But the Series 8 Is the Better Watch
Ok, I was pretty hard on the Ultra when it came out and my “Deuglification” process seemed to go somewhat viral on the web. I just couldn’t stand the orange action button (still can’t) and the somewhat dull finish. But I had been using silver stainless steel Apple Watches for years now and it was hard for me to get used to the more rugged finish on the Ultra.
Now that it’s been about 3 months since I started wearing the Ultra, I kind of like the look now. A huge part of that is because I spent hours polishing the finish to the point where it pops almost as much as the stainless steel Apple Watch. But there was nothing I could do about the huge crown guard on the right or the speaker holes on the left. Yeah, I still kind of think that the watch would look better with both of those toned down, but I’m past thinking that they’re downright ugly.
Now that it’s been about 3 months since I started wearing the Ultra, I kind of like the look now. A huge part of that is because I spent hours polishing the finish to the point where it pops almost as much as the stainless steel Apple Watch. But there was nothing I could do about the huge crown guard on the right or the speaker holes on the left. Yeah, I still kind of think that the watch would look better with both of those toned down, but I’m past thinking that they’re downright ugly.
Unfortunately, I do still think that the Ultra is a bad design for everyday use. The following items are just annoying today as they were in week 1.
Crown Guard Is Too Big
It’s much harder to press the crown on the Ultra than any other Apple Watch. It’s because you can only turn the crown from one angle, the top. And since you’re doing it from the top, it can press the crown against your skin making it hard to turn if you push down to hard. It also complicates simple crown presses. Because it’s harder to feel the crown with the crown guard on either side.
Accidental Action Button Triggers
I hate when I’m trying to press the crown and my action button gets pushed. It happens when I grip the watch on both sides to make pressing the crown easier. The action button always takes priority. So if you’re trying to do something by pressing the crown and accidentally hit the action button, whatever you meant to do with the crown gets ignored.
The Lip
When swiping back and forth between different watch faces, I don’t like feeling the sharp lip. This is something you might get used to and forget about if you only wear an Ultra. But I also own a Series 8 Stainless Steel and every time I wear that watch and swipe back and forth it feels so smooth and effortless. Then when I wear the Ultra that goes back to feeling unpleasant.
The Tallness
This is something else exacerbated by switching off with the Series 8. The Ultra is so freakin’ tall. I can take a nap with my Series 8. But not the Ultra, it feels too tall when I’m sliding my arm under my pillow or if it ends up between my arm and the mattress. I don’t like it at all in bed. And when I wear long sleeves, I’m again reminded how high this watch sits on my arm. This has nothing to do with the 49mm diameter of the watch. That isn’t a problem at all. It’s just the thickness of it.
Don’t Listen to YouTubers, the Ultra Sucks
I’m shocked how many tech YouTubers are giving the Ultra glowing non-critical reviews. They completely ignore all of the shortcomings of the Ultra and go on and on about how great the battery life is or how bright the screen is. And my favorite, how big the screen is.
First, the Ultra screen is virtually the same size as the Series 7 or 8. Side-by-side, I can’t even tell the Ultra is larger at all. So it’s funny that these uninformed YouTubers think the screen went from 45mm to 49mm. It didn’t. The Ultra simply gained a big black bezel.
And the battery life is only a factor if you forget to charge your watch over night. Because the battery is so much better than the other watches that you could easily get a 2nd full day of use. But if you never forget to put your watch on the charger when you go to bed, this doesn’t solve any problems in your life and adds no value. Unless you are working out for more than 2 or 3 hours per day that is.
Regarding the screen brightness, I really don’t notice much difference. I never had a problem with the 1000 nits on my other Apple Watches. The Ultra can go up to 2000 nits of brightness. But I’m sure it’s only for a very limited time.
Series 8 vs 7
Ok, so most of you gotta be questioning why I would even bother with the Series 8 if the Series 7 is so close to in terms of the feature set. However, there is one big differentiating factor about the 8 that I like. Streaming Bluetooth audio from the watch to my AirPods uses less power. The Series 8 includes the latest low-power Bluetooth 5.3. My Apple Watch is basically my iPod. I use it to stream music and podcasts all day long instead of my iPhone. My 13 Pro Max is just too large to carry with me all around the house and yard. And streaming to wireless headphones takes a significant battery toll on your Apple Watch. Until now any way. I think I’m getting about 10% better battery life on my Series 8 due to the new Bluetooth codec.
The Series 8 Is the Best Apple Watch Ever Made (For Everyday Use)
As good as the Ultra’s battery is, I still prefer my Series 8 Apple Watch and wear it most of the time. It’s a superior design for everyday use. There’s a reason why Apple didn’t make thick chunky watches with lips right from the start, they aren’t as comfortable to use. On my Series 8 the crown is easier to use, swiping watch faces is easier, and the low profile curved screen slides under arm sleeves easier. Apple gets a lot of flack for putting design over functionality, but when they designed the original Apple Watch, you can now see that it’s an ergonomic design derived from how it is used. And it’s still the best.
Crown Guard Is Too Big
It’s much harder to press the crown on the Ultra than any other Apple Watch. It’s because you can only turn the crown from one angle, the top. And since you’re doing it from the top, it can press the crown against your skin making it hard to turn if you push down to hard. It also complicates simple crown presses. Because it’s harder to feel the crown with the crown guard on either side.
Accidental Action Button Triggers
I hate when I’m trying to press the crown and my action button gets pushed. It happens when I grip the watch on both sides to make pressing the crown easier. The action button always takes priority. So if you’re trying to do something by pressing the crown and accidentally hit the action button, whatever you meant to do with the crown gets ignored.
The Lip
When swiping back and forth between different watch faces, I don’t like feeling the sharp lip. This is something you might get used to and forget about if you only wear an Ultra. But I also own a Series 8 Stainless Steel and every time I wear that watch and swipe back and forth it feels so smooth and effortless. Then when I wear the Ultra that goes back to feeling unpleasant.
The Tallness
This is something else exacerbated by switching off with the Series 8. The Ultra is so freakin’ tall. I can take a nap with my Series 8. But not the Ultra, it feels too tall when I’m sliding my arm under my pillow or if it ends up between my arm and the mattress. I don’t like it at all in bed. And when I wear long sleeves, I’m again reminded how high this watch sits on my arm. This has nothing to do with the 49mm diameter of the watch. That isn’t a problem at all. It’s just the thickness of it.
Don’t Listen to YouTubers, the Ultra Sucks
I’m shocked how many tech YouTubers are giving the Ultra glowing non-critical reviews. They completely ignore all of the shortcomings of the Ultra and go on and on about how great the battery life is or how bright the screen is. And my favorite, how big the screen is.
First, the Ultra screen is virtually the same size as the Series 7 or 8. Side-by-side, I can’t even tell the Ultra is larger at all. So it’s funny that these uninformed YouTubers think the screen went from 45mm to 49mm. It didn’t. The Ultra simply gained a big black bezel.
And the battery life is only a factor if you forget to charge your watch over night. Because the battery is so much better than the other watches that you could easily get a 2nd full day of use. But if you never forget to put your watch on the charger when you go to bed, this doesn’t solve any problems in your life and adds no value. Unless you are working out for more than 2 or 3 hours per day that is.
Regarding the screen brightness, I really don’t notice much difference. I never had a problem with the 1000 nits on my other Apple Watches. The Ultra can go up to 2000 nits of brightness. But I’m sure it’s only for a very limited time.
Series 8 vs 7
Ok, so most of you gotta be questioning why I would even bother with the Series 8 if the Series 7 is so close to in terms of the feature set. However, there is one big differentiating factor about the 8 that I like. Streaming Bluetooth audio from the watch to my AirPods uses less power. The Series 8 includes the latest low-power Bluetooth 5.3. My Apple Watch is basically my iPod. I use it to stream music and podcasts all day long instead of my iPhone. My 13 Pro Max is just too large to carry with me all around the house and yard. And streaming to wireless headphones takes a significant battery toll on your Apple Watch. Until now any way. I think I’m getting about 10% better battery life on my Series 8 due to the new Bluetooth codec.
The Series 8 Is the Best Apple Watch Ever Made (For Everyday Use)
As good as the Ultra’s battery is, I still prefer my Series 8 Apple Watch and wear it most of the time. It’s a superior design for everyday use. There’s a reason why Apple didn’t make thick chunky watches with lips right from the start, they aren’t as comfortable to use. On my Series 8 the crown is easier to use, swiping watch faces is easier, and the low profile curved screen slides under arm sleeves easier. Apple gets a lot of flack for putting design over functionality, but when they designed the original Apple Watch, you can now see that it’s an ergonomic design derived from how it is used. And it’s still the best.
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