Apple Watch Ultra Review: The Best Apple Watch Yet for Runners

Introduction

The Apple Watch Ultra is Apple’s most serious attempt yet at a running watch, and after marathons in Berlin and London, ten kilometre races and plenty of everyday training, it is clear this is the best Apple Watch for runners that Apple has produced. Priced at £849 in the UK or $799 in the US, it is iOS-only, and it brings hardware and software changes that make the Apple Watch genuinely viable as your main sports watch.

At the same time, it is not flawless. Navigation is still not geared towards runners natively, battery life is a big step up but not class-leading, and the included straps divide opinion. This review walks through what testers loved, what frustrated them, and whether the Ultra or one of its rivals makes more sense for you.

Key Specs and What the Ultra Adds for Runners

The Ultra is Apple’s biggest watch to date: a 49mm titanium case on a 1.8-inch always-on-capable Retina OLED display, with three physical buttons including the new customizable Action button, dual speakers, and a new emergency siren feature. Key running features include a dual-frequency GPS mode for improved positioning, a Backtrack navigation mode with offline mapping support through third-party apps, advanced running metrics, custom workout building, and both optical and external heart rate support.

It runs the same watchOS software as the rest of the Apple Watch lineup, so you get all the same smartwatch features as the Apple Watch Series 8, including watchOS 9’s much improved native workout app and structured workout builder. Battery life is 36 hours in full smartwatch mode and up to 60 hours in a new low power mode that reduces the sampling rate of heart rate and GPS during tracking.

GPS Accuracy That Competes With the Best

Dual-frequency GPS does not always deliver a massive accuracy improvement, but the Ultra performed very well in real race conditions. In Berlin, two watches logged near-identical, accurate marathon distances in good conditions, matching the readings from a Garmin Epix 2. In London, the Ultra actually did better through built-up areas around Canary Wharf, because Apple’s software leans on its built-in pedometer to fill gaps when the GPS signal gets confused in tunnels and urban canyons.

Overall GPS accuracy was described as about as good as anything else out there, and the new Precision Start feature helps you confirm the watch has connected to GPS before you start, which is exactly what you want on race day. One caveat: if Precision Start is not enabled by default on your watch, go into the settings and turn it on.

The Action Button Changes How You Run

The Action button is what makes the Ultra feel more like a running watch than any previous Apple Watch. It is customizable: one click can take you straight to your workout screen, open a compass, or trigger other shortcuts. Combined with the side button it can pause a run without any swiping, and it works as a lap button, an obvious need on race day when you want to log a split every mile. A physical way to control runs has been missing from Apple Watches for years, and it is now here.

Straps, Design, and Everyday Comfort

The design is a genuine strength. Apple has made a rugged, tough-looking watch with big shoulders without losing the sleek subtlety of an Apple Watch. The screen is bright and beautiful, the materials feel top grade, and it sits well on the wrist despite the size.

The straps are more divisive. The Alpine Loop with its metal hook was found hard to fit well and occasionally pinched; the Trail Loop was considered the better everyday pick; the Ocean band sometimes flipped its clasp away from the strap. None of the three was universally loved, and material straps can feel soggy and irritate sensitive skin after wet or sweaty runs. Swapping to third-party straps is straightforward.

Things to Consider Before Buying

There are real trade-offs here. Lap pacing stats can read oddly: distance tracking and GPS tracks are excellent, but per-split pace sometimes starts slow and only corrects midway through the split, which makes live pacing harder to use even though the final results were great. Third-party apps such as WorkOutdoors handle pacing more consistently.

Navigation is the biggest weakness. The upgraded compass app with Backtrack and waypoints is a nice idea but sits in a separate app, forcing awkward switching during an activity. Apple’s native experience simply is not as integrated as what Garmin offers, and route planning and mapping support fall short for anyone heading off-piste. Battery life, while much improved, still does not match multi-week Garmin endurance, and low power mode comes with sampling compromises. There is also no native training analysis or recovery data on the watch, and the large case can dig into the wrist bone when sitting at a desk or sleeping.

The Alternatives: Garmin Epix 2 and Apple Watch Series 8

The Garmin Epix 2 is the proper sports watch equivalent at a similar price, with a beautiful AMOLED screen, excellent built-in navigation tools, in-depth training analysis, and more than a week of battery life. The Apple Watch is still the much better smartwatch with a far better app store, but the Epix 2 wins on sports tracking depth and off-piste navigation.

The Apple Watch Series 8 is the sleeper option. It misses the Action button and dual-frequency GPS, but it gets the same watchOS 9 running capabilities, the same skin temperature sensor and ovulation tracking, and it is also a very accurate GPS tracker using a multi-satellite approach, at roughly half the Epix’s price. For a couple of runs a week alongside smartwatch use, it fits the bill and saves you a lot of money.

Buying Advice

If you are an iPhone owner training for a race and want the best Apple Watch for running, the Ultra is the one to buy. If mapping, navigation support, training readiness and week-plus battery life matter more, the Garmin Epix 2 is the stronger sports watch at a similar price. If you run a couple of times a week and mainly want a great smartwatch with very good tracking, the Series 8 is the smarter spend.

Conclusion

The Apple Watch Ultra is one of the best smartwatches for runners available, and easily the best running watch Apple has made: accurate GPS, the Action button, a rugged design, and finally compelling battery life. It is not truly an ultra-distance watch, and native navigation and recovery insights still trail Garmin. But as the smartest sports watch for iPhone owners, it is a very good start, and a strong buy for anyone serious about training.