Apple Watch Ultra 3 after 3 months: The ultimate companion to power your New Year fitness resolution

We’ve reviewed the Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10, and Series 11 in the past, and this time we’ve lived with the Apple Watch Ultra 3 for three full months because that’s exactly how long it takes to properly judge a watch this capable. A week or two just doesn’t cut it when you’re using it for workouts, sleep tracking, long days out, and real-world routine. After 90 days with it, it’s evident this isn’t just another yearly update it’s the most complete Apple Watch Apple has ever made, and it actually deserves the “Ultra” name. If you’re planning a fitness change this new year, this is the one that feels like a genuine training partner, not just a gadget.

Price and Availability

In India, the Apple Watch Ultra 3 starts at around ₹89,900 for the GPS + Cellular 49mm titanium model. You can buy the Ultra 3 from Apple’s own website and Apple stores in India. The Ultra 3 is also available at other online and offline retail stores.

Design & Display

Visually, the Ultra 3 doesn’t reinvent the wheel compared to its predecessor. It still sports the rugged titanium body and that unmistakable “tool watch” design. We have the natural titanium colour variant, which in our view makes the Ultra look its absolute best—highlighting the industrial, purpose-built character of the watch. The black colour option is more subtle and understated, though it arguably hides some of that titanium beauty in plain sight. That said, this is entirely subjective.

For regular Apple Watch users, one design addition whose benefits become apparent almost immediately is the configurable Action Button. It’s positioned for easy access and adds a layer of utility that standard Apple Watches simply don’t offer. We’ve set it to launch Fitness, which makes starting workouts quick and instinctive, especially mid-run or during training sessions. However, Apple gives you plenty of flexibility here—you can map the Action Button to trigger a specific workout, mark segments during a run, start a stopwatch, activate the flashlight, set a waypoint in Compass, or even run a Shortcut. Power users can take this further by using Shortcuts to make the button context-aware, changing its function based on location, time of day, or activity. It’s one of those features that quietly changes how you interact with the watch over time.

The standout upgrade is the LTPO3 display, which refreshes every second even in always-on mode. That means you actually see the seconds ticking without having to raise your wrist. For workouts and timing intervals, this is a subtle but genuinely transformative change—it finally feels like a real watch rather than just a screen that wakes up when you move. This is particularly useful when tracking runs, HIIT sessions, or even something as simple as timing rest periods between sets.

That said, there’s no getting around the fact that the Ultra 3 is noticeably bigger and chunkier than a regular Apple Watch. It does take some time to get used to, especially if you wear it to bed for sleep tracking. Initially, the size and weight are very apparent. However, once you adapt, it starts to feel just right—especially when you consider that much of that added weight comes from the significantly larger battery, which is a crucial and very welcome improvement over a standard Apple Watch.

Like every Apple Watch, you get access to multiple strap options with the Ultra. For us, the best everyday choice remains the regular watch band—it works well for daily use as well as workouts. We’d also strongly recommend checking out Apple’s Nike bands, which pair comfort with durability and suit the Ultra’s sporty character. And here’s a useful heads-up: if you already own a larger Apple Watch, such as the Series 10, those straps are compatible with the Ultra as well so you may not need to start your strap collection from scratch.

Performance

Under the hood, the Ultra 3 runs on Apple’s latest hardware, and while peak performance isn’t drastically faster than the Ultra 2, the overall experience is smoother and more reliable, especially when juggling workouts, notifications, apps, and always-on tracking.

The real star here is battery life. Apple rates the Ultra 3 at up to 42 hours, but in real life — with nightly sleep tracking and 60–90 minutes of outdoor workouts daily it routinely delivered around 55–62 hours, or about 2.5 days on a single charge. That isn’t just a spec sheet number it changes how you use the watch in everyday life. Charging less often means fewer interruptions to your fitness and routine.

Charging is also a bit quicker than before, topping up to around 80% in ~45 minutes.

Fitness

This is where the Ultra 3 really earns its place on your wrist. After three months of consistent use runs, walks, gym days, cycling, sleep tracking, and real-world battery drain—it blends seamlessly into a serious fitness routine.

In the Indian context, this matters more than you’d expect. Whether you’re running in heat and humidity, training outdoors early in the morning to beat traffic and pollution, or squeezing workouts around long workdays, the Ultra 3 feels built for reliability. Precision GPS, advanced training metrics, and the always-visible display make workouts feel more actionable and less distracting you glance, get the data you need, and move on.

Battery life is another big win. It comfortably stays ahead of most fitness schedules here, even with daily workouts, long outdoor runs, cycling sessions, or weekend hikes. You’re not constantly planning your charging around your training, which is still a pain point on regular Apple Watches.

Now that Apple Fitness+ is available in India, every Apple Watch—including the Ultra 3 becomes a far more meaningful part of a fitness journey. Guided workouts, structured training plans, and on-watch coaching pair naturally with the Ultra’s hardware strengths, making it easier to stay consistent whether you’re training at home, in the gym, or outdoors.

Features like cellular connectivity and Emergency SOS add genuine peace of mind as well especially for outdoor runs, solo cycling sessions, or treks where you might prefer to leave your phone behind. That extra layer of safety feels particularly relevant in real-world Indian conditions.

In short, if getting fitter in the new year is your goal whether that’s running more, tracking sleep and recovery, or simply moving more every day the Ultra 3 feels like a watch built for that journey, not just marketed at it.

Verdict

The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is undeniably an expensive piece of tech, but for the right user, it is a long term investment rather than a yearly upgrade. If you are serious about fitness, be it marathon training, ultra runs, endurance cycling, or simply maintaining a disciplined, data driven routine, this is the most capable Apple Watch Apple has ever made. The combination of excellent battery life, reliable GPS, always on visibility, and safety features makes it especially compelling for outdoor and endurance focused users.

For iPhone users in particular, the Ultra 3 makes more sense than most fitness centric smartwatches. Apple’s ecosystem advantage, with tight integration with iOS, Apple Fitness+, health data continuity, and everyday smartwatch features, pairs seamlessly with genuinely strong hardware on the fitness side. It is not just a sports watch and not just a smartwatch. It is a well rounded training companion that is built to last.