This video is brought to you by Brilliant. I wasn't planning on doing an Apple Watch
Ultra review, but at the same time, I wasn't planning on purchasing one…until I did.
I will be upfront and say that I will share my experiences with the Ultra as an average
E, and I will refrain from trying to be adequate at adrenaline activities where I can showcase
lifesaving features. Instead, I’ll tell you how I feel and use the Ultra as any other
bloke who wears a dive watch and works at a desk.
Unboxing the Ultra was definitely more exciting than any of the recent Apple products I’ve
unpacked recently. Since each Ultra is the same (Titanium case with Ceramic back and
Flat sapphire crystal with protective lip, boasting this sort of standard silver color),
the only difference is the band, and the package clearly represents that. I bought the Alpine
loop, which I'm sure you'll laugh at because it's a small size and it barely fits me. Unfortunately,
due to the scarcity of these watches in my location, I had no other choice…well..I
had, and it was to wait. Despite the wrong size, the alpine loop is a great band, and
it complements the Ultra quite nicely. Unfortunately, I won't be able to wear it because it will
scratch something since the hook stays at the very bottom in this size. I have other
band choices that I'll talk more about in a bit but before that, let me tell you about
the watch itself. I've never felt so much guilt purchasing an
Apple Watch. The keynote and advertising made me feel like a chump that doesn't climb mountains
nor dive in oceans, and at first, I was confident that I won't be buying one.
But then, I saw mere mortals going for it, and it looked great on most wrists, including
women's. Looking at my other normal watches, I realized that this must be a great everyday
watch that happens to also excel in extreme conditions. An example would be the bigger
buttons that are easier to press, something that will come in very handy in the upcoming
winter days when I am wearing gloves. When I work out, the dedicated orange button comes
in very handy, and the overall sturdiness of the device itself makes me feel more at
ease wearing it all the time without constantly worrying that I might damage it. In fact,
I use it more as a smartwatch than ever before for 3 reasons. BTW, if you end up enjoying
this video, subscribe, because WHY NOT? Reason number one is the larger screen. It’s
much easier to read, not only because of the increased size but also because it’s flat.
Responding to a message is now actually possible, so is reading something or even scrolling
through social media. The most used calculator app is officially the one on the Ultra, and
that’s why I placed it in the complication. This screen is the absolute best camera viewfinder
as well when doing shoots with the iPhone - something that I actually take full advantage
of. The improved 2000 nits display is effortless to look at no matter the surrounding environment,
and the Wayfinder mode or night mode is awesome. With the Utlra, I am actually included to
browse and look for cool apps to use with, which has never been the case before. It’s
definitely a more productive device and not just an extension of my phone anymore. The
larger screen makes me leave my phone behind more often than I thought, which brings me
to reason number two. The more powerful speakers and new microphone
array are fantastic, which somehow makes me more inclined to take or initiate calls from
the watch itself (when I am not surrounded by people, of course). If I am driving a car,
I can comfortably conduct a conversation without having to bring the watch closer to my my
face to hear what the person on the other side is saying, nor do I have to yell to be
heard. The improvements that we are talking about here definitely have an impact since
more and more people are actively trying to ditch their iPhones in favor of using the
Ultra as a standalone smartphone replacement, but it’s not there yet, and I think mainly
because of the app choices and support. There should be more now.
Reason number 3 for using the Ultra more than my previous watches is of course, the battery
life. The Ultra does not disappoint. In fact, sharing my experiences with friends of mine
always leads to their conclusion that they are thinking of getting an Ultra for the battery
life improvement alone. The Ultra changed my charging habits and overall smartwatch
habits just by lasting over 2x more than my previous fairly new 7th gen Apple Watch. If
I keep the always on display I easily get 2 full days and nights plus another 12 maybe
even 16 hours before I am reminded to place it on the charger. Those days include workouts
and fairly moderate moving habits, yet nothing extreme. Keep in mind that I don’t use it
Cellular and it’s part of my iPhone routines. If always-on is OFF, I can hit and squeeze
even more from the battery. For years, I was used placing the Apple Watch on a charger
every night not wearing it in bed in order to avoid mid-day top-up sessions. Now I put
it on and just forget about it, which is great because for the first time I am actively tracking
my sleeping habits. I like the always-on, so unless I am traveling and I want to make
sure I don’t have to charge it, I keep always…on…ON. Just as the Ultra has changed my smartwatch
charging habits, Brilliant is changing my learning habits. I know most of us don’t
associate the word “studying” with entirely positive experiences. Especially when it comes
to math. But Brilliant have found a way to make learning new skills in STEM fun. It’s
all college level material minus the pressure. See my latest discovery for example - Calculus
in a nutshell. This course explains the fundamental pillars of calculus, but with a hands-on approach
and actual real-life examples. For instance, I practiced integrals by finding an area bounded
by a parabola - which to be honest, left me feeling as smart as an Ancient Greek scientist.
The information comes in bite-sized portions, so it’s not overwhelming. Plus, you can
spend 10 minutes a day or you can spend 30 - totally up to you. After Calculus in a nutshell,
you can ****explore the rest of the Calculus courses. Brilliant will keep things exciting
for you by adding new content every month. To get started with the app for free, visit brilliant.org/thisise…..
or click on the link in the description. The first 200 of you will get 20% off Brilliant’s
annual premium subscription. So here’s what I like about the Ultra and
what I don’t. First and foremost, the Ultra is different.
The standard Apple Watch has become the status quo for many, and unless you get a stainless
steel series 8 with an interesting band, you’ll be blending in for the most part. In the world
of watches, looks matter, and I think that’s one of the reasons so many people have jumped
to the Ultra this time around. Me being one of them. Although I have other watches, I
use the Apple Watch 99% of the time because it’s also a tool. It’s my tracker, my
mac authenticator, my alarm, my reminders tool, my preferred payment method, my viewfinder
when shooting stuff with the iPhone, and now I can do that while standing out.
I also like the ruggedness of the device and how big it is. I’ve always preferred larger
watches, and now I have one. The size increase goes hand in hand with everything that I mentioned
about the display and usability. The only thing that I would’ve loved to
see with the Ultra is a different color. I would’ve gone with a black version in an
instance or maybe a ceramic body, exactly how it looks on the bottom, which is awesome
(that of course would be a durability compromise). In terms of bands, I most often circle between
two right now. I recently purchased the White Ocean band
because I like how it looks and how it stands out, and I honestly didn’t expect for it
to be that comfortable. With it I don’t feel the watch on my wrist at all. I like
the idea behind the removable buckle that goes into the internal holes of the band,
ensuring that the band will not unbuckle no matter the circumstances. That, however is
perhaps the biggest issue if I were to work on the computer with it, since it can easily
scatch the aluminum. The second band that is a perfect match for
the Ultra is the Traditional Band by Nomad. Although this is a leather band, I had no
issues swimming with it. It’s again very comfortable, and it looks great with casual
and even more formal wear. Nomad’s titanium band in black also stands
out, especially with a black watch face and the contrast between the watch body and the
black links. If you want to learn more about my favorite bands and other watch accessories,
be sure to check out my accessories video, which I’ll link at the end of this one.
So, the Ultra is an expensive watch but not nearly as expensive as some other watches
out there. I have people asking me if it's worth upgrading from another Apple Watch and
the logical answer is, of course, is NO, because the Ultra does almost the same day-to-day
things as the Series 8 and Series 7, for example. I'm excluding the extremes, of course. The
Ultra unlocks my Mac and tells the time just as well as any other Apple Watch. But, it
stands out, it’s more productive, and to me, it feels a lot more like my type of watch.
It’s rigged & functional. If you enjoyed this video, than you should
definitely check out my favorite Apple Watch accessories video which I recently released.
Like & Subscribe to the channel, as well as my newsletter, and as always, it’s been
an absolute pleasure, This is E
Over & out