This video is sponsored by Surfshark
The Apple Watch Ultra is now well and truly part of my everyday life and plays a very
important part in how I monitor my health, track my exercise, and even how I improve
my sleep…
But I’ve had some problems with it.
It definitely hasn’t been smooth sailing, you know?
And if you’re an athlete or someone who has a high demand for precision tracking data,
I have some interesting thoughts for you as well.
I’m Alex, and I do down to earth tech videos.
In this video (quite a packed video with lots of goodies for you) I will share my experience
in these last 6-7 months with all the great things that I love about the Watch Ultra…
some of the best accessories that I discovered for it… whether you’re looking for budget
alternatives or premium ones!
I will also share some of the apps that have been incredible on this watch since I bought
it…Some absolute gems that I found
But I will also share some of the issues I’ve been having with it… such as battery issues
and being someone who has a lot of Android devices, there are some trade-offs that…
I’ve had to put up with as well.
Lot’s to talk about!
For a little bit of context, I am just your regular dad.
I don’t climb mountains or run marathons.
My exercise routine is really all over the place but I am a very busy person.
I do a bit of running but nothing crazy.
And talking about running, I run a couple of businesses and I am also a football coach
which keeps me busy at least twice a week running around and you know the usual dad
things...
Like dog walks, your standard commute stuff, and also driving my son around to all his
sports events around the country.
I am telling you all this because it’s gonna be important later on when I talk about the
battery life.
Let’s talk about usability of this watch.
How good is this watch on a day-to-day basis?
I was very nervous before buying this watch.
Apple didn’t really target this watch at people like me, right?
Or… didn’t they?
Personally, I am more than never CONVINCED that they used a reverse-psychology approach
here.
If you remember the Apple event and the ads for this Watch, it’s all about extreme sports,
scuba diving and survival mode on some remote mountain…
All of this makes you think, oh well that’s not me.
But it also has the effect of…
Who do they think they are?
If I want to get this watch and sit on my couch that’s what I will do.
Ultimately, like in a Casino… the house, in this case Apple… always wins.
I mean..
My dog walks can be treacherous but nothing that bad!
But that nervousness… that apprehension (i’ts a lot of money right?) kinda went
away the minute I started to USE the watch.
I am a firm believer that until you tried the product yourself and experienced it in
your day to day…
there really is no marketing or review that…will truly represent what is important to you.
I am sure these reviews help, but until you’ve touched it and felt it yourself…these are
just guidelines right?
And this was very true for me.
Everyone else on Youtube just kept going on about how big the Watch Ultra was and how
awkward it felt.
I don’t have large wrists at all, Im just about on the medium size at 19cm.
Sure, it feels a bit weird at first, especially if you are coming from a much smaller smartwatch
but… if you’re used to bigger watches..
like the Garmin for example…
then this is actually quite discrete in comparison.
And Before we talk about this amazing display, I want to give you a moment here to appreciate
this beautiful design and to see how it’s holding up after seven months!
I don’t get tired of how good this watch looks you know…For me what made this watch
so much better than previous Apple Watches… was the display.
Not just the beautiful sapphire crystal material which clearly has done its job really well
here - but because the apps are now so much easier to use for me.
I still can’t type on it - trust me I tried - but I found using apps like Spotify, Apple
Music, 1Password, and many others…
just that much more enjoyable… because of the watch Ultra’s bigger display.
Now… if you are interested in exercise tracking apps… the Apple built in apps are of course
a-okay and I sign up to Apple Fitness, but even for me, I find them a bit lacking sometimes,
in terms of data and how that data is then used.
And this is where Garmin users may feel that this is not the watch for them right?
But I did find some great 3rd party apps out there that will give you more than what Apple
does.
For instance, having a visual map integrated with your running.
Let’s not get ahead of ourselves though, I am not saying that the Watch Ultra replaces
the Garmin.
There are pros and cons, but if you are a Garmin type of person, I am not even going
to argue with you because there’s just so much more you can do on those.
Plus… battery life!
I do live some of Apple’s improvements on the Fitness+ stuff but the Workout app…
is still too basic in my opinion.
So yes, the apps haven’t changed, but the usability is THAT much improved on this display,
that I actually feel like going to the app on the watch INSTEAD of the iPhone sometimes.
I got rid of my iPhone 14 Pro Max and replaced it with the 13 Mini which is another story,
but in short…
the only reason I have an iPhone at all… is because of the Watch Ultra.
I was able to switch from the 14 Pro Max to the S23 Ultra… but I could not lose the
watch ultra.
So the 13 Mini was a compromise.
I am not getting all my notifications as I used to because my main SIM card in on the
S23 Ultra but everything else is fine.
When it comes to the ergonomics of this watch, it takes time with some products for you to
get use to them right?
I don’t know… for me it was so quick to get used to it… and within days I was even
sleeping with it on, and using it to track my sleep without issues.
And that should tell you everything you need to know about how comfortable it can be for
some people.
On the other hand…
I find the orange Action button a bit too trigger happy sometimes.
Depending on the clothing I am wearing and what I am doing, I found it more often than
I’d like to… that the button is getting pressed accidentally.
I have mine set to start a workout and there’s been more than a few occasions where I started
a workout and only noticed it a couple of hours later.
This is where I think Apple could help us right?
In a few occasions this happened when I was driving so clearly, not exercising.
Why can’t Apple’s AMAZING AI… you know, introduce a little haptic to say, hey are
you definitely working out?
Because it looks like you’re driving… and we can see your iPhone is connected to
your car’s bluetooth so…
Maybe I am alone here, but let me know if you get those accidental button pushes too.
Even here on the beach, I found this extremely comfortable didn’t get sweaty at all and
I’ve been playing football going into the water and nothing got stuck in it or any sand
or anything like that.
Talking about comfort…
I have gift for one of you, but before I talk about hat…
Look, I tried quite a few of these Apple Watch straps and I landed on two being my favourites:
Apple’s own…
TRAIL LOOP which is by far the most comfortable to wear in bed.
And this Titanium Edition by Sandmarc.
This one is more of a premium option.
But man, what a revelation this is.
I’ve used many metal bands before and some look really nice… but end up being quite
sharp on the edges or too heavy.
This is just perfect.
Feels very light…
It looks great and identical finish so that it looks like it belongs you know…?
100% the best accessories for the watch Ultra so far.
I have links for it in the description for you.
I actually pre-ordered this months ago, and then SANDMARC send me another to try.
So for your chance to win this.
And don’t worry, I will pay for shipping…
Comment below, with the diamond emoji and I will select one of you randomly to get this.
To be clear you don’t have to subscribed.
But it would be awesome if you were.
And if you share this video with somebody, you get two chances to win…
I tried other accessories as well, like a screen protector and other straps from Amazon
and I was actually shocked at how good some of those were, for a fraction of the price.
And you get some better colours too.
For example, this trail loop here is from Amazon and this one is from Apple.
$100 vs $16 dollars.
I can’t tell the difference.
They feel the same, weight the same… maybe the latch is slightly different colour but,
almost identical material and quality.
Going forwards / What I’d like to see in future
Probably too soon to talk about what I’d like to see in future but here are my thoughts
anyway.
I really hope that Apple brings this design to the series 9, because I think a lot of
people are being put off by the size of the watch.
The Saphire display is no joke and I’m pretty sure a lot of people would pay a little bit
extra… just to have that design in the series 9 watch.
I do believe that the battery life CAN be improved.
It’s very inconsistent right now.
Not many people seem to be mentioning this, but judging by the comments in my last video,
I am not alone!
And finally, potentially the most important point is…
I’d like better software.
Like iOS itself on the iPhone… watchOS could do with some improvements.
I am not asking for much really am I?
But let me know what improvements YOU’d like to see.
As someone who’s always so busy, one thing that I appreciate is battery life.
And I have to be honest here…
It’s not been great.
I am kinda living with it but it annoys me that a watch this expensive is having such
issues.
It started off amazingly well.
In my last review I reported on this and not many people at first agreed with me.
But now, it seems that more and more people are on the same boat.
I am getting more and more comments about this.
I think it’s a shame because apart from that inconsistent battery life, it’s been
a superb experience.
Which brings me to the apps that I use on the watch but before that a quick word from
today’s sponsors Surfshark.
Like the apps I am about to share with you, Surfshark has been a great app for me.
Extremely robust, but also very simple to use.
Off the bat, my favourite feature is how easy it is to share the subscription across devices.
Doesn’t matter how many, Apple or Android.
Everything is protected the same way.
In today’s world I think it’s so important to have as many protection barriers as possible
and Surfshark offers more than one way of protection.
There’s the VPN aspect which helps you when you are accessing a public WiFi.
It could be a hotel, a cafe or restaurant.
You never really know if there’s someone monitoring your usage or trying to steal your
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You know, your credit card details, usernames and passwords…
Surfshark VPN puts a mask, if you like, encrypting on you connection… which means any hackers
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But protecting my privacy is not the only thing Surfshark helps me with.
Another two great ways Surfshark helps me, is when I am online shopping or watching content.
I can very easily change my IP address to a different country and look for the best
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Super useful, for things like sports… but also for catching up with your favourite series
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And the great news for you?
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As I mentioned earlier, I’ve tried many apps for the watch Ultra and outside the obvious
ones…
here are some of the apps that REALLY made a big difference in my day to day.
The first one is actually the one that probably saves me the most time.
This is 1Password.
Not sponsored by them in this video, it’s just an app that I’ve been using for ABOUT
5 years now!
Awesome on the desktop and on my mobile.
But even better on the watch because of how convenient it is.
I don’t save every single password on this, but all the ones that I use the most are saved
on the watch and I love that.
It’s not mind-blowing or anything like that, but I love the simplicity.
Sometimes it’s the little things in life you know, like not having to remember every
password.
And going back to exercise, luckily there are 3rd party apps that I think are better…
and I found this app which is AMAZING.
It’s called Athlytic.
No, I haven’t developed a KIWI accent all of a sudden, it’s just how they pronounce
it.
It’s actually UNFAIR to say this is just an exercise app, they have so many cool features.
It does require a subscription to use some of the Pro features but I definitely recommend
it.
Especially if you are after something that gives you a bit more of a … detailed breakdown
of your health, HRV, exertion, recovery score…
The more you use the app, the better information it will give you.
Even around your sleep patterns, your breathing.
Honestly, I found it much easier than Apple’s built in Fitness app that either, omits the
information completely or makes it really hard for you extract any meaning out of it.
Now, there’s two caveats here.
One…
I think using apps like this means there’s a lot more readings being done by the watch,
which could potentially be causing my battery issues.
Though, I haven’t really been able to prove that.
An example here is the AF history.
I don’t think that’s on by default.
It’s only recommended if you’ve been diagnosed with AF before.
I am tired AF.
I don’t think that’s the same thing.
The other caveat…is more of a realistic aspect right?
Do I need a watch or an app to tell me I am tired or I need to exercise?
No…
But having the data REALLY changes how I approach things.
Seeing this information, presented in such a useful way for me is golden.
it’s just annoying that Apple themselves are not including these features.
Especially when you pay for that Fitness plus subscription…
Another great app you should check out is Work outdoors, I have this on my watch and
used it for a long time, but as I shared in my previous video…
I’ve been so happy with Athlytic that I don’t use Work outdoors anymore.
The great thing about Work outdoors is the map though…. and this is where Garmin users
may be tempted to try this.
The map on this is pretty amazing!!
Each and every element of the screen is customisable.
You can even download the map for offline use.
It really is a fantastic little app.
Oh, I almost forgot…
Before I talk about another favourite app of mine, probably THE MOST FAVOURITE…
Just a quick reminder that… this YouTUbe business is extremely hard.
So if you’re enjoying this video, a thumbs up will go a long way.
I really mean this, it really helps with the channel being discovered out there.
And I am not gonna ask you to subscribe for no reason, but please, after this video, take
a quick look at the channel and if you like my stuff, it would be awesome if you subscribed.
I am here at least once a week with a new down-to-earth tech video for you.
Another favourite of mine has been Sleep Cycle.
I’ve had this on my smartphones for many years and having this on the watch is again,
super valuable for me.
I really think this is an opportunity missed by Apple.
Ergonomically speaking this Watch actually feels great to sleep with.
For me, it’s been between four and five days a week so I sleep with it on fairly frequently!
I know we get some sleep tracking data from Apple now, but it’s pretty iffy.
I’ve heard lots of people complain that sometimes they wake up in the middle of the
night and the watch doesn’t register it.
Sleep Cycle feels really accurate to me and this is gonna sound really silly…
The best feature?
Its the alarm!
It’s such a simple thing, but makes a world of difference to me.
The way I wake pretty much dictates how I feel for the rest of the day.
I fully expect that you may have a completely different approach to sleep, but this has
made a massive difference for me.
It’s sometimes counter intuitive because it will sometimes wake you BEFORE the time
you set.
You will never wake you up AFTER the time you set…
Because that would be really annoying, but I love how it chooses the right sleep cycle
to wake you up.
Even if that means…
technically getting less sleep.
For me.. game changer.
I did a video about the best apps for the Watch Ultra so I won’t go into a lot of
detail here in THIS video but I encourage you to take a look at that video because some
of these apps now have really been brought to life because of this beautiful display.
And it’s one of the most popular videos on this channel, like…
EVER!
I’d love to see Apple expand on this design and maybe bring this look and feel to the
next Apple Watch Series, but what I’d really REALLY REALLY love is if Apple could allow
for Android apps to interact with this.
But that’s a massive stretch I know.
See you soon!