Apple unveils Apple Watch Ultra 4
Apple has unveiled the Apple Watch Ultra 4, powered by the new S11 chip and starting at $799. The flagship rugged smartwatch introduces a redesigned health sensing architecture that delivers more accurate heart rate and HRV tracking alongside new metrics like a Readiness score and Health Age. Battery performance expands to up to 48 hours of standard use and up to 18 hours of GPS-enabled workout tracking. The watch also introduces on-device audio intelligence features including Sound Recognition, Siri Recap, and Live Rewind speech transcription, available in natural and black titanium finishes.
Apple is directly targeting endurance and recovery rivals like Garmin and Whoop by integrating native recovery metrics, even as the physical hardware formula remains an iterative evolution.
- –Introducing first-party Readiness scores and Health Age directly addresses a long-standing gap compared to specialized athletic wearables.
- –The 48-hour battery life marks a meaningful step forward for Apple, though it still falls short of Garmin's multi-day battery endurance for backcountry users.
- –Audio intelligence tools like Live Rewind demonstrate Apple's push to leverage ambient wearable AI for practical day-to-day productivity.
- –Preserving the $799 entry price while adding improved silicon and sensing hardware keeps pressure on competing premium sports watches.
DISCOVERED
1h ago
2026-09-09
PUBLISHED
3h ago
2026-09-09
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corvad