If there was one showpiece during Apple’s September event, it was the Apple Watch Ultra 3.
Apple has given its most premium smartwatch the largest display ever on an Apple Watch, using a new LTPO3 OLED panel with thinner bezels and off-angle clarity.
The screen now refreshes every second, meaning the seconds hand finally ticks in real time across watch faces and timers.
Battery life remains another headline spec: up to 42 hours on a single charge, or 72 hours in Low Power Mode, with around 20 hours for continuous GPS-tracked workouts.
Not quite Garmin watch levels of stamina, but it's something!
New to the Ultra line is 5G connectivity, which promises faster data speeds and more efficient power use.
Perhaps most strikingly, Ultra 3 is the first Apple Watch with built-in satellite communications for two-way messaging and Emergency SOS, bundled with two years of free service for Satellite Messaging and Find My.
(A bit of a shame for Apple that the Pixel Watch 4 and the Garmin Fenix 8 Pro both beat the Ultra with this feature, though.)
Health features aren’t forgotten either, with hypertension notifications debuting alongside existing heart, safety, and workout tools.
All of it runs on watchOS 26, bringing Apple Intelligence features like Workout Buddy and the Liquid Glass UI redesign.
Apple Watch Ultra 3 starts at $799 / £749 / AU$1,399.
Apple Watch SE 3 is no longer just the entry-level option
At the other end of the lineup, Apple introduced the Apple Watch SE 3, which quietly received some of the most important updates in years.
Powered by the S10 chip, it now comes with an Always-On display, fast charging (up to 2× faster than before), and support for wrist flick and double tap gestures that were previously flagship exclusives.
Health and fitness tracking is a major step up. SE 3 adds a sleep score, sleep apnea detection, retrospective ovulation estimates, and wrist temperature sensing, features once reserved for Apple’s priciest models.
It keeps the core safety suite (Fall Detection, Crash Detection, Emergency SOS, Check In) and still manages the familiar 18-hour battery life.
Apple also put rumours of a plastic budget model to bed: the SE 3 keeps its aluminium case, upgraded with more recycled materials.
Pricing starts at £219, making it the most affordable gateway into the Apple Watch ecosystem.
What about Series 11?
The Series 11 technically exists – Apple announced it alongside the Ultra 3 and SE 3 – but updates were minor compared to its siblings.
Yes, it gets a stronger glass lens, 5G, and a sleep score, but it was barely a footnote during the event.
Battery life gets a boost to 24 hours, a refreshing change after 10 years of 18-hour battery life on mainline Apple Watches.
One of the more significant health upgrades is the hypertension alert, as mentioned above, which looks at the arteries under the skin to detect high blood pressure.
The Apple Watch Series 11 also gets Sleep Score, as the rumours suggested.
Apple’s real push this year is clear: Ultra 3 as the flagship innovation platform and SE 3 as the value play.
All new Apple Watches are available for pre-order now, with shipping and in-store availability starting Friday, September 19, 2025. For more info, visit Apple.
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