Apple Watch Series 10 vs Apple Watch Ultra 2 - comparing the biggest wearables

The Apple Watch Series 10 got a much-needed update on September 9. Not only did its internals get upgraded, but its external design got a facelift too.

With a much larger display and presence, some may consider the Apple Watch Series 10 as being much closer to the Apple Watch Ultra 2 than ever before.

However, potential Ultra buyers shouldn't immediately change their minds and get the cheaper Apple Watch Series 10 straight away.

There's more of a difference between the two models than just size.

Apple Watch Series 10 vs Apple Watch Ultra 2 - Specifications

Apple Watch Series 10 vs Apple Watch Ultra 2 - Case sizes, materials, and weight

The most obvious differences between the models are physical. They may both be high-end wearables in Apple's ecosystem, but they are certainly built differently.

The 2024 update to the Apple Watch Series 10 is considerable, starting with the physical size. The new models are classed as being 42mm and 46mm in size.

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is only offered in one size class: 49mm. This doesn't tell the entire story though.

Looking at the physical dimensions, the Apple Watch Series 10 measures 46mm in height and 39mm in width for the 46mm model. The 42mm version is 42mm in height, 36mm in width.

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 remains the chunkiest, at 49mm in height and 44mm in width.

This also goes for thicknesses, with the Series 10 slimmed down to 9.7mm against 14.4mm for the Ultra 2.

When it comes to weight, the Apple Watch Series 10's 46mm model is 36.4 grams for the aluminum GPS version, 35.3 grams with cellular, and 41.7 grams for the new titanium model.

The 42mm is much lighter, at 30 grams for the aluminum GPS, 29.3 grams with cellular, and 34.4 grams for the titanium.

Made from Grade 5 titanium, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is considerably heavier, at 61.4 grams for the Natural colorway, 61.8 grams for the Black option.

The thickness, size, and weight of the Apple Watch Ultra 2 can be argued as being necessary. As a device designed to be used outdoors, it's made to be able to withstand the rigors of a highly active and outgoing lifestyle.

The Apple Watch Series 10 continues the use of a side button and a Digital Crown, along with the touchscreen and Siri to control the device. The Apple Watch Ultra adds in a second side button, referred to as the Action Button, on the opposite side.

How the side button and Digital Crown are implemented also differs on the Apple Watch Ultra 2, with Apple using an extended section that raises the side button up from the surface. This also has the effect of protecting the Digital Crown if it ever is caught in an impact.

The entire front screen of the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is also flat, versus the more curved display of the Apple Watch Series 10. This gives it a much more utilitarian appearance.

Sure, you could wear the Apple Watch Series 10 to climb a rock face. However, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 has been built more to deal with such activities.

You could dive with the Apple Watch Series 10, with it rated to be water resistant to a depth of 50 meters (164 feet), which Apple deems "Swimproof." Apple even includes a depth gauge feature in the Series 10 that mimics the version in the Apple Watch Ultra 2, down to 6 meters (20 feet).

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 goes further, with its 100m (328 feet) water resistance rating being double of its non-Ultra counterpart. Diving is also allowed to a much deeper depth, down to 40 meters (130 feet).

Apple Watch Series 10 vs Apple Watch Ultra 2 - Display

The Apple Watch Series 10 was upgraded to an always-on Retina LTPO3 OLED display, a panel that offered very wide angles of viewing compared to previous models. It could also offer up to 2,000 nits of peak brightness and a minimum of 1 nit.

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 uses an LTPO2 always-on Retina display, which doesn't have the wide-angle capability. It does, however, offer a much higher level of brightness at up to 3,000 nits.

Protecting the edge-to-edge display of the Apple Watch Series 10 is Ion-X front glass for the aluminum model, and Sapphire for the titanium version.

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 uses only a flat sapphire crystal to protect its display. Its rough-and-tumble nature means it needs a higher grade of protection.

While the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is the physically taller and larger device, it doesn't have the biggest screen. Its 1,185 square millimeter display area has a resolution of 410 by 502 pixels, giving it a pixel density of 338 pixels per inch.

The 46mm Apple Watch Series 10 has a slightly larger 1,220 square millimeter display area. Its resolution is in the same ballpark as the Ultra 2 at 416 by 496 pixels and a 326ppi pixel density.

Part of this disparity is due to Apple's designs for the displays, and the enclosures.

The Apple Watch Series 10 has much thinner bezels and a screen that curves around the edges. The Apple Watch Ultra 2 instead has a flat surface with the casing around the edge in a more protective manner.

Apple also altered the dimensions of the Apple Watch Series 10 to make it slightly wider, which increases the screen size more without requiring much more height.

For reference, the 42mm Series 10 display has a 989 square millimeter viewable area, and a resolution of 374 by 446 pixels.

Apple Watch Series 10 vs Apple Watch Ultra 2 - Processor

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 uses the S9 SiP, a 64-bit dual-core chip, which uses 5.6 billion transistors. It has a built-in four-core Neural Engine for on-device Siri processing.

As a newer device, the Apple Watch Series 10 uses the S10 SiP, which continues to be a 64-bit dual-core chip with a four-core Neural Engine. Apple did redesign the S10 to be thinner, helping it achieve a slimmer overall device.

Both the S9 and S10 also use the W3 Apple wireless chip and a second-generation Ultra Wideband chip.

Despite being newer and Apple's assurances it was designed for performance and power efficiency, it's hard to justify the S10 as an objectively better chip. There's no real need to run productivity apps or games on a wearable, making performance changes being relatively moot unless they're considerable.

In short, both SiPs are powerful enough for what you may want to do from day to day.

Apple Watch Series 10 vs Apple Watch Ultra 2 - Health and fitness

Both the Apple Watch Series 10 and Ultra 2 have a lot of health and fitness capabilities. This starts with the third-generation optical heart sensor and electrical heart sensor on the back of each of them.

The included temperature sensor, compass, altimeter, and motion-sensing hardware is also used for the various health and fitness capabilities of the wearables. For example, you have heart rate monitoring, irregular rhythm notifications, and an ECG function that protects your heart and monitors how far you push yourself in activities.

Workout tracking is also included, along with a Mindfulness app and sleep tracking.

This latter point is hyped up by the Apple Watch Series 10 launch, due to it including sleep apnea tracking. It will notify users if they seemingly suffer from the ailment, when they stop breathing during a night's rest.

While the promotion is centered around this feature being included in the Series 10, it turns out the Ultra 2's spec sheet also mentions it.

When it comes to what is exactly different between the Apple Watch Series 10 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 when it comes to activities, the biggest point will be diving capabilities. As mentioned earlier, you could do some shore-level diving with the Series 10, but you can go much, much deeper without worrying about your Apple Watch Ultra 2 thanks to its increased water resistance.

The depth gauge feature spells it out. On the Series 10, it will go down to 6 meters (20ft), but it's 40 meters (130 feet) on the Ultra 2.

There are water temperature sensors on each, so you'll know if the water is too cold to swim in for ling periods, for example.

The Oceanic+ app for the Apple Watch Ultra 2 turns the wearable into a dive computer. However, the same app is described as usable "for snorkeling" by Apple.

For those with a much more active outdoor lifestyle, the Apple Watch Ultra is naturally a more hardwearing timepiece. But it also has a siren capability, just in case you need assistance while on a hike.

Apple Watch Series 10 vs Apple Watch Ultra 2 - Battery and storage

The Apple Watch Series 10 has an 18-hour battery life, which Apple refers to as all-day battery life. The Low Power Mode can increase the life up to 36 hours, by sacrificing performance.

However, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 starts its battery life at 36 hours, with Low Power Mode raising it to 72 hours.

Both models are recharged wirelessly using a magnetic puck. The Series 10 can regain 80% of its capacity in about 30 minutes of charging, while the Ultra 2 needs about an hour to do the same.

The built-in storage of the Apple Watch Series 10 is 64GB, which is equalled by the Ultra 2. This gives a sizable amount of storage capacity for Apple Music playlists to listen to while on the move.

Apple Watch Series 10 vs Apple Watch Ultra 2 - Other features

The Apple Watch Series 10 and Ultra 2 have "Precision Finding" for the iPhone 15 generation and later, powered by Ultra Wideband. You can use it to see in which direction and how far away a lost iPhone is located.

For audio, the Apple Watch Series 10 has a speaker, while the Ultra 2 has dual speakers. Both can play back media without needing earphones.

The Series 10 has a microphone with voice isolation, which is handy for FaceTime calls. The Ultra 2 has a three-mic array with beamforming and wind noise mitigation that does the same job.

In terms of connectivity, the two models are evenly matched. There's LTE in the cellular-equipped models, with all having support for Wi-Fi 4 and Bluetooth 5.3.

Apple Watch Series 10 vs Apple Watch Ultra 2 - Price

The aluminum Apple Watch Series 10 starts from $399 for the 42mm model, $429 for the 46mm. The GPS + Cellular versions were $499 and $529 apiece.

The Titanium variants of the Series 10 are $699 and $749, respective of size, and include cellular by default.

Aluminum models are available in Rose Gold, Silver, or Jet Black, while Titanium is offered in Gold, Slate, and Natural, as well as Silver for the Hermes editions.

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is priced at $799, with a choice of Natural or Black finishes. There is no GPS-only option.

Apple Watch Series 10 vs Apple Watch Ultra 2 - Which to buy

There is obviously a different crowd being targeted for the Apple Watch Series 10 versus the Apple Watch Ultra 2. The latter is aimed at people who hike, who climb and dive, and have active lifestyles that could easily damage their possessions.

There is a ruggedness inherent to the design of the Apple Watch Ultra 2 that the Apple Watch Series 10 simply doesn't have. For that intended audience, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is a slam dunk purchase.

Things get a little muddier when you instead look to the more average consumer, who may have enough of a budget to stretch to the titanium models.

At $749, the Apple Watch Series 10 with titanium and cellular is a full $50 cheaper than the Apple Watch Ultra 2. For that money, you get a larger screen relative to the body, a marginally larger viewable screen area, and a considerably thinner construction.

The brighter display, the more utilitarian construction, and the better diving capabilities of the Apple Watch Ultra 2 are certainly worth that extra $50. That is, if the potential buyer is going to actually need them.

Overall, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is still the better pick in this narrow price range. For mere mortals with tighter purse strings, the cheaper Series 10 variants will be good enough, albeit without the ability to become Jason Bourne on weekends.

Where to buy the Apple Watch Series 10 vs Apple Watch Ultra 2

The Apple Watch Series 10 is available to order now from Amazon and Best Buy. You can view the latest pricing and availability in our Apple Watch Series 10 Price Guide.

If the rugged Apple Watch Ultra 2 is of interest, Best Buy is knocking $50 off the new black case option with a Plus membership. The steepest savings can be found on the the natural titanium case option, which is marked down to as low as $689 at Amazon at press time. Enjoy easy price comparison across leading Apple resellers in our Apple Watch Ultra 2 Price Guide.

We've also rounded up top Apple Watch deals available on new and closeout models.