Apple Watch Ultra 3: Everything we know so far

Apple's annual September iPhone event is just a few months away, and all signs point to the Apple Watch UItra 3 making an appearance alongside the iPhone 17, Apple Watch Series 11, and Apple Watch SE 3.

Apple only unveiled one new smartwatch in 2024, so 2025 is shaping up to be a fairly bumper year by comparison, with fully three new models plus watchOS 12 expected over the coming months.

But what will 2025 bring to the Apple Watch Ultra? The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is the best Apple Watch and the best smartwatch out there right now thanks to its excellent design, battery life, and epic display, but there's always more to be added.

Early leaks and rumors point to a fairly muted design change but some big health improvements under the hood. Here's what we know so far.

Cut to the chase

• What is it? A new Apple Watch Ultra
• When is it out? Most likely announced September 2025
• How much will it cost? Probably at least $799 / £799 / AU$1,399

Apple Watch Ultra 3: rumored release date and price

Apple always releases its new watch models in September at its iPhone event. The Apple Watch Ultra 3 didn’t materialize in 2024, so we’d expect it in 2025 instead. That’s also the opinion of the inimitable Apple Insider Mark Gurman. Reporting in January, he revealed that Apple’s 2025 slate of products includes a new Apple Watch Ultra 3, Series 11, and SE 3 coming in September.

In terms of pricing, there’s no indication that Apple will depart from its current pricing structure of one Apple Watch Ultra model in the region of $799 / £799 / AU$1,399. Apple usually keeps the pricing fairly similar, and for reasons we’ll come to, it seems unlikely the price will increase.

Apple Watch Ultra 3: leaks and rumors

Display

Rumors abounded in 2024 that Apple was planning to adopt a microLED display for the Apple Watch Ultra, however, the latest reports indicate this has been shelved indefinitely. Writing in March 2024, Ming-Chi Kuo revealed that microLED wouldn’t add significant value to the Apple Watch.

However, Apple has recently upgraded the Apple Watch Series 10 with a new LTPO3 OLED technology that is 40% brighter when viewed from any angle. It's odd that the Ultra would persist with inferior display tech, so this seems like a nailed-on update for 2025.

Satellite connectivity and 5G

One of the biggest rumored upgrades is the inclusion of satellite connectivity and Reduced Capability 5G, which could drastically improve the Apple Watch Ultra 3’s communication features. The satellite connectivity is likely a safety feature for emergency services communication, although it may also be for sending messages over satellite waves like the iPhone 16 lineup. 5G would seriously boost the Ultra’s data capability when it comes to navigation and streaming, as well as communication and voice call improvements.

Chip

Just like the display, the Ultra 2 now lags behind the Apple Watch Series 10, sporting the S9 chip compared to the S10. There might be a new chip across the board for all of these models, but at the very least the S10 will be included as an upgrade.

Design

Those are all under-the-hood changes; however, top insider Mark Gurman warns that Apple is not planning any kind of redesign. He says the Apple Watch SE 3 is the only model we should expect to get a new look, while the Ultra 3 and Series 11 will stay roughly the same.

One possible design tweak could be the inclusion of the Apple Watch Series 10's newer rear casing. The metal back is more efficient when it comes to charging and cellular performance, so this seems like another no-brainer.

Hypertension

Perhaps the biggest rumored change to the Ultra 3 could be the advent of new high blood pressure detection. According to reports, Apple is planning a new health monitoring feature for blood pressure. While it won't be able to give specific blood pressure readouts, it may well be able to detect hypertension, similar to the workings of its sleep apnea detection feature. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports we can expect this feature in the Ultra 3 and the Series 11.

According to reports, Apple is set to overhaul its Health app in iOS 19, replete with an AI-powered Doctor. Chances are this will lean heavily on Apple Watch metrics for data and as such we can also expect the Ultra 3 to get some revamped health features, at the very least a more comprehensive health app.

Apple Watch Ultra 3: what we want to see

All the signs are that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 isn't going to be a huge jump forward in tech from the Apple Watch Ultra 2 – but we still have a few ideas about how Apple could improve its most capable smartwatch.

1. A cheaper price

Lower prices are always welcome, and while we do understand the premium materials used on the Apple Watch Ultra don't come cheap, surely Apple can find some compromises to offer a cheaper version of the Ultra? There's a not-insignificant $400 / £400 / AU$750 difference between the starting prices of the Apple Watch 10 and the Apple Watch Ultra 2, and an additional smartwatch model could bridge that gap nicely.

2. More design options

Right now, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is available with just one casing choice: standard silver titanium. The three straps (each available in three colors) give you some customization options, but we'd like to see more options when it comes to both the casing around the display and the straps you can get with it. If there's not much changing with the watch specs or design, then Apple can at least give users some more personalization options. Maybe an all-black option?

3. More exclusive features

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 has a number of exclusive features to differentiate it from the Apple Watch 9, including an Action button and a siren button you can use to call for help. We'd like to see even more of these upgrades added to make the hefty price jump from the standard model worth it – perhaps in the form of exclusive apps for more advanced outdoor activity tracking or a more advanced set of sensors for deeper health insights.

4. Improved Siri

We've heard plenty about the Apple Intelligence upgrades that are coming to Siri on iPhones, iPads and Macs, but as yet, there's nothing for the Apple Watch or watchOS 11. The Apple Watch Ultra 3 could be the perfect showcase for a smarter Siri that gives better answers and can provide more information – a key upgrade for a device where voice control is often preferable to tapping at the screen with your fingers and thumbs.

Unfortunately, this is still a long way off and may not even debut in time for watchOS 12 in 2026.

5. Better battery life

The up-to-36-hours battery life on the Apple Watch Ultra 2 isn't too bad at all, but it there wasn't any upgrade in this department over the original Apple Watch Ultra, and it still falls short if you want to take the wearable away for a few days in the mountains or into the middle of nowhere. A combination of a bigger battery capacity, a more efficient chipset, and some software optimizations should be possible to extend battery life even further.