Watch Series 8 and Ultra and later. The electrocardiogram app is only on the Apple Watch Series 4 and later, as well as the Ultra models. On the safety front, all current models offer Emergency SOS for quickly getting help, fall detection and car crash detection, but only the Ultra offers an emergency siren to help folks locate you in an emergency. Every Apple Watch has a GPS, but the Ultra has an exclusive precision dual-frequency GPS for extra-accurate navigation, something that could come in handy when you're exploring in the woods or on the trail. The Apple Watch Series 6 introduced blood oxygen tracking, though finding this functionality on a modern Apple Watch gets complicated. Due to patent dispute issues with health tech company Masimo, Apple was forced to stop selling Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra models with blood oxygen tracking and introduced new versions of the watches with the feature omitted. The Series 10 and Ultra 2 also launched without blood oxygen capabilities. Why does this feature matter? Blood oxygen levels of 95% to 100% are considered healthy, while anything below that may put you at risk of heart and respiratory issues. As such, having quick access to your blood oxygen saturation (or SpO2) can help you get a jump on these potential issues. As it stands now, the only way to get an Apple Watch with this functionality is to seek out a very specific Series 9 or Ultra model from third-party retailers or track down a Series 6, 7 or 8, which are typically only available refurbished these days. On the plus side, these models are pretty cheap, though you'll be losing out on some of the key features and longer-term software support found on the latest Apple Watches. Apple Watch Series 9 The Apple Watch Series 9 introduced Double Tap for convenient one-hand controls while bumping up the storage to 64GB and offering fast speeds via the S9 our review The previous-generation Apple Watch enjoyed a long reign as our best smartwatch pick and is still a darn fine wearable today. It does nearly everything the Series 10 does, just with a slightly thicker design and a smaller, non-OLED screen. If you can find one in stock and on sale — and don't mind those caveats — it's an excellent pickup. Apple Watch Ultra (Refurbished) The original Apple Watch Ultra still holds up today, packing tons of features built for the extreme outdoors with up to 72 hours of battery our review Much like the Series 9, the original Apple Watch Ultra is largely identical to the sequel that replaced it in 2023. You're still getting most of the same extensive rugged features like diving-friendly water-resistance and an emergency siren as well as the same 36 to 72-hour battery life on the new model. The original Ultra even has an advantage over the Ultra 2, as it packs the blood oxygen tracking that Apple now omits from newer models due to ongoing patent issues. The Ultra 2 does get you a brighter screen, a new black case option, handy double-tap controls and Precision Finding for your iPhone, but these are pretty incremental perks — and ones you may be able to live without considering that some refurbished Ultra 1 models (new ones are hard to find) are nearly half the price as the new watch. Apple Watch SE (Refurbished) Apple's first entry-level wearable is powered by a capable Apple S5 processor and offers most of the key features you'd want in an Apple Watch for a much lower price. The original Apple Watch SE impressed us when we first got one around our wrists. Its performance and screen were on par with the then-current Apple Watch Series 6, and it offers most of the key integrations and features you'd want one of these things for. It lacks the ECG sensor, blood oxygen tracking and always-on display that come with many modern Apple Watches, but we found that to be a fair compromise for its $279 price point for new models. The original Watch SE isn't all that different from the upgraded model launched in 2023 and can be found for less than $100 refurbished these days. But we'd still recommend going with the second-generation version, especially since Apple's already stopped delivering software updates for the first-generation 2022 edition. Apple Watch Series 8 The Apple Watch Series 8 brought a temperature sensor and car crash detection to what is otherwise a fairly incremental update to Apple's flagship wearable. Read our review The Apple Watch Series 8 proved to be a pretty minor upgrade over the Series 7 in our initial testing, though then-new features like a temperature sensor and car crash detection helped it stand out. It's worth considering today if you really want blood oxygen tracking, or are willing to go the refurbished route to get a great (if slightly outdated) watch for less than $200. Apple Watch Series 7 (Refurbished) The Apple Watch Series 7 marked a notable bump in screen size over previous models, while also introducing a more durable design and improved our review The Series 7 proved to be a great Apple Watch for the time when it launched in 2021, bumping up the screen size by 20% while packing a great suite of health features including blood oxygen tracking and an ECG app. Like most other Apple Watches, this one's available refurbished for some pretty cheap prices, though you can get the superior Apple Watch Series 8 at some third-party stores. Apple Watch Series 6 (Refurbished) One of the more significant updates in the Apple Watch's history, the Series 6 brought blood oxygen monitoring and an elevation-tracking altimeter to the mix. The Series 6 was a minor breakthrough at the time of its release and is the absolute oldest Apple Watch we'd recommend even thinking about if you happen to find a used model for dirt cheap (we're talking less than $100). It's the oldest watch that can run the latest watchOS 11 software and packs that ever-elusive blood oxygen tracking, though given Apple's usual release patterns, we don't expect this one to get software updates for much longer. Can I swim with my Apple Watch? Can I swim with my Apple Watch? According to Apple's website, the Apple Watch is water-resistant but isn't fully waterproof, meaning it can get wet and even handle a quick swim or dive but is still subject to water damage under certain conditions. The Apple Watch SE (2nd Gen) and Apple Watch Series 10 are both water-resistant at up to 50 meters and carry a 'swimproof' rating, while the Apple Watch Ultra 2 can handle a deeper 100 meters of water submersion and is built to handle more extreme activities like high-speed water sports and recreational scuba diving up to 40 meters. Apple says to avoid exposing your Apple Watch to things such as soapy water, steam or detergents, and notes that you should keep any stainless steel or leather bands away from water. Is the Apple Watch compatible with Android? Is the Apple Watch compatible with Android? The short answer is no. Apple Watches are not designed to be used with Android phones. You can technically pair an Apple Watch to Android via a complicated workaround that involves switching your SIM card from an iPhone to an Android phone, but this setup only lets you use the watch's bare essential features. If you have an Android phone, you're far better off with an Android-friendly wearable like the Samsung Galaxy Watch or Google Pixel Watch. That said, you can buy a cellular-enabled Apple Watch and set it up for someone who doesn't own an iPhone via Apple's Family Setup feature. This is primarily designed for parents who want to give their child an Apple Watch for basic timekeeping and communication but might not want them carrying around a smartphone quite yet. Does Apple Watch have a camera? Does Apple Watch have a camera? No, the Apple Watch doesn't have a camera. You can, however, use it as a remote for taking photos with your iPhone by simply opening the Camera app from your Apple Watch's home screen. Can Apple Watch measure blood pressure? Can Apple Watch measure blood pressure? The Apple Watch cannot measure blood pressure on its own; however, it can be connected to a compatible blood pressure monitor like the Withings BPM Connect, which claims to provide 'medically accurate' blood pressure measurements from your home via the Withings app. How accurate is the Apple Watch at measuring heart rate? How accurate is the Apple Watch at measuring heart rate? According to a paper published by Apple in late 2024, the company has a thorough Apple Watch validation process for getting accurate heart rate results. Pulling from a diverse pool of testers with different skin types, skin tones, ages and activity levels, Apple conducts a number of studies in common usage scenarios (such as when someone's stationary, doing certain exercises and in both hot and cool environments) to ensure each watch is tracking properly. Apple claims to run these tests with each new Apple Watch release to ensure optimal accuracy. How accurate is Apple Watch at counting calories? How accurate is Apple Watch at counting calories? The same validation summary linked above also outlines the Apple Watch's calorie tracking process, which uses the wearable's optical heart sensor, accelerometer and gyroscope (among other features) to estimate how much you're burning while working out. The company uses machine learning-based models that were 'trained on thousands of hours of data' to identify specific workouts and then uses algorithms that 'continuously calculate' metrics such as workout type, step count and intensity to provide what the company claims is an accurate calorie count. CNN Underscored has a team of skilled writers and editors who have many years of experience testing, researching and recommending products, and they ensure each article is carefully edited and products are properly vetted. We talk to top experts when applicable to make certain we are testing each product accurately, recommending only the best products and considering the pros and cons of each item. Senior tech editor Mike Andronico has been covering consumer electronics for more than a decade and has tested nearly every major Apple product released from 2022 on. He desperately needs more closet space.
Fox News
26-03-2025
- Fox News
Amazon just slashed the Apple Watch Series 10 by $100 – get it now while the deal lasts
On the heels of its Big Spring Sale, Amazon is currently featuring huge discounts on Apple Watches. The Series 10, Ultra 2 and SE Apple Watches are all on sale, with the Series 10 currently $100 off! If you've been waiting for the right time to finally get your first Apple Watch or upgrade to a newer edition, now is the perfect time. Apple rarely offers such significant discounts, so grab your new watch before the price goes back up. Make sure your new Apple Watch is delivered ASAP by signing up for a Prime membership. The benefits include fast, free delivery, access to invite-only deals and the option to Buy With Prime. You can join or start a 30-day free trial to start your holiday shopping today. Original price: $399 Apple's newest edition of its classic Apple Watch, the Series 10, has up to 30% more screen area than previous generations. It's also designed to be lighter and more comfortable for long-term wear. An Apple Watch Series 10 will be your personal health assistance, giving you the ability to take an ECG at any time, and providing notifications when you have a high or low heart rate. You can also view overnight health metrics like your heart rate and respiratory rate, to get some insight into how you're sleeping. The Series 10 will even let you know if it detects signs of sleep apnea. You also get a built-in fitness tracker that carefully measures the way you move. Pair it with the Workout app, and you can better plan your workouts and track the intensity of your workouts. Divers and swimmers can even wear their watch during their favorite water activities. Apple Watch Series 10 also comes with three months of Apple Fitness+ for free. If you want your Apple Watch Series 10 to connect to cellular, you can still get $100 off the upgraded version, so you'll pay $429 instead of $529. The cellular version of the Series 10 allows you to play music, take phone calls, receive text messages and anything else your typical iPhone can do, all without being connected to Wi-Fi. Original price: $799 As its name implies, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is Apple's most high-tech watch. It's designed for athletes and includes advanced features for runners, bikers, swimmers, hikers and more. Cyclists can see their speed, heart rate and elevation when connected to the Workout app, and hikers can use maps offline to navigate their journeys through the woods. The Apple Watch Ultra 2 has even more advanced metrics than other versions, including Heart Rate Zones, custom workouts and training load, which provides insights into the impact your workouts have on your body over time. Since the Ultra 2 Watch is built with athletes in mind, it's extremely rugged. It's water-resistant and has a corrosion-resistant titanium case. With built-in cellular, the Ultra 2 gives you everything your cellphone provides. For more Deals, visit Original price: $249 Apple continues to make an SE version of the iPhone for those looking for a cheaper option, and they do the same for the Apple Watch. The Apple Watch SE focuses on just the essentials to keep costs low but still provides all the go-to features many Apple Watch wearers are looking for. When connected to Wi-Fi, you can send texts, make phone calls and listen to music. You also get helpful health tracking, such as heart rate monitoring, fall detection and crash detection. Like other versions of the Apple Watch, your SE will let you know if your heart rate is too high, low or if there is an abnormal rhythm. You can easily customize your Apple Watch SE to your personal style by switching out the band, which comes in a variety of colors and materials. Pair your Watch with the Workout app, and you can customize your workouts as well.
