Do you want an Apple Watch Ultra for less than £50?

You can't have one – but this knock-off at least looks the part

The Pebble Cosmos Engage takes a great deal of inspiration from the Apple Watch Ultra
(Image credit: Pebble)

Unless you've been living under a rock for the last few months, you'll likely know all about the Apple Watch Ultra. Apple's take on a hardy, robust smartwatch has been a massive success, winning fans across various disciplines.

It even won a vote of confidence from pop icon, John Mayer. Mayer is a notorious watch collector – he's more likely to be found with an expensive Rolex on his wrist than an Apple Watch. But a series of stories posted on his Instagram praising the Ultra confirmed it had found its way into his collection.

There is one stumbling block though: the price. You'll need to shell out £849 / $799 / AU$1,299 to get your hands on one. So what would happen if you could pick one up for much, much less?

The key difference, though, is the price – it's just ₹4,999, which translates to around £49 / $61 / AU$88. So, how much of the real thing do you get for that little cash?

As you'd probably guess, not much. You get a 1.95-inch display, but it's an LCD panel rather than the OLED on the real deal. It's also limited to just 600 nits of peak brightness, as opposed to the whopping 2,000 on the Ultra. It's IP67 water resistant, meaning it can be submerged in one metre of water for up to 30 minutes. That's miniscule in comparison to the Ultra, which has a full 100m of water resistance that allows it to be used for recreational diving.

Of course, there's a bigger elephant in the room than the features. The Pebble appears to be a fairly open and shut case of intellectual property infringement, making it liable to be removed from sale without warning. For now, then, you're probably better off saving up for the real thing. 

Sam Cross
Senior Staff Writer

Sam Cross is an award-winning journalist, with nine years of experience in the media industry. His work can be found in publications as diverse as Oracle Time, Metro and Last Word on Sports.

Here at T3, Sam is best known as the brand’s go-to guy for all things luxurious – from exquisite watches to fine fragrances; the latest performance vehicles to intricate audio equipment, and more.

He’s often found travelling around the world to test new launches, complete with high-end backpacks and suitcases in tow. And when he’s not adding to his air miles, Sam can be found in front of a video camera, bringing his distinctive brand of storytelling to T3’s social media channels.

Sam also loves all things analogue including listening to music on vinyl or cassette, and photography on vintage film cameras.