Apple is back, and they’ve supercharged their top-tier wearable. The new Apple Watch Ultra 3 is a seamless triple threat: a powerful sports watch, an elegant daily companion and your most comprehensive health ally yet. And with the debut of watchOS 26, the whole experience is now smarter and more fun than ever before.
A Bigger, Brighter Window to Your World
The first thing you’ll notice is the screen. The Ultra 3 features the largest display of any Apple Watch, thanks to the cutting-edge LPTO3 and wide-angle OLED technology. This isn’t just about size, though – it’s about clarity and efficiency. The display borders are 24% thinner, giving you more active screen area without changing the case size. Crucially, the display’s refresh rate can now go down to 1Hz (once per second) when in Always-On mode. That means you can see a ticking seconds hand without having to lift your wrist, making the watch truly always-on and incredibly useful for timers and stopwatches.
Marathon-Ready Battery Life
Apple drastically boosted the power. The Ultra 3 is built for endurance, whether you’re tackling a week of travel or a multi-day hike. For daily use, you get up to 42 hours of battery life, which you can stretch out to an astounding 72 hours in Low Power Mode. Plus, a quick stop at an outlet means you can get up to 12 hours of battery life with just 15 minutes of fast charging. No more race-day anxiety! For connectivity, it uses an advanced algorithm that simultaneously engages two system antennas to boost cellular reception in areas with weak coverage.
Your Personal Trainer Just Got a Lot Smarter
The biggest, most engaging feature arriving with watchOS 26 is Workout Buddy. Powered by Apple Intelligence, this is more than just a motivational playlist – it’s like having a personalised coach talking directly into your headphones. Workout Buddy analyses your fitness history, pace, heart rate and Activity rings to deliver personalised, spoken motivation in real-time. Forget generic encouragement, this feature might remind you of your impressive mileage for the week or congratulate you the instant you hit a new personal pace milestone, all delivered in a dynamic, generative voice.
But the fitness upgrades don’t stop there. Runners get the most accurate GPS in any sports watch, alongside advanced metrics like vertical oscillation and ground contact time, and automatic track-running detection. Cyclists can easily connect Bluetooth accessories like power meters to get metrics like cadence and an automatic estimate of their Functional Threshold Power (FTP), and view their workout as a Live Activity on their iPhone. For swimmers, the watch is certified WR100 and can track automatic stroke detection, lap count and SWOLF score. Plus, via the Oceanic+ app, the Ultra 3 transforms into a full-fledged dive computer for recreational scuba, making it truly the ultimate sports watch.
Health, Sleep Score and Smarter Interactions
The Ultra 3 is committed to your well-being around the clock, measuring heart rate, wrist temperature, blood oxygen and respiratory rate, and aiding in the discovery of possible sleep apnoea. The new Sleep Score features help you understand the quality of your rest, offering clear metrics on duration, consistency and time spent in each sleep stage, all informed by the latest guidance from top sleep organisations. On the convenience front, watchOS 26 makes everyday life smoother with a gorgeous new “Liquid Glass” software design. A genius, one-handed gesture on the Ultra 3 lets you simply flick your wrist to dismiss notifications, silence alarms or end calls when your other hand is busy. Thanks to Apple Intelligence, Live Translation in Messages means incoming messages in a foreign language can now be automatically translated right on your wrist, and your reply instantly language can now be instantly translated back. The Smart Stack is also smarter than ever, giving you “hints” – proactive visual prompts – like suggesting you activate Backtrack when you enter a remote area with poor connectivity, ensuring you’re supported exactly when you need it.
