Apple Watch Ultra 2 debuts in new black shade
What's the story
Apple has unveiled a new "satin black" variant of its Apple Watch Ultra 2, marking the first time the company has offered more than one color option for this model since its launch two years ago.
The updated watch now includes a sleep apnea detection feature, which uses the device's accelerometer to analyze breathing disturbance data every month.
This innovative feature will alert users, if it detects consistent signs of moderate to severe sleep apnea.
Feature expansion
Sleep apnea detection extends to other models
The sleep apnea detection feature is not exclusive to the new black variant of the Apple Watch Ultra 2.
Apple plans to introduce this health monitoring tool in its Series 10 and existing Series 9 watches as well.
The tech giant also announced a new titanium Milanese Loop for the watch, priced at $799 (around ₹67,000), with pre-orders starting today and an official release set for September 20.
Software update
watchOS 11 introduces new features
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 will be updated with watchOS 11, which introduces enhancements to Smart Stack — the widgets that appear when users rotate the Digital Crown.
These widgets will now display Live Activities, similar to those on the iPhone.
The update also includes a range of features designed to monitor health over time such as Training Load and a new Vitals app.
Model progression
Evolution of the Apple Watch Ultra series
The Apple Watch Ultra series was first introduced in 2022, featuring a larger screen and thicker body than its predecessors.
It also included a customizable Action Button, a design element later incorporated into the iPhone 15 Pro.
Last year, Apple released the Ultra 2 with an improved screen brightness and a new S9 chip that enabled on-device Siri processing.
Despite minimal changes this year, the Watch Ultra continues to lead Apple's smartwatch lineup in terms of battery life.