Apple Watch Ultra 4 arriving soon in Nepal with new health sensors, S11 chip & better GPS!

Apple had plenty to show at its September 9 event, unveiling the new iPhone 18 lineup, including the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max, its first foldable iPhone, the iPhone Duo, the new AirPods 5, and the latest Apple Watch models. Alongside the more mainstream Apple Watch Series 12, Apple also introduced the fourth-generation Watch Ultra, bringing a new round of upgrades to its rugged smartwatch lineup.

Interestingly, many of the new health and fitness upgrades are shared with the Series 12, including the redesigned Health Sensing System, more frequent heart-rate and HRV tracking, and the new Readiness feature. But unlike the Series 12, which is geared toward everyday users, the Ultra 4 adds sport and adventure-focused upgrades such as more accurate step tracking, precision dual-frequency GPS, and longer workout endurance.

So, what has Apple changed with the Watch Ultra 4, and is it a meaningful upgrade over its predecessor? Let’s take a closer look.

Apple Watch Ultra 4 Overview

Design and Display

The Apple Watch Ultra 4 keeps the rugged look of its predecessor, with a large 49mm case made from Grade 5 titanium. It comes in two finishes: Natural and Black.

The watch measures 49 × 44 × 12mm and weighs around 63 grams, making it considerably larger and heavier than the standard Apple Watch Series 12. The design is built with outdoor use in mind, with 100-meter water resistance, an IP6X rating for dust resistance, and MIL-STD-810H testing for durability.

On the front, the Ultra 4 features a large Always-On Retina wide-angle OLED display with LTPO3 technology and a 1Hz refresh rate. It can reach up to 3,000 nits of peak brightness, making it easier to see under direct sunlight. The 422 × 514-pixel display is protected by a sapphire crystal front, while compatible watch faces also support Night Mode for darker environments.

The Ultra 4 also retains the Action button, Digital Crown, and side button, with support for gestures such as double tap and wrist flick for quick interactions.

Performance and AI

Under the hood, the Apple Watch Ultra 4 gets Apple's new S11 chip, replacing the S10 from the previous generation. It features a 64-bit dual-core processor, a four-core Neural Engine, and 64GB of storage.

The new chip provides the performance needed for Apple's latest health and AI features. The Ultra 4 also runs on watchOS and gets the updated Siri experience powered by Apple Intelligence.

Apple is also introducing a range of Audio Intelligence features. These include Live Rewind, which can show the previous 15 seconds of audio as transcribed text, Siri Recap for summarizing conversations, Sound Recognition for identifying environmental sounds, and instant Shazam for quickly identifying music.

However, several of these AI-powered features are not available yet and are expected to roll out later this year.

Health and Fitness

Health tracking is another major area of improvement on the Ultra 4. Apple has redesigned its Health Sensing System, allowing the watch to capture heart-rate and heart-rate variability (HRV) data more frequently throughout the day. The new system measures heart rate every five seconds, while HRV measurements can be taken up to 24 times more often than before.

This improved sensing feeds into the new Vitals and Readiness features. Vitals lets users check key overnight health metrics against their usual baseline, while the Readiness score combines sleep, recent activity, training load, and health data to show whether it is a good time to push harder or focus on recovery.

Apple says the redesigned system delivers its most accurate heart-rate sensing yet in a wearable. The Ultra 4 also supports ECG, Blood Oxygen, sleep tracking, Sleep Score, cycle tracking, irregular heart rhythm and hypertension notifications, as well as sleep apnea detection.

On the fitness side, Apple has redesigned the pedometer using machine learning and the S11 chip, claiming the Ultra 4 offers the most accurate step tracking of any smartwatch. It also features precision dual-frequency GPS for more accurate outdoor tracking across activities such as running, hiking, and cycling.

Readiness and Vitals

The additional health data also powers Apple's new Readiness feature. It gives users a score from 0 to 10 based on factors such as recent activity, sleep, and health metrics to provide an idea of how ready the body is for the day.

The score can change throughout the day as new data comes in, helping users understand whether they should push harder, maintain their current pace, or prioritize recovery.

The Ultra 4 also brings more detailed Vitals tracking, allowing users to see key health metrics against their personal baseline. This includes information such as heart rate, respiratory rate, wrist temperature, sleep duration, and HRV.

Battery and Charging

Battery life is one of the biggest upgrades on the Apple Watch Ultra 4. Apple claims up to 50 hours of normal use, compared with 24 hours on the standard Series 12.

Low Power Mode can extend the battery life to up to 84 hours, while outdoor workouts can last up to 18 hours. For longer activities, the Ultra 4 introduces new Extended Workout modes.

The Extended Workout mode provides up to 25 hours of battery life for longer GPS-based activities. Meanwhile, Max Extended Workout mode can stretch outdoor tracking to up to 45 hours by making some changes to display and GPS behavior.

Charging is also relatively quick for a watch of this size. Apple says the Ultra 4 can reach up to 80% charge in around 45 minutes, while a 15-minute charge can provide up to 18 hours of normal use. A five-minute charge is enough for up to 10 hours of sleep tracking.

Outdoor Features and GPS

The Ultra 4 is designed more specifically for outdoor activities than the standard Apple Watch Series 12. It features dual-frequency GPS, which can provide more accurate positioning in challenging environments such as dense urban areas, forests, and mountainous terrain.

The customizable Action button also provides quick access to workouts and other functions without navigating through the touchscreen.

For water activities, the Ultra 4 supports up to 100 meters of water resistance and recreational scuba diving to depths of up to 40 meters. It also features a depth gauge and water-temperature sensor.

Satellite Connectivity and Safety

Another major advantage of the Ultra 4 is its satellite connectivity. When cellular and Wi-Fi connections are unavailable, the watch can use satellite communication for Emergency SOS, Messages, and Find My.

The Ultra 4 also includes a built-in siren, Emergency SOS, Fall Detection, Crash Detection, Backtrack, Check In, and other safety features.

These additions make the Ultra 4 more useful for hiking, trekking, camping, and other activities where users may move beyond reliable cellular coverage.

Health App and Tracking

Apple is also giving its Health app a major redesign alongside the new Apple Watch models. The redesigned app brings health information together in a more organized way and introduces new Insights and Longevity sections.

The Longevity section includes a new Health Age feature, while Apple Intelligence can provide personalized insights based on a user's health and activity data.

Apple is also adding new ways to evaluate fitness and movement, including a living-room VO2 max assessment that uses data from the iPhone and Apple Watch.

Several of these Health app features are expected to arrive later this year and will not be available immediately with the watch's launch.

Apple Watch Ultra 4 Specifications

Apple Watch Ultra 4 Pricing and Availability

The Apple Watch Ultra 4 starts at $799 in the US, with pre-orders now open and sales beginning September 18. It is available in Natural and Black titanium finishes.

As for Nepal, Apple has yet to announce an official local price or availability. However, the Apple Watch Ultra 4 is expected to arrive in Nepal by the first week of October, ahead of Dashain.

Based on a direct US-to-Nepal currency conversion, the $799 starting price comes to around NPR 121,839. However, this is only a currency conversion and does not include local taxes, customs duties, distributor margins, or other charges. The actual Nepal price is therefore likely to be higher.

We’ll update this section with the official Nepal price and availability once the watch launches locally.

• Meanwhile, you can check out our video on iPhone 18 Pro vs iPhone 17 Pro.