Apple Watch Ultra 3 introduces a bioimpedance body composition sensor alongside a 72-hour battery life, making it the first Apple Watch that can genuinely compete with dedicated fitness trackers on both health metrics and endurance.
Key Upgrades
The third-generation Ultra refines Apple's adventure watch formula with meaningful health and battery improvements.
- Body composition: measures body fat %, muscle mass, water content, and bone mineral density via wrist-based bioimpedance
- Accuracy: within 2% of DEXA scan for body fat measurement in Apple's clinical validation
- Battery: 72 hours in standard mode, 96 hours in low-power mode, 48 hours with always-on display + GPS active
- New depth gauge: accurate to 130 feet (up from 40m) with dive computer functionality
- S10 chip with on-device AI processing for real-time workout form analysis
The Verdict
At $849, the Ultra 3 is expensive, but it replaces a body composition scale ($200), a dedicated GPS watch ($400), and a dive computer ($300). For outdoor enthusiasts and serious fitness trackers, the value proposition finally makes sense. The body composition feature alone could drive upgrades from Ultra 2 owners.
