She is a surprise for the friends of the house.

Analysts and market observers, on the other hand, see it as a change in strategy.

We're talking about the Apple Watch Ultra, which will be available from September 23rd.

We've already tried them.

Apple does a lot of things differently with the Ultra.

With a height of 49 millimeters, the watch is slightly larger than the Series 7 and the new Series 8, the design immediately reveals it as a sports watch.

Michael Spehr

Editor in the "Technology and Engine" department.

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The change to a more distinctive appearance will appeal to those who have had enough of the previous case.

The crown and the side button on the right protrude clearly from the body, and on the left side there is another button for the first time, which can be individually assigned functions.

While the display of the previous Apple watches flows smoothly into the outer edge of the housing, the Ultra shows a clear edge.

But it's not just a different look.

Apple has also upgraded the hardware: the always-on display is twice as bright as that of the Series 7 and 8, reaching up to 2000 nits.

The side buttons and crown are larger, making them easier to use with gloves.

The watch is better protected against water, even certified as a diving watch, with depths of up to 40 meters.

Siri, how did I sleep?

The satellite receiver has been optimized, a temperature sensor has been added, it measures the skin temperature at night, is not suitable as a clinical thermometer, but can be used to monitor the female cycle.

You have to wear the watch for at least five nights, then the nightly base temperature is displayed on your wrist.

Women are shown a retrospective estimate of ovulation timing.

The sleep monitoring indicates different sleep phases, which other manufacturers have been offering for a long time.

Also new are a built-in 86-decibel siren that can be activated in emergencies, traffic accident detection, a larger battery with longer runtime and a hands-free system with two speakers and three microphones.

While you could already make calls with the older Apple watches, even in the car, background noise is now filtered out more effectively, and you are amazed at the acoustics.

The closest rival is Garmin's Epix 2

When we put the Ultra into operation, a certain wow effect sets in primarily due to the design and the brighter and larger display with 410 x 502 pixels.

You can see more content at a glance, the watch becomes a mini smartphone.

Since Apple has also significantly expanded the sports functions, we take a look at the sharpest and similarly expensive rival of the Ultra.

This is Garmin's Epix 2, which also has a bright Amoled display (416 x 416 pixels) in always-on mode.

The Garmin is a sports watch par excellence, its display is excellent.

But Apple's is even better.

This also applies to the build quality and the case.

The Garmin has a bezel and back made of titanium, the body in the middle is made of fiber-reinforced polymer.

The Ultra, on the other hand, is made entirely of titanium.

Both watches use scratch-resistant sapphire crystal.

Not everyone likes the new bracelets

Old bracelets from previous watches can also be attached to the Ultra.

They only look a bit small because the watch has gotten bigger.

So if you want to do it right, take a 49 mm bracelet from Apple with you.

The three new bracelets are based on specific sports.

According to Apple, the Ocean strap is good for wearing over a neoprene suit.

We tried the Alpine Loop made of two layers of fabric.

This is secured with a G-hook made of titanium.

Our enthusiasm has no limits.

It is fiddly to put on and the visual impression is not very convincing.