[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by Cyborg

That’s great news Shankar, under promise and over deliver - customers happy. Actually, perhaps initially they underestimated the demand for the Ultra because of its price and corrected the supply chain accordingly.

Please post your thoughts after a reasonable amount of time for us and happy playing with a bigger model

Cheers

I’m just wondering. If I keep my Apple Watch 6 and pair it to my other iPhone mainly just for golfing activity, and keep this new Ultra paired to my main iPhone, then will the two watches and all the fitness and steps readings and all, merge or at least be available to view at a glance? Since I m anyway very much on iCloud and am using the same Apple ID across all my devices.

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by Eddy

My wife uses a series 2 watch (38 mm). Are there any stainless steel straps available for this watch?

I saw a few options on Amazon. This one looks pretty cool.

[shankar.balan]

I got back last evening and the Ultra was at home waiting for me.
Its been in the Puja room overnight as a small expression of gratitude to the Lord above.
I ll open it up today sometime and maybe pop along to the local Apple Store and get it configured and at the same time configure the Series 6 with my other iPhone.

In order to get my new Ultra to work perfectly and use all its capabilities and e-sim and all, I shall have to go to the nearby Airtel Shop and finally bite the bullet and switch over from Vodafone/ Vi - after 20 years! No other go.

[vb-saan]

I am so tempted to replace my Series 6 LTE with the Ultra. The fluid interface of the Apple Watch is unmatched, and this adds more to it – firstly it stands out from the now-so-common regular Apple Watch. And the claimed battery life eliminates my main gripe with the 6.

On a side note, this I believe is the whirlpool of the famous (or infamous, depending on how one sees it) Apple ecosystem. Personally, I find the iPhone experience to be average, it doesn't hold much of an edge compared to the flagships from Samsung or Google, even for photos. But what makes the difference for me are the accessories or the add-ons built around the iPhone. I am yet to find a credible alternative to my AirPods Pro. There may be better-sounding alternatives around, but the size of these buds, the in-ear feel, spatial audio, and more importantly the transparency mode (I absolutely love this, even more than the ANC feature). I checked out the Pixel Buds Pro, it sounded good but did not match the overall experience of the AirPods Pro (maybe it’s the familiarity factor). The same goes for the Apple Watch. There are some great options from the likes of Garmin with almost infinite battery backup, but nothing matches the finesse and convenience of the Apple Watch. And smartwatches with cellular connectivity are so limited in options. So, if I get the Watch Ultra, the next step will be to switch back to iPhone when the annual renewal comes through next year – just to have that optimum user experience from the peripherals.

[extreme_torque]

Originally Posted by vb-san

I am so tempted to replace my Series 6 LTE with the Ultra. The fluid interface of the Apple Watch is unmatched, and this adds more to it – firstly it stands out from the now-so-common regular Apple Watch. And the claimed battery life eliminates my main gripe with the 6.

On a side note, this I believe is the whirlpool of the famous (or infamous, depending on how one sees it) Apple ecosystem. Personally, I find the iPhone experience to be average, it doesn't hold much of an edge compared to the flagships from Samsung or Google, even for photos. But what makes the difference for me are the accessories or the add-ons built around the iPhone. I am yet to find a credible alternative to my AirPods Pro. There may be better-sounding alternatives around, but the size of these buds, the in-ear feel, spatial audio, and more importantly the transparency mode (I absolutely love this, even more than the ANC feature). I checked out the Pixel Buds Pro, it sounded good but did not match the overall experience of the AirPods Pro (maybe it’s the familiarity factor). The same goes for the Apple Watch. There are some great options from the likes of Garmin with almost infinite battery backup, but nothing matches the finesse and convenience of the Apple Watch. And smartwatches with cellular connectivity are so limited in options. So, if I get the Watch Ultra, the next step will be to switch back to iPhone when the annual renewal comes through next year – just to have that optimum user experience from the peripherals.

For me one of the most important criteria apart from reasonable battery life is the tracking accuracy. Apple Watch by far is the best, from their cheapest SE to the most expensive Ultra. I follow The Quantified Scientist on youtube who does extremely detailed, quantitative reviews of smart watch/fitness trackers. His latest is for Pixel Watch and I went into the video thinking this would be good for tracking given the might of Google but no, its horrendous.

It is not something which the other so called tech youtubers would tell you such as MKBHD and the likes. Most of them, most of the time are reading spec sheets and concentrating more on videography than critically reviewing a device.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVGk48jcdtg

Here is another extremely well done review

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0ukXDnWlTY

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by extreme_torque

For me one of the most important criteria apart from reasonable battery life is tracking accuracy. Apple Watch by far is the best, from their cheapest SE to the most expensive Ultra. I follow The Quantified Scientist on YouTube who does extremely detailed, quantitative reviews of smartwatch/fitness trackers. His latest is for Pixel Watch and I went into the video thinking this would be good for tracking given the might of Google but no, it’s horrendous.

Accuracy is a strength, but so is the case with some dedicated fitness watches like the Garmin Fenix series, Instinct, etc. But for me, the Apple Watch goes beyond that. The fluidity of the interface, the Activity app, the convenience of LTE, seamless connectivity with the AirPods, and Siri, all add to the experience. My wife uses her watch primarily for walk/run tracking and doesn’t care much about Always on Display or other add-ons that come with the series 6/7/8, and hence happy with the SE. And with LTE, there’s no need for her to carry around the massive 14 Pro Max when out for the walk/run.

Coming to the Pixel watch, (as a first gen product) I did not expect much from that. And I think they will need to figure out whether it is Pixel branded Fitbit or something with a path of its own.

[extreme_torque]

Originally Posted by vb-san

Accuracy is a strength, but so is the case with some dedicated fitness watches like the Garmin Fenix series, Instinct, etc.

In the review that I posted from the quantified scientist, the Garmin's, which he has tested, are rated as some of the worst for tracking accuracy. I would stay away.

Just came across this. Apple wasn't kidding when they said, Ultra was tough. I am astonished at how resilient it is, especially the screen! God Damn! Hint: You don't need a screen protector for the Ultra at all. Very very impressed! And I love mine even more now!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A72Ckh990j0

[revvharder]

Can someone recommend a good quality milanese band, have searched quite a lot but was only able to find magnetic ones on amazon.

Does the magnet on these bands really hold the watch in place?

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by extreme_torque

In the review that I posted from the quantified Apple wasn't kidding when they said, Ultra was tough. I am astonished at how resilient it is, especially the screen

While I appreciate this man’s test and reassurance, I can't help but feel very sad for those two watches which he physically abused in a terrible, dreadful way in that video.

But my 2-year-old Series 6 screen is indeed damaged (there is some sort of LCD type of fluid leak inside like it used to happen in those old Casio watches if one dropped them once too often, and there is nothing I can do about it. (See pic)

And I'm happy now that I bought the Ultra. I'll get it started soon. First, I need to change over to the Airtel scheme of things.

[dragonfire]

Sorry if this has been discussed before here, but can we have the same mobile number configured on both the phone and the watch? I don't want to get a different number for the watch. But I should be able to take calls even if I just have the watch with me for some reason.

Sounds stupid to me, but is it possible?

[novice]

Originally Posted by dragonfire

Sorry if this has been discussed before here, but can we have the same mobile number configured on both the phone and the watch? I don't want to get a different number for the watch. But I should be able to take calls even if I just have the watch with me for some reason.

Sounds stupid to me, but is it possible?

I just received my ultra. Apple delivered it 10 days earlier than promised. I am using Airtel eSIM and the watch got configured with minimal intervention from me. I am able to receive calls standalone on the watch.

It does feel heavy with the ocean band but the band is much smaller in length. Only the last two holes fit, it takes bit of an effort to wear/remove.

[ajayc123]

Originally Posted by revvharder

Can someone recommend a good quality milanese band, have searched quite a lot but was only able to find magnetic ones on amazon.

Does the magnet on these bands really hold the watch in place?

I can talk a bit about the chinese magnetic bands available at Amazon/Flipkart. Tried for a couple of days:

Yes magnet is quite strong, but one needs to be careful about wrist hair getting sandwiched between the band and the magnet.

Finish is quite ok.

Since this is metallic, if you wear tight, then expect the band pattern to be stamped on your wrist. If worn slightly loose, this pattern can be avoided. But being metallic, it is a bit slippery (unlike silicone ones), so there will be a bit of movement, when you raise or lower you hand, when worn slightly loose.

[Sebring]

I'm considering the Garmin (along with Series 8) as it has Solar charging feature

Originally Posted by vb-san

There are some great options from the likes of Garmin with almost infinite battery backup

[extreme_torque]

Originally Posted by Sebring

I'm considering the Garmin (along with Series 8) as it has Solar charging feature

If tracking is important to you, I would be looking elsewhere. Garmin's dont come cheap either.

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by Sebring

I'm considering the Garmin (along with Series 8) as it has Solar charging feature

It really depends on what you want the watch for. If you are fitness-oriented, the high-end Garmin watches make a lot of sense. I have a friend who moved from an Apple Watch Series 6 to Garmin Fenix 6; he does 100+ km on the bike at least twice a week and runs regularly. If you give equal weightage to the so-called smartwatch features, then go with the Apple Watch (I belong to this category). I wear the watch for the whole day, fitness regimes are pretty average (long walks/gym 3-4 times a week, and get on the bike once in a while). I have to charge the Series 6 every night, but that’s a small hassle when compared to the benefits – cellular connectivity, fluid user interface, notifications, music playback, etc. And more importantly, all your health data gets seamlessly synced with the health/fitness apps on your iPhone.

And the Apple Watch Series 8 will cost much less than say a Garmin Fenix/Epix.