Apple has unveiled the Apple Watch Ultra 4, introducing a major upgrade to its premium smartwatch with longer battery life, advanced health monitoring, improved GPS and a new generation of Apple Intelligence-powered features.
Powered by the new S11 chip and Health Sensing System, the Ultra 4 is positioned as Apple’s most advanced wearable yet, targeting athletes, adventurers and everyday users looking for deeper health and fitness insights.
Up to 50 Hours of Battery Life
One of the biggest upgrades comes in battery performance.
Apple Watch Ultra 4 offers up to 50 hours of battery life during everyday use, while Low Power Mode stretches that figure to as much as 84 hours. Fast charging has also improved, with a 15-minute charge providing up to 18 additional hours of use.
For endurance athletes, the new Max Extended Workout mode can track outdoor runs, walks and hikes for up to 45 hours, while continuing to take GPS readings every second.
Apple Introduces a New Readiness Score
The Ultra 4 introduces Readiness, a new feature designed to give users a clearer picture of what their body is capable of handling each day.
The feature analyses recent activity, training load, vital signs and sleep before generating a score between 0 and 10. Users then receive one of four recommendations: Recover, Pace Yourself, Ready or Go For It.
Unlike a static morning score, Readiness can update throughout the day as the watch receives new information from workouts and changing vital signs.
Heart Rate Monitoring Gets a Major Upgrade
Apple has also redesigned the Ultra’s health-monitoring architecture with new optical and electrical heart sensors.
According to Apple, the system delivers its most accurate heart-rate sensing in a wearable, following testing involving more than 1,000 participants.
Heart rate can now be measured every five seconds throughout the day, while heart rate variability measurements are taken up to 24 times more frequently. Users can also distinguish between Recovery HRV, aimed at understanding stress and recovery, and overall HRV for broader health insights.
Your Apple Watch Can Now Remember Conversations
Perhaps the most futuristic additions come through Audio Intelligence.
A new feature called Live Rewind allows users to double-press the Digital Crown and see a text snippet representing the previous 15 seconds of a conversation — potentially helping them catch something they missed.
Siri Recap, meanwhile, can generate high-level summaries and key points from conversations for users to revisit later.
Sound Recognition can alert users to important noises such as alarms, sirens, doorbells or a baby crying, while Shazam can automatically identify music playing nearby and display the song and artist on the watch.
Siri AI Comes to the Wrist
With watchOS 27, Apple is also bringing its new Siri AI experience to the Ultra 4.
Powered by Apple Intelligence, Siri gains personal-context understanding and access to broader world knowledge, while a new Siri Modular watch face provides quicker access to the assistant.
Apple says privacy remains central to the new Audio Intelligence features. The system does not create or retain raw audio recordings, while users can choose whether to enable individual features such as Siri Recap.
New Gestures and Smarter watchOS 27
Beyond AI and health tracking, watchOS 27 introduces a dynamic app grid, smarter widget suggestions and a new single-handed tap gesture.
The software also expands Cycle Tracking with support for perimenopause and menopause and improves Workout Buddy functionality for users exercising without their iPhone nearby.
When Does Apple Watch Ultra 4 Go on Sale?
Apple Watch Ultra 4 will be offered in natural and black titanium, accompanied by new colours for the Trail Loop and Alpine Loop bands and redesigned translucent Ocean Bands.
Pre-orders have opened in more than 50 countries and regions, with store availability beginning Friday, 18 September 2026. The Apple Watch Ultra 4 starts at $799 in the United States.
With longer battery life, more sophisticated health tracking and AI features capable of recognising sounds and helping users recall conversations, the Ultra 4 represents Apple’s latest attempt to turn the smartwatch from a fitness companion into an increasingly intelligent assistant worn on the wrist.
