Key Takeaways
- The Apple Watch Ultra costs €999, compared to €369 for the SE (with cellular) and €619 for the Series 8 (with cellular) — a significant price gap for relatively few extra features.
- The Ultra's 49 mm housing is larger, but its visible display area is not much bigger in practice because of a relatively wide border around the screen.
- The Ultra offers 2,000 nits of brightness versus 1,000 nits on the SE and Series 8, and an always-on display — which the SE lacks.
- Water resistance goes up to 100 metres on the Ultra (suitable for recreational diving via the Oceanic app), compared to 50 metres on the SE and Series 8.
- The SE lacks blood oxygen monitoring, ECG, temperature detection, and visual ovulation estimates — features available on both the Series 8 and Ultra.
- Battery life on the Ultra is rated at up to 36 hours versus 18 hours on the others, but real-world tests show roughly one-third longer runtime; all models support a battery-saving mode that extends life to about two days.
- The Ultra is made of titanium; the Series 8 comes in aluminium or stainless steel; the SE is aluminium only.
- The Ultra includes an additional configurable action button and an 80-decibel emergency siren — the satellite emergency-call feature is not yet available in Germany.
- A plastic case (~€20) can give an older Apple Watch (Series 7/8) the look of the Ultra at a fraction of the cost.
- Third-party Ocean-style bands are available for well under €15, offering a premium look without paying Apple prices.
Introduction
Nice to have you with us again for another episode of Digital4Productivity. And last week we looked at our WPS Office with the new file integration. Today we're going to take a smaller step and look at the Apple Watch.
And on the subject of the AppleWatch, there's the beautiful new thick Ultra. And I have to say, I thought it was pretty ugly at first when it was produced and shown and when I looked at it in the Apple Store, I liked it much better live. On the other hand, the question is, do you need an Ultra or is an SE enough? Then you say SE, what's that? That's the smallest one that you have with you, which is available from €299 if you don't have cellular. With the SIM card functionality, it costs €369. So to be fair, you might have to compare the GPS and cellular, but then it still costs €369 versus €999.
Now, of course, there are people who say I always need the fattest, biggest, fattest, newest version. If we only made rational decisions, then the Porsche company wouldn't exist and I am also fascinated by this brand and its products. With this in mind, I'm not saying that no one needs the Ultra. If we only bought what we needed, the economy would be much smaller. Yes. But why am I making an episode about this? I saw a very interesting video on YouTube where someone made a comparison for themselves, who spent one day with the SE and one day with the Ultra at the same time. One on the left arm, the other on the right arm, he compared the two.
Yes, and what is the bottleneck or what is the essence? I don't have an SE, I have a normal Apple Watch, but not the eighth, but the seventh generation, so one generation before, because I can always easily skip two or three generations. And what are the main differences?
Apple Watch - the differences
By the way, if you want to do this in comparison, you can compare almost all of the products on the Apple website. And you can always compare two or three models. So I've also done this here, where I've said on the page that I'm just going to compare the Series 8, the SE and the Ultra, and you can put them next to each other, so you can compare all the models. You can see that the Series 8 is the current one, the SE and the Ultra. And the Series 8 is available from €499 for the version without SIM card and from €619 with GPS and Cellular. So the extreme €299 to €1,000 is the SE without and you just have to compare what the difference is.
Size and appearance
Yes, of course you could say that the Ultra is much larger with a 49 millimeter body and the smaller ones are only 44 or 45 millimeters. That's true. And to be honest, that was also the initial consideration for me when I said I'd get an Ultra, because the switch from the 6 to the, or from the, back then I had the 5 or the 4 version, I switched to the 7 version and for me one of the biggest arguments and what was really great was that this screen is one millimeter bigger. And now they say, I really don't need a millimeter bigger. Yes, but they did it intelligently, right up to the edge - very strong. Unfortunately, I was very disappointed that it's 5 millimeters bigger on the 49 millimeters. But they have a relatively large edge. So in practice, the visible area is pretty comparable to the 45 millimeter. There's not much difference to be seen in practice. You don't get more on it either. So because from 44 to 45 millimeters, for example, you get this typable keyboard on the screen, which was not possible before. You no longer have the functionality that you have on the 49 millimeter housing. To be honest, I was a bit disappointed. So for me, not a big god. What you do notice is the SE and the normal have 1,000 nits of brightness. The Ultra has 2,00 nits brightness, the actual brightness yes, it's higher, this brightness, yes and the Series 8 has an always-on display unlike the SE, so it always goes off in between. That was one of the reasons why I opted for the Series 7 with this always-on display back then. It's nice that it doesn't go out all the time, but to be honest, the brightness of an SE outside is enough. It doesn't necessarily have to be super bright.
Watertightness
Yes, which is a difference, if you are a diver, you can dive up to 50 meters with the SE or Series 8. You can dive up to 100 meters with the Ultra. Personally, I only dive a little under 4-5 meters in the pool, if at all, so that's quite enough for me. There is this Oceanic app for use as a dive computer. So if you are a diver, then an Ultra is great. You can go down to 100 meters, so you can use it as a deep diver. It says here that it is suitable for recreational diving up to 40 meters and is certified according to EN13319. So of course it's good for that. Yes, what the 8 and the Ultra have in common is the blood oxygen app, the ECG. The SE doesn't have this option. That means you can't take an ECG. They have everything else in common, so if your heart rate is high or low, you get a message, and if your heart rhythm is irregular, even with Cardiofitness, it's the same.
Temperature detection
The next topic is temperature detection. This is something that is missing on the SE, but you also have it on the Series 8 and the Ultra. For women, you have a cycle log with all three watches. With the Series 8 and the Ultra, you still have visual ovulation estimates. This is not the case with the SE. That's why it's definitely an issue for women, if you log your cycle accordingly with the watch, then I would consider going for the 8 or the Ultra instead of the SE. But there is no functional difference between the 8 and the Ultra. If I then take another look at the Ultra, if you then look at this emergency call area, you have this issue of the 80-decibel siren. So you have that with the Ultra, you don't have that with it and you don't have it available in Germany. This emergency call function via satellite is not yet available. Everything else is tutti completti the same.
Battery charge
Now there is one final distinguishing feature, namely the issue of battery charging. Here it is correct. You have up to 18 hours with the Series 8 or the SE. With the Ultra, you have up to 36 hours. But here, I've really watched a lot of videos about it. It doesn't last twice as long. It lasts about a third longer than the normal one. And since one of the last updates, all watches have had this battery-saving mode in their software. And when they have it on, they easily last two days. And in my case, I don't wear the watch at night anyway, which means it goes on the charging station at night, so the 7 is enough for me.
So when I look at it, when you say that this always-on display is important to me and I want it to be a bit bigger, the difference between 44 and 45 millimeters is noticeable. If you look at the pixels, you have, if I look at the pixels now, you have 368 pixels on the SE. You have 396 and then you have another 410 for the Ultra. But the difference between the SE and the Series 8 is greater than the Ultra. Unfortunately, there's a very large margin around it. Unfortunately, they didn't take the opportunity to use this display right up to the edge, which would of course be great, then I would have bought the Ultra straight away. It will be interesting to see whether the second-generation Ultra will have a smaller display edge. That would definitely be an argument for me to maybe go for the Ultra again.
Of course, the Ultra has an additional button that you can configure, unlike the others. Yes, there may be one or two apps where you can add certain functions. But so far the cheers have been limited, even in the popular channels.
Material
The material, of course. They are made of aluminum, the Series 8 is made of aluminum or stainless steel, the Ultras are made of titanium, so they are a bit more stable, but for those who get a new watch every year anyway, you don't necessarily need a case that will last a lifetime.
Personal evaluation
Yes, perhaps another personal assessment that I would like to give you or another tip. I personally bought a wristband for the Apple Watch or, in the meantime, this Ocean wristband with plastic with these holes in it from several companies. I think it's very nice. It's not only available from Apple, but also from third-party suppliers. And you can get them for a fraction of the price for what I think is reasonable quality. And I also got myself a case for the normal Apple Watch. You may have already seen it from me on Facebook. I'll post a link to it again now. It costs around €20 round about, can be ordered in China and is made of plastic. You can put it over the normal 7 or 8 version and then you have the look of the Ultra. I think it's relatively close to the look. Of course, I think the feel is a plastic feel. So it's not a titanium feel, but for the price, I think it's really very, very good. The functionalities of the normal Series 7 are completely sufficient for me and I think there are really nice watches for €1,000. As you may know, I've been wearing an automatic watch on my right wrist for 23 years, a classic from the Swiss brand, and I wear the Apple Watch on my left wrist. And at the moment, I've found a way for myself to use a Series 7 with the beautiful straps that I really like for the Apple Watch with this plastic strap, which I have with me accordingly, with the Alpine Loop, as it's called there, ne Ocean Armband and I got the Ocean Armband here in several colors. You can now get them for under €15. I've just bought this big one again and when I look at people who have an Ultra with a plastic case around it, I honestly think my Series 7 with the case around it is much nicer. It's not quite as bulky as an Ultra with an additional case around it. And so I've found a really nice variant for myself. I'm happy to include one or two photos in the show notes for this episode. Just click on them in the show notes and I'll automatically send you an e-mail, and you'll receive a link to the e-mail where you can see the photos again.
Conclusion
Yes, as always, my personal opinion and my corresponding experiences, which I am happy to simply pass on here. I'm always happy to receive comments, including any solutions you've found for yourself, and I'd be delighted if you'd join me again next week when we take a look at the Pomodoro technique and how you can stay a little more focused even in times of digital distraction.
Until then, I wish you lots of fun in the online and offline world.
Yours, Thorsten Jekel
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does the Apple Watch Ultra cost compared to the SE?
The Apple Watch Ultra costs €999, while the SE starts at €299 without cellular and €369 with cellular. The Series 8 sits in between at €499 (GPS only) or €619 (GPS and Cellular).
Is the Ultra's display noticeably larger than the Series 8 in everyday use?
In practice the visible area of the Ultra (49 mm housing) is not much bigger than the 45 mm Series 8 because the Ultra has a relatively wide border around the screen. The pixel count difference between the SE and Series 8 is actually greater than between the Series 8 and the Ultra.
Can you use the Apple Watch Ultra for scuba diving?
Yes — the Ultra is water-resistant to 100 metres and is certified to EN13319, making it suitable for recreational diving up to 40 metres. The Oceanic app turns it into a dive computer. The SE and Series 8 are only rated to 50 metres.
What health features does the Apple Watch SE lack?
The SE does not offer blood oxygen monitoring, ECG, wrist temperature detection, or visual ovulation estimates. These features are available on both the Series 8 and the Ultra, making the SE a less suitable choice for women who track their cycle in detail.
How long does the Apple Watch Ultra battery really last?
Apple rates the Ultra at up to 36 hours versus 18 hours for the SE and Series 8, but real-world comparisons show the Ultra lasts roughly one-third longer rather than twice as long. With the software battery-saving mode (available on all current models), all watches can easily run for about two days.
What material is the Apple Watch Ultra made from?
The Apple Watch Ultra is made from titanium, which is more durable than the aluminium used for the SE and the base Series 8. The Series 8 is also available in stainless steel as an upgrade option.
Does the Apple Watch Ultra have an always-on display?
Yes, both the Series 8 and the Ultra feature an always-on display that stays visible at all times. The SE does not have this feature and its screen turns off between interactions.
What is the extra button on the Apple Watch Ultra for?
The Ultra includes an additional configurable action button that is not present on the SE or Series 8. It can be assigned to specific functions or apps, though early reviews noted that the number of apps taking advantage of it was still limited at launch.
How can I get the Apple Watch Ultra look without paying €999?
A plastic case costing around €20, available from Chinese suppliers, can be placed over a Series 7 or Series 8 to replicate the Ultra's appearance. Third-party Ocean-style sport bands are also available for under €15, giving a similar aesthetic at a fraction of the cost.
Is the Apple Watch Ultra satellite emergency call available in Germany?
No — at the time of this episode the satellite emergency-call function of the Apple Watch Ultra was not yet available in Germany. The 80-decibel emergency siren is a hardware feature of the Ultra that is not present on the SE or Series 8.
Tools & Resources Mentioned
- Apple Watch comparison page – Official Apple website where you can compare the SE, Series 8, and Ultra side by side
- Oceanic app – Dive-computer app for the Apple Watch Ultra, enabling recreational diving tracking
