Request a product

Apple Watch Series 8 vs Apple Watch Ultra 2

Every spec side by side, from each maker's published figures.

Better figure, where one is clearly better

AppleWatch Series 8AppleWatch Ultra 2
Overview
ReleasedSeptember 2022September 2023
Display
Case sizes41 mm or 45 mm49 mm
PanelLTPO OLEDLTPO OLED
Peak brightness1,000 nits3,000 nits
Always-on displayYesYes
Display detail41mm 352 x 430 pixels, 904 sq mm; 45mm 396 x 484 pixels, 1,143 sq mmAlways-On Retina LTPO2 OLED display; 410 x 502 pixels at 326 ppi; 1,185 sq mm display area; 1 nit minimum brightness; Night Mode with the Modular Ultra or Wayfinder watch face
Screen protectionIon-X glass on aluminium; sapphire crystal on stainless steel and HermèsFlat sapphire crystal front
Health and fitness
ECGYesYes
Blood oxygenYesYes
Skin temperatureYesYes
Sleep apnoea alertsNoYes
High blood pressure alertsNoYes
Body compositionNoNo
Fall detectionYesYes
Crash detectionYesYes
GPSSingle-bandDual-band (L1 and L5)
Water resistance50 m100 m
SensorsBlood oxygen, electrical and third-generation optical heart sensors; two temperature sensors; compass, always-on altimeter, high-g accelerometer up to 256 g-forces, high dynamic range gyroscope and ambient light sensorElectrical heart sensor; third-generation optical heart sensor; temperature sensor; depth gauge to 40 m (±1 m accuracy); water temperature sensor; compass; always-on altimeter (–500 m to 9,000 m); high-g accelerometer (up to 256 g); high dynamic range gyroscope; ambient light sensor
Health featuresECG and Blood Oxygen apps; overnight wrist temperature changes and retrospective ovulation estimates; sleep stages, AFib History and Medications in watchOS 9; oxygen readings are for general wellness rather than medical useVitals app (heart rate, respiratory rate, wrist temperature, blood oxygen and sleep duration); irregular rhythm notifications; high and low heart rate notifications; low cardio fitness notifications; sleep stages and sleep score; Cycle Tracking with retrospective ovulation estimates; Medications; Mindfulness with state of mind tracking; Noise
Fitness featuresL1 GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS and BeiDou; GymKit; running form metrics, heart-rate zones, custom workouts and Multisport; Compass Waypoints and BacktrackCustomisable Action button with Precision Start; custom workouts; Training Load; Heart Rate Zones; Race Route; Pacer; stride length, ground contact time and vertical oscillation; automatic track detection; multisport workouts; offline maps with custom route creation; elevation alerts; swimming with custom pool workouts, stroke type tracking and SWOLF; recreational diving to 40 m with the Depth app or a dive computer app from the App Store; cycling power zones and cadence with Bluetooth accessories; GymKit
Safety featuresFall Detection, Crash Detection and Emergency SOS; international emergency calling on cellular versions in supported regionsEmergency SOS; international emergency calling; Siren; Last Emergency Call Availability Waypoint; Check In; Backtrack; torch; noise monitoring
Battery and connections
Battery life (maker's claim)Up to 18 hoursUp to 36 hours
In low-power mode–Up to 3 days
Mobile data optionYesYes
Works withiPhoneiPhone
ChipS8S9
Storage32 GB64 GB
Battery life detailRechargeable lithium-ion; up to 36 hours with iPhone present in Low Power Mode, which limits features including the always-on display and heart notificationsMulti-day figure tested over 36 hours with 600 time checks, 180 notifications, 30 minutes of app use and a 60-minute workout with music, including 8 hours on LTE; built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery
ChargingMagnetic Fast Charger to USB-C Cable; USB-C power adapter sold separatelyFast charging to 80% in about 1 hour
ConnectivityW3 wireless chip and U1 Ultra Wideband; Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n at 2.4GHz and 5GHz; Bluetooth 5.3; cellular versions add 4G LTE and UMTS; international roaming introduced with watchOS 9; iPhone 8 or later with iOS 16 at launchL1 + L5 precision dual-frequency GPS (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS and BeiDou); 4G LTE and UMTS; Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n); Bluetooth 5.3; second-generation Ultra Wideband chip; Apple Pay
Design
Weight (lightest version)31.9 g61.4 g
SoftwarewatchOSwatchOS
Case materialsAluminium or stainless steel; ceramic and sapphire crystal back; IP6X dust resistance and 50 m water resistance for shallow-water swimmingGrade 5 titanium case (95% recycled titanium) with ceramic and sapphire crystal back; water resistant to 100 m (ISO 22810:2010); EN13319 recreational scuba diving to 40 m; IP6X dust resistant; tested to MIL-STD 810H
Size41mm 41 x 35 x 10.7 mm, aluminium GPS 31.9 g, aluminium cellular 32.2 g or steel 42.3 g; 45mm 45 x 38 x 10.7 mm, aluminium GPS 38.8 g, aluminium cellular 39.1 g or steel 51.5 g; case weights exclude bands49 x 44 x 12 mm; 61.4 g (natural) or 61.8 g (black)
BandsApple Watch Studio case and band combinations; Nike bands and faces available across watchOS 9 watches; Hermès H Diagonal and Gourmette Metal bands and Lucky Horse faceFits 130–210 mm wrists; Alpine Loop, Trail Loop and Ocean Band, plus Titanium Milanese Loop from September 2024
ColoursMidnight, Starlight, Silver or (PRODUCT)RED aluminium; Silver, Graphite (PVD) or Gold (PVD) steel; Hermès Silver or Space Black (DLC) steelNatural titanium; Black titanium from September 2024
In the boxWatch, band or loop and 1 m Magnetic Fast Charger to USB-C CableApple Watch Ultra 2, strap, Apple Watch Magnetic Fast Charger to USB-C Cable (1 m)

More comparisons