Apple Watch Ultra

The best Apple Watch yet, with a bright, large screen and a bunch of features to attract fitness fanatics

- GARETH BEAVIS

SCORE 4/5

PRICE £708 (£849 inc VAT) from apple.com/uk

If you thought the Apple Watch was an expensive accessory, you the £849 Watch Ultra is distinctly pricey, at least there are no big-ticket designer variants to worry about. You pick one of the standard straps, pay the standard price, and that's it.

That's not to say the straps are dull. You can use any 44/45mm strap you like, but stock options include the ribbed rubber Ocean band, the Velcro Trail Loop, and the hook fastening Alpine loop, available in a range of tasteful or eye-catching colours, to suit your style.

Aside from colour choices, the most noticeable thing about the Apple Watch Ultra is its size. It has a display of almost two inches that sticks out a little from the body, and an enlarged metal crown. If you're coming from more or less any other smartwatch, it will feel chunky to start with, though I quickly became comfortable with it. 

The display isn't just large: with a peak brightness of 2,000cd/m² the Ultra is twice as bright as the Watch Series 8 opposite, and very easy to read in even the brightest sunlight. The always-on mode doesn't seem to have been altered from previous Watch models, but is still legible from any angle you glance at it.