The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is easily one of the best smartwatch models in 2026 and Apple’s best smartwatch for battery life, but a new Ultra model could be here before we know it.
I’ve been tracking all Apple Watch Ultra 4 rumors ever since the arrival of the Ultra 3 last fall, and there are quite a few juicy ones to chew on, including hints of a redesign, new health tech, and even better battery performance.
Here’s everything we think we know (and think we know) about the Apple Watch Ultra 4.
Apple Watch Ultra 4: Rumors in brief
- Price and launch date: The Apple Watch Ultra 4 is expected to arrive on Wednesday, September 9th, with preorders available later in the week and units shipping the following week; it may also be the first Ultra model that costs more than $799
- Design: A slimmer case design is possible; a fingerprint reader for Touch ID, located under the display or on the digital crown/action button, is also rumored
- Holistic upgrades: There's a small chance the Ultra 4 will support on-wrist blood pressure readings, but more likely, we'll see an expansion of Hypertension Alerts (possibly blood pressure trend reports); Apple may finally bring all your health, fitness, and medical data under one app; the Health app is tipped for a redesign to better surface long-term health trends
- AI upgrades: The Ultra 4 is expected to ship with watchOS 27 installed, which supports Siri AI; a personalized AI-powered wellness concierge feature is rumored
- Battery life: An updated processor could make the Ultra 4 more power-efficient than its predecessor; little else is known about battery life
Apple Watch Ultra 4: Possible price and launch date
If the Apple Watch Ultra 4 debuts in 2026, September 9th will almost certainly be the date. Apple has confirmed its "Surprise and shine" event for that date, where we'll also likely get our first look at the Apple Watch Series 12 and new iPhone 18 smartphones.
In terms of price, Cupertino has kept the cost of the Ultra series consistent ever since the first model debuted in 2022. Unfortunately, given inflation — $799 in 2022 is roughly equivalent to $885 in 2026 dollars — there’s a good chance we will see some sort of price hike for the Ultra 4, in my humble opinion.
Pricier smartwatches aren't unprecedented either: Garmin sells numerous models that cost more than the Ultra 3, including the excellent Garmin Fenix 8.
Apple Watch Ultra 4: Design rumors
The Apple Watch Ultra case design has remained essentially the same, going back to the first model. Could a major redesign be on the horizon? According to a report from Digitimes, it’s totally possible.
What might that entail? Rumors suggest a thinner case, at the very least, while a deep dive done by 9to5Mac hints at the addition of a fingerprint scanner on the Ultra 4 as an alternative to passcodes to lock your device.
Unfortunately, for those of us with smaller wrists, like myself and many of my colleagues here at TG, it doesn't sound like a shrunken-down Ultra 4 model is in the cards.
Apple Watch Ultra 4: Possible health upgrades
Significant health tracking upgrades are also rumored for the Apple Watch Ultra 4, including new and improved high blood pressure monitoring tech, according to a report in Digitimes.
Like Hypertension Alerts on the Ultra 3, this new bit of tech is rumored to use the optical heart rate sensor to track how your blood vessels react to individual heartbeats. Presumably, it will do so with better accuracy than currently available, but it’s unlikely that it will be able to provide a numeric blood pressure reading like a traditional cuff.
It also doesn’t seem likely that non-invasive blood glucose monitoring — a holy grail for the wearables industry — will be ready in time for the Ultra 4’s launch, but we know Apple is hard at work on such a feature.
Digitimes also reports that the number of sensors in the Ultra 4 will be double that of the Ultra 3, but we don’t know whether that refers to holistic sensors, fingerprint reading sensors, or both.
Apple Watch Ultra 4: AI upgrades
Apple has already confirmed that Siri AI, powered by Gemini, will be supported by watchOS 27
Apple has already confirmed that Siri AI, powered by Gemini, will be supported by watchOS 27, which means that both the Ultra 4 and Series 12 should ship with the feature ready to roll. Rumors also hint at a more personalized, AI-powered wellness concierge being added to the Health app to help users set and maintain holistic goals.
Apple Watch Ultra 4: Battery life predictions
Battery consumption improvements are always welcome. Unfortunately, the jump in battery life from the Apple Watch Ultra 2 to the Ultra 3 was pretty minimal: 36 hours vs 42 hours. Might the Ultra 4 boast even better longevity?
Here’s hoping. While little is known about the physical battery in the forthcoming watch, the Digitimes report suggests that the new device will see at least modest improvements in power efficiency, which could potentially lead to substantial longevity gains… or not.
Interestingly, when we polled TG readers about their Apple Watch Ultra 4 wishlist, better battery performance was the top result, with 41%. "Better health features" and "a slimmer case" came in second, each with 20% of the total vote.
Apple Watch Ultra 4: Outlook
As of publication, I rate the chances of an Apple Watch Ultra 4 arriving in September as pretty likely. That said, despite all the leaks and rumors, much is still unknown about key specs and tech, like battery capacity, case dimensions, and screen size/type.
This makes it hard to gauge whether or not the Ultra 4 will be an iterative update, should it launch in 2026, or something more substantial. Another massive unknown: the cost. Apple has always sold the Ultra for the same price, $799, but with both Google and Samsung upping their smartwatch pricing across the board for 2026 models, there's a solid chance Apple will too.
What are your thoughts? What new features/specs would the Ultra 4 need to offer to convince you to upgrade?
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