# Apple Watch Series 8, SE, and Ultra discussion



## DougFNJ

Series 8 looks like a minor upgrade over series 7. I’ll be sticking with my Series 7 for my regular Apple Watch wear. 

SE is a little more mainstream with Apple removing the Series 3 line, the 2 watches are very capable. 

Ultra is a MAJOR upgrade, beyond what I was expecting. Very happy with the design, really happy with the all new features, and the $799 pricing was a pleasant surprise. I ordered it on the green alpine loop and ordered the midnight ocean band extra. They didn’t say anything, so I’m guessing straps for 45mm will be too small. 

Looking forward to your thoughts. 


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## E.F. Schwerin

I agree with you regarding the Series 8. It doesn't seem to be a compelling upgrade from the 7. 

Regarding the Ultra, it does seem like a lot of Apple Watch for the price. I don't participate in any outdoor sports activities so it is a non starter for me. In addition, I have a small wrist and wear the 41mm so I think the watch would be wearing me instead of the other way around. Hard to tell from the images but it does appear to be fairly thick.
9 To 5 Mac is reporting the 45mm bands will fit the Ultra and vice versa:
_" And if you’re buying a band not explicitly designed for the Apple Watch Ultra, this message is included:
…the 45mm bands work with 42mm, 44mm and 49mm cases.
That means Apple has maintained band compatibility from the original 42mm Apple Watch all the way to the Series 8 version of the new 49mm Apple Watch Ultra. If you’ve bought smaller bands for 38/40/41mm, however, those bands will not be compatible.
Overall, this is more compatibility than was to be expected by the dramatically different Apple Watch Ultra prior to it being announced. Apple’s new bands (and Series 8 watches) are available to order today."_


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## watchcrank_tx

Things I noticed:

Temperature and crash detection seem to be the only new additions to the Series 8
Titanium on the regular AW dies
Stainless still has sapphire, and Hermès remains the only way to get a match to the black link bracelet
Otherwise case and bracelet colors across the AW range are still a hideous mess
The Ultra looks huuuuuuge. Will be interesting to see in person.
Will probably sit this year out and stick with the Ti 7.


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## Lee_K

I am a member of my state's Search and Rescue team here in the Rocky Mountains the US. I used to wear G-Shocks exclusively when out on rescue missions, but for the past two years have used an Apple Watch SE instead. It is surprisingly robust and I found I like it better than my Rangeman and GW-M5610 Casios. The extra battery life of the Ultra will be appreciated as I did have my SE go dead once when out on an exceptionally long search that lasted over 40 hours. My Apple Watch regularly faces snow, rain, gale-force winds, and low temperatures as my activities are typically over 10,000 feet in elevation (3000 meters). The Ultra looks like a very serious instrument that could do very well with the outdoor enthusiast community.

Also, the satellite emergency alert of the new series of watches and the iPhone 14 is something we in SAR are very interested in. We could pinpoint a person in distress and deploy assets to them faster and with precision, turning long search missions to quick rescue missions. We do get calls from people activating Garmin inReach devices with SOS capability, but they have limited penetration in the market. Practically everyone carries a cell phone with them, even when hiking and recreating. A phone triggering an alert through a hard fall or manually activated by the hiker/biker/skier/snowboarder could revolutionize what we do.


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## ronalddheld

Doug, awaiting your
Ultra video review. Maybe a long one, or in two parts?


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## bluecoffeee

I for one can't wait for it to come out!


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## Bob1087

DougFNJ said:


> Series 8 looks like a minor upgrade over series 7. I’ll be sticking with my Series 7 for my regular Apple Watch wear.
> 
> SE is a little more mainstream with Apple removing the Series 3 line, the 2 watches are very capable.
> 
> Ultra is a MAJOR upgrade, beyond what I was expecting. Very happy with the design, really happy with the all new features, and the $799 pricing was a pleasant surprise. I ordered it on the green alpine loop and ordered the midnight ocean band extra. They didn’t say anything, so I’m guessing straps for 45mm will be too small.
> 
> Looking forward to your thoughts.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I too ordered one. 45mm straps will fit the Ultra. There’s already an article out regarding that. I ordered orange alpine loop.


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## umarrajs

Excited about Ultra....something totally new and long awaited.
Since Apple would not have gone for an Ultra version without much demand analysis/legwork, I'm assuming that there is a demand for gigantic watches !.
The common sense on WUS seems to be that large watches are passé.


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## DougFNJ

Lee_K said:


> I am a member of my state's Search and Rescue team here in the Rocky Mountains the US. I used to wear G-Shocks exclusively when out on rescue missions, but for the past two years have used an Apple Watch SE instead. It is surprisingly robust and I found I like it better than my Rangeman and GW-M5610 Casios. The extra battery life of the Ultra will be appreciated as I did have my SE go dead once when out on an exceptionally long search that lasted over 40 hours. My Apple Watch regularly faces snow, rain, gale-force winds, and low temperatures as my activities are typically over 10,000 feet in elevation (3000 meters). The Ultra looks like a very serious instrument that could do very well with the outdoor enthusiast community.
> 
> Also, the satellite emergency alert of the new series of watches and the iPhone 14 is something we in SAR are very interested in. We could pinpoint a person in distress and deploy assets to them faster and with precision, turning long search missions to quick rescue missions. We do get calls from people activating Garmin inReach devices with SOS capability, but they have limited penetration in the market. Practically everyone carries a cell phone with them, even when hiking and recreating. A phone triggering an alert through a hard fall or manually activated by the hiker/biker/skier/snowboarder could revolutionize what we do.
> 
> View attachment 16884194


I am REALLY looking forward to your perspective on this watch. Would you mind if I reach out to you at some point for questions when I do my review on it? 



ronalddheld said:


> Doug, awaiting your
> Ultra video review. Maybe a long one, or in two parts?


Can’t wait to do it! Likely going to be doing multiple videos on this one. Going to do some prep work before I get it. 



Bob1087 said:


> I too ordered one. 45mm straps will fit the Ultra. There’s already an article out regarding that. I ordered orange alpine loop.


Thank you, and really happy about that, I have quite a few straps, nice to know I can swap back and forth. 



umarrajs said:


> Excited about Ultra....something totally new and long awaited.
> Since Apple would not have gone for an Ultra version without much demand analysis/legwork, I'm assuming that there is a demand for gigantic watches !.
> The common sense on WUS seems to be that large watches are passé.


Not passé for me . I never mind a big watch. 


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## BarracksSi

The Ultra looks like just too much for me. 

I want to see it in-store anyway, and I want to find out what it’s like to have buttons on opposing sides of the case. I don’t like accidentally taking screenshots by squeezing my iPhone’s buttons. And, I’ve said before that the good thing about the normal Watch design was that the side without a button gave you a surface to squeeze against (if that makes sense) as you press the crown or side button.

I’ll probably get a steel 8 to upgrade from my aluminum S4. I had a steel S0 and S2 and I miss how they feel and their sapphire screens.


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## brandon\

Lee_K said:


> I am a member of my state's Search and Rescue team here in the Rocky Mountains the US. I used to wear G-Shocks exclusively when out on rescue missions, but for the past two years have used an Apple Watch SE instead. It is surprisingly robust and I found I like it better than my Rangeman and GW-M5610 Casios. The extra battery life of the Ultra will be appreciated as I did have my SE go dead once when out on an exceptionally long search that lasted over 40 hours. My Apple Watch regularly faces snow, rain, gale-force winds, and low temperatures as my activities are typically over 10,000 feet in elevation (3000 meters). The Ultra looks like a very serious instrument that could do very well with the outdoor enthusiast community.
> 
> Also, the satellite emergency alert of the new series of watches and the iPhone 14 is something we in SAR are very interested in. We could pinpoint a person in distress and deploy assets to them faster and with precision, turning long search missions to quick rescue missions. We do get calls from people activating Garmin inReach devices with SOS capability, but they have limited penetration in the market. Practically everyone carries a cell phone with them, even when hiking and recreating. A phone triggering an alert through a hard fall or manually activated by the hiker/biker/skier/snowboarder could revolutionize what we do.
> 
> View attachment 16884194


Did you guys ever find all of that cash?


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## Lee_K

DougFNJ said:


> I am REALLY looking forward to your perspective on this watch. Would you mind if I reach out to you at some point for questions when I do my review on it?


I would be happy to help.


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## utzelu

Watched the keynote last night. Glad they left the AW8 design unchanged and improved the battery life with the Low Power Mode. I am not sure what to think about the Ultra. I am not their target consumer group and the size could be too big for me. But the price is an issue for us Europeans. The Ultra comes at 1000 EUR here, which is about $1000, all tax included. For the time being I am not in the market for a smartwatch


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## Metals

Nice updates all around.

AW Series 8, still reasonably priced, couple new features, it is now the mid-tier Apple smartwatch. It's reliable, easy to use, packed with features. Good, useful, reliable.

The AW Ultra is going to be a major seller -- because the reliability of other "rugged" digital watches is very suspect and always an issue. Go to forums talking about Garmin smartwatches, you'll see tons and tons of complaints and problems. Same is true of other brands. Apple Watch is very reliable, it will be the same with Ultra. And it's got some really interesting functions, in a robust titanium case with a sapphire crystal. It's going to sell big.

AW SE 2022 is a really nice release. It's got the latest processor, OLED screen, good features and sensors -- and all for just $249? If you have an iPhone, when you pair the iPhone with the AW SE, it does a whole lot of things for not a lot of money. It's a really competitive product, one that's going to work and provide a lot of value. If you are looking for a basic smartwatch and either want to take calls or messages on your Apple Watch (it's great for getting notifications), do some straightforward health/fitness tracking, and set timers/alarms/weather/email on your watch, this is the one to get.


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## drmdwebb

I ordered one last night, but the delivery date is already late October


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## DougFNJ

Metals said:


> . Go to forums talking about Garmin smartwatches, you'll see tons and tons of complaints and problems. Same is true of other brands.


You will see many comparisons to Garmin, and complaints that the Ultra is not getting the same battery life. I tried the Epix 2. It was buggy, the user interface was terrible, totally unintuitive. The available faces were not so special, and when I tried using it, the bugs made it much more difficult than it should. It did offer really good data, but not the experience I was expecting. 



drmdwebb said:


> I ordered one last night, but the delivery date is already late October


It’s strap dependent. White Ocean strap version still shows 9/23. 


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## Shutterbug57

BarracksSi said:


> The Ultra looks like just too much for me.
> 
> I want to see it in-store anyway, and I want to find out what it’s like to have buttons on opposing sides of the case. I don’t like accidentally taking screenshots by squeezing my iPhone’s buttons. And, I’ve said before that the good thing about the normal Watch design was that the side without a button gave you a surface to squeeze against (if that makes sense) as you press the crown or side button.
> 
> I’ll probably get a steel 8 to upgrade from my aluminum S4. I had a steel S0 and S2 and I miss how they feel and their sapphire screens.


What is the glass like on the aluminum watch?


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## JTK Awesome

The Ultra is so extreme, I’m surprised it’s made of Titanium instead of Trona. Did @DCBman test these for Apple?


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## BarracksSi

Shutterbug57 said:


> What is the glass like on the aluminum watch?


My S4's Ion-X glass has gained a few scratches over the years, while I saw only one nick in the sapphire on either my S0 or S2 (I forget which one).


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## drmdwebb

DougFNJ said:


> It’s strap dependent. White Ocean strap version still shows 9/23.


Great tip! I changed my order to the white ocean and it will come a month sooner.


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## DougFNJ

drmdwebb said:


> Great tip! I changed my order to the white ocean and it will come a month sooner.


I believe Apple Store allows you to exchange the strap if you don’t like it. 


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## RandM

I am a lifelong runner and I ordered an Ultra. There was a prior mention of problems with Garmins. Starting with the Fenix 4 through the 7 and both versions of the Instinct, I have not had one problem. Suunto on the other hand was extremely problematic. 


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## BarracksSi

John Gruber's post about the Ultra: Apple Watch Ultra

Marques Brownlee's video review: 



 (opens with talking about wearing it all weekend, through two frisbee practices, and still having 20% battery late Monday morning)


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## DougFNJ

Mine is set to arrive tomorrow. Can't wait! Gruber mentioned about the steel link, I completely agree about their lack of commitment to such a great accessory. I will try it on and include photos.


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## ronalddheld

Can the Ultra take other straps, besides the 3 that I saw with the watch?


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## DougFNJ

ronalddheld said:


> Can the Ultra take other straps, besides the 3 that I saw with the watch?


Everything I’m reading shows straps made for the 45mm fit the Ultra. 


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## BarracksSi

ronalddheld said:


> Can the Ultra take other straps, besides the 3 that I saw with the watch?


Yup. I put my third-party steel bracelet onto an Ultra this afternoon and it fit just fine. Mmmmmaybe about a half a millimeter narrower on each end, but you wouldn't notice it unless you squint.

Gruber wrote in his blog post:


> Given how much larger the Ultra case is, it’s a very nice touch that it still shares the same-size strap connector slot as the 42/44/45mm Series watches. I’ve tried a few of the bands from my 45mm collection on the Ultra, and I’ve tried the new designed-for-Ultra bands on my Series 7 and the Series 8 review unit Apple sent me. They all fit each other, but to my eyes, “regular” 45mm straps look better on the Ultra than the designed-for-Ultra 49mm straps look on a Series watch. A regular 45mm strap on the Ultra just looks a bit narrow and tapered. It looks like you’re dressing the Ultra up by slimming the strap down. The 49mm straps look too wide on a 45mm watch. There’s no accounting for taste in watch straps, though.


Also, at least in the store lighting, the colors of the titanium case and brushed steel didn't clash as much as I thought they would. It fit a little looser on my wrist than my 44mm S4 does with the same bracelet, but that's kinda expected since the Ultra's case is a hair longer and wider.

BTW, it's so much lighter than it looks, it makes it seem smaller than it is. Now that I've tried it on, I'm way more tempted to get one than I thought I would be. 

The rubber Ocean Band dive strap is pretty trick; the titanium keeper requires you to, just once, open it and place it in the best hole for holding the loose end of the strap. The Alpine Loop, with the D-ring-like hook closure, is probably my choice. The Trail Loop with its velcro-style closure doesn't interest me because I've never known a velcro-anything that didn't wear out over time.

I have to tell myself that "fresh and different" does not always equal "better for my use", though. I've always liked how my regular AW stays out of the way and is visually clean enough to dress up. The Ultra's hard-edged case and orange button firmly mark it as a sporty-outdoorsy watch.

Anyway, it's really cool, it's super capable, and it's overkill for almost anyone. They'll probably sell a gajillion of 'em.


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## Worker

Arrived today with the ocean band. Wanted to try out a wider Velcro I had for my Series 7 and it seems to do the job!! 


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## projekt-h

I haven’t done the smartwatch thing in a while, but got dayum, this thing is sweet so far. 











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## ronalddheld

Barracks good to know. I will try to play with one at the store next week.


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## DougFNJ

I’m going to post photos tonight, I literally got home yesterday, opened the package, threw it in the charger, synched it up while I ate dinner, slapped it in the dive strap and out I went. 

I’ll post photos tonight with all different 45mm straps. I can say this will live on the dive strap, very comfortable!!

I I love the size of this watch. It initially looked just when I opened the box, then I put it on the strap and it sit right at home. 



















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## ronalddheld

A few weeks before your video review, Doug?


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## DougFNJ

ronalddheld said:


> A few weeks before your video review, Doug?


I’ll be doing multiple videos on this one. 


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## TraserH3

I've got a Series 7 Hermes that I'll be keeping for awhile. This looks nice but so big...like strapping a gen1 iPhone to your wrist.


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## DougFNJ

TraserH3 said:


> I've got a Series 7 Hermes that I'll be keeping for awhile. This looks nice but so big...like strapping a gen1 iPhone to your wrist.


Well maybe the gen 1 iPhone cut in half lol

I’m deciding if I will be keeping my Series 7 Space Black Hermes or not. For the uses and the rotation I go through, this Ultra may be perfect for what I’m looking for and rotate it with my Tag Connected. 


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## projekt-h

Half hour bike ride yesterday, 5 miles. Used about 6% battery from full, including a 40 min drive to and from the trail. 

Hopefully gonna give it a shot on a longer ride this week. Forgot my water on that one and my legs were already cooked from working on my truck the night before. 


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## Smerjani

drmdwebb said:


> I ordered one last night, but the delivery date is already late October


Same!


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## kenls

Awaiting delivery of a Series 8 in the next day or two. What rabbit hole have I gone down now?


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## BarracksSi

kenls said:


> Awaiting delivery of a Series 8 in the next day or two. What rabbit hole have I gone down now?


Probably shallower than you’d think. Get maybe an alternative strap for workouts or dressing up, and that’s it.

Oh, then remember that you can download a weather radar app so you can check for rain while you’re on the can… and you can tell Siri to set a timer to get your wife’s delicates out of the dryer early… and you might not need to dig out your wallet when you go shopping or board a plane… and it can tap your wrist to remind you of your upcoming Zoom call while you’re drinking on the deck… and it can tell you how your team’s doing while Grandma talks about her soap operas…

…and you forget where your phone is because you haven’t touched it all day, but that’s okay because you can signal it from the watch and make it ping so you can find it.


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## gwold

BarracksSi said:


> Probably shallower than you’d think.


Yeah! All those things my ETA 2824-based watch can NOT do?! Damned right! Here I go!!!! And there're a load of other apps to download, too. Not just weather. Solitaire! I mean, it's not like you can share that little, rectangular screen too far, eh?


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## kenls

BarracksSi said:


> Probably shallower than you’d think. Get maybe an alternative strap for workouts or dressing up, and that’s it.
> 
> Oh, then remember that you can download a weather radar app so you can check for rain while you’re on the can… and you can tell Siri to set a timer to get your wife’s delicates out of the dryer early… and you might not need to dig out your wallet when you go shopping or board a plane… and it can tap your wrist to remind you of your upcoming Zoom call while you’re drinking on the deck… and it can tell you how your team’s doing while Grandma talks about her soap operas…
> 
> …and you forget where your phone is because you haven’t touched it all day, but that’s okay because you can signal it from the watch and make it ping so you can find it.





gwold said:


> Yeah! All those things my ETA 2824-based watch can NOT do?! Damned right! Here I go!!!! And there're a load of other apps to download, too. Not just weather. Solitaire! I mean, it's not like you can share that little, rectangular screen too far, eh?


Thanks, I feel a lot better now. Already got one other strap in (before I even take delivery of the watch, due today) and keeping my eye on a Nomad waterproof leather for dressier occasions.

OMG games! Off to browse the app store.


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## BarracksSi

gwold said:


> Yeah! All those things my ETA 2824-based watch can NOT do?! Damned right! Here I go!!!! And there're a load of other apps to download, too. Not just weather. Solitaire! I mean, it's not like you can share that little, rectangular screen too far, eh?


Ha! I've got a couple games on mine, yeah...

I've had moments with my regular watches where I glance down expecting to see the weather forecast but getting disappointed.


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## alinla

If your watch is wet, it might raining.


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## BarracksSi

alinla said:


> If your watch is wet, it might raining.








USSSP: Weather Rock


U.S. Scouting Service Project - Weather Rock



www.usscouts.org


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## jzet

Yeah but it looks super cool


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