In a few short weeks, Apple will hold its iPhone 16 event. Though not the star of the show, new Apple Watch models will debut alongside the iPhone. An Apple Watch Series 10 and Apple Watch Ultra 3 are coming. But there’s a problem: the Series 10 is set to gain one of the best Ultra features, making the Ultra 3 a harder sell than ever before.
Apple Watch Series 10 getting bigger than ever
Apple has a variety of upgrades in store for the Apple Watch Series 10, but one in particular stands out.
You could say it’s ‘big.’
Every year, Apple sells two different sizes of its flagship Apple Watch. When the first Watch debuted, those sizes were 38mm and 42mm. They’ve increased over the years, with the standard sizes of last year’s Apple Watch Series 9 being 41mm and 45mm.
The Apple Watch Series 10 is getting even bigger.
Both the small and large models are increasing in size:
- Small model is going from 41mm in size to 45mm
- Large model is going from 45mm to 49mm
What does this mean for buyers?
It means the small Watch is now just as big as the large Watch was last year.
And the large Watch is the same size as the Apple Watch Ultra.
Large displays come at a premium…for now
When the Apple Watch Ultra 3 debuts alongside the Apple Watch Series 10, the Ultra is going to be a harder sell than ever.
Previously, Ultra buyers knew they were getting the largest Watch display. That won’t be the case any longer.
Screen size isn’t the only differentiating feature the Ultra has going for it. But it’s certainly the most obvious one—aside from price.
Apple customers are used to the idea that bigger means more expensive.
- iPhone Pro Max costs $200 more than the standard Pro
- the 13-inch iPad Pro costs $300 more than the 11-inch
- the 15-inch MacBook Air costs $200 more than the 13-inch
Even the current small and large Watch models carry a $30 pricing difference.
Then there’s the Apple Watch Ultra, which starts at a whopping $799.
That’s a full two times more expensive than the $399 starting price of the Apple Watch Series 9.
But what happens when the Ultra loses its size advantage? Apple certainly won’t lower its price.
Apple Watch Ultra 3 might be great, but it still has to justify its premium price
Without having size dominance over the Apple Watch Series 10, this year’s Ultra 3 will have to justify its price point some other way.
Unfortunately, rumors have indicated fairly minor changes for this year’s model. Ming-Chi Kuo has claimed the Ultra 3 will carry “almost no” new features. Mark Gurman says it will get a new chip, but “no major design change.”
Top comment by John Atkinson
I think the ultra will lean into its battery life over the base model if nothing else, especially if the Apple Watch can get similar gains to the M4 iPad Pro where the base model can either get thinner or last longer, then the ultra could reach actual multiday battery life for longer usage. Right now the ultra's main competitor is Garmin and they're reaching a week to up to a month with some smart watch models (and indefinite with some e-ink solar models). I think if the ultra could get to 5 days minimum it could start to be a serious competitor in the extreme sports market as some of those campaigns can go days without having a sufficient power.
Perhaps even having Emergency SOS via satellite, I know its a more intensive feature which is why it would likely never come to the base Apple Watch cellular model but the ultra not only has the bigger battery life but also the bigger housing would have more room to put satellite antennas and it could be more useful for the target audience of extreme users who may be in a cellular dead zone during a hard hike or doing mountain climbing.
Without an advantage in screen size, it’s hard to see the Ultra 3 being as successful as prior models have been.
Perhaps Apple will offer a black titanium finish to win over those on the fence. Or maybe the Ultra 3 will come with innovative display tech not seen before.
In any case, if pricing remains consistent with prior years, it will still be hard to justify buying an $800+ Ultra model when the Series 10 offers the same size display at nearly half the cost.
What do you think? Does the Series 10 make you less likely to buy an Ultra 3? Let us know in the comments.
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