Apple’s premium smartwatch is getting its first major upgrade. The company showed off the $799 Apple Watch Ultra 2, the first update for the high-end watch meant for extreme athletes and others with more specialized fitness-tracking needs.
As expected, the second-gen device will keep the same 49-millimeter form factor as the original, but still sport some significant upgrades. Notably, the Ultra 2 comes with a new extra-bright 3,000 nit display to make the screen easier to read in any lighting conditions. In darker settings, the display’s night mode will activate automatically thanks to its ambient light sensor.
The Ultra 2 will be among the first watches to get Apple’s new S9 chip, which will power the new “double tap” gesture, and upgraded Siri functionality. As with the Series 9, the gesture allows wearers to answer calls, snooze alarms and perform other tasks by quickly pinching their thumb and forefinger together.
As with the original Ultra, the second-gen device boasts a longer battery life than its smaller Series 9 counterpart. According to Apple, the Ultra 2 will top out at 36 hours of battery life on one charge, but can last up to 72 hours in low-power mode. That’s a slight improvement over last year’s model, which could go 60 hours in low-power mode and 36 hours on one charge.
When the Ultra launched last year, one of its standout features was its depth-tracking abilities meant for scuba divers and other underwater activities. Now, the onboard depth app has been upgraded to automatically save past dives so you can track depth history directly from the watch.
The Ultra 2 will also get the same software upgrades as the Series 9, thanks to watchOS 10. Among the upgrades are new cycling workout-tracking features and new, more powerful widgets, as well as an upgraded compass app.
Apple noted it switched to 99 percent recycled materials in the Ultra 2, part of its broader push to less the environmental impact of its products (the company claims the Ultra 2 is “carbon neutral” when paired witht he company’s new Alpine loop band).
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is available now for pre-order, and will ship on September 22.
Developing…
Follow all of the news live from Apple’s ‘Wonderlust’ event right here.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-apple-watch-ultra-2-has-an-extra-bright-display-and-s9-chip-174156027.html?src=rss