While the Apple Watch Ultra has got steadily better across three generations, it’s in need of some major new features. Both the second generation of 2023 and the most recent third version of the high-end smartwatch have added some bells and whistles – like 5G support – on top of a solid offering, but they haven’t been a ground-up rework and neither have they added the key feature that many sports watch regulars have been waiting for.
That’s extended battery life that goes into weeks rather than just a couple of days in normal use and a few days in Low Power Mode. It’s what Garmin users or Fitbit wearers expect, so can Apple start to match it? Unfortunately, the battery life in the various Apple Watch models hasn’t really kicked on. And that’s especially the case for the Ultra 3, which doesn’t impress in terms of battery life. In fact, I regularly only get two days of use out of it before needing to recharge unless I use Low Power Mode.
So is 2026 the time for an Apple Watch Ultra 4 – it’s already been given a codename according to various sources, known internally at Apple as N240.
When would an Apple Watch Ultra 4 appear?
Apple’s Fall launch events are generally very predictable – they tend to be on the second Tuesday in September – meaning that the 2026 launch would take place on 8 September. However, it’s not quite as simple as saying it will definitely appear then – there was a two year gap between the 2023 Ultra 2 and 2025 Ultra 3, punctuated by the introduction of a new Titanium Black finish in 2024. So it could be that Apple will choose to delay the Ultra 4 until 2027, though that probably depends on how well Ultra 3 sells over the coming months.
Certainly it seems the Ultra step-up model has been very appealing for Apple devotees and so it isn’t going anywhere – Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) suggested in 2024 that the Ultra models were very popular – potentially even more than the Apple Watch SE (now replaced by the SE 3) – at around 20 percent of the Apple Watch market.
So what can we expect from the Apple Watch Ultra 4?
Here are some rumors of what could be in the next Apple Watch Ultra model – along with some educated guesses as to what could be featured. I think better battery life is an absolute must next time around and should be the key selling point. However, form would suggest that is not guaranteed.
Some leaks suggest that Touch ID could be coming to the Apple Watch in future and that would represent a major step forward for sure with Apple Pay becoming much easier to use on the watch. Macworld spotted some internal code that points towards biometric authentication being used. It’s not going to have Face ID at this point – considering Macs don’t even have it – but surely Touch ID is on the way. It could be on a side button like with the cheaper iPads or even more excitingly, it could be under the display.
The code also suggests that N240 will also get a new processor known as T8320 and this is rumored to be a significant upgrade – this will almost certainly also help with battery life. I’m also expecting a major step-change in terms of design. DigiTimes suggests that a major design upgrade is on the way, though it’s not clear if this would apply to all models or just to the standard Apple Watch Series 12. More sensors – potentially even 8 – are also rumored for the underside of the watch – this could be for the Ultra 4 rather than the standard models.
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