Apple Watch Ultra: Apple Moves On From First Model
▼ Summary
– Apple Watch Series 9 and later will receive watchOS 27; older models Series 6–8, SE 2, and the 2022 Ultra are incompatible due to lacking a Neural Engine for AI features.
– The original Apple Watch Ultra will miss the new “Modular” watch face available to Ultra 2 and 3, and won’t get other watchOS 27 benefits like better battery life or sleep tracking.
– The watchOS 27 developer beta has removed the Walkie Talkie app, though it’s unclear if it will return in the official update.
– Apple historically supports older devices long-term, such as the iPhone 11 and original HomePod, but the first Ultra is a rare exception being left behind.
– Owners of the $800 Apple Watch Ultra are frustrated, as it also missed watchOS 26 features like hypertension notifications and live translation, potentially pushing upgrades to newer models.
In the age of AI, more and more devices are being left behind in the ever-growing pile of obsolete tech. Even the four-year-old $800 Apple Watch Ultra won’t receive the watchOS 27 update this fall, and we’re now learning about additional features beyond AI-enhanced Siri that older wearables will miss out on.
Relatively few Apple Watches will get the new updates Apple announced at WWDC. The Apple Watch Series 9 and later have access to the upcoming software enhancements. However, the Series 6 through 8, the Apple Watch SE 2, and the 2022 Apple Watch Ultra are not compatible with watchOS 27. None of the chips in these watches include neural processing cores capable of running Siri and its new contextual awareness features. Starting with the S9 SiP, all watches have at least a four-core Neural Engine, supposedly capable of handling some minute backend AI tasks.
In his latest newsletter, Bloomberg’s Apple leaker-in-chief Mark Gurman reported Sunday that there are a few features Apple didn’t reveal during its WWDC 2026 keynote that we can expect to see in the fall. Older watches won’t receive the supposed “Modular” watch face, which Gurman claimed would include a larger clock with three customizable “elements” pasted below the time. All three Apple Watch Ultra models have access to a more complicated version of that watch face.
Despite that, the original $800 Apple Watch Ultra won’t receive any other benefits. Apple has promised that watchOS 27 will enhance all facets of the wearable experience. That includes better battery life, faster initial Wi-Fi connections, more accurate sleep tracking, and faster media playback and app extensions. The current dev beta update also removed the Walkie Talkie app, which has been around since 2018, though it remains unclear whether Apple will put it back in for the official update.
Apple has a strong track record of supporting products long after they’ve been ostensibly left behind. Even an iPhone 11 from 2019 will support the upcoming iOS 27. MacRumors’ Aaron Perris claims to have confirmed that the original HomePod from 2018,running on an ancient A8 chip,will run HomePod Software 27. Of Apple’s massive hardware stack, the first Ultra appears to be the only Apple Watch being sacrificed on the altar of AI.
You’d be justified in feeling a little miffed that your $400 Apple Watch is suddenly hitting the end of its life; owners of the similarly lacking $800 Apple Watch Ultra are very unhappy. One Redditor wrote, “There’s nothing Apple is doing that can’t be tweaked or down-clocked that would prevent [older watches] from running a new OS. We’re not simulating particle collisions on the new OS.”
Apple’s first Ultra wearable already missed out on major watchOS 26 features, such as hypertension notifications for high blood pressure (which were only available on the Apple Watch Ultra 2 and Series 9 or later). It also lacked live translation for incoming texts. Now, it’s an outmoded model that Apple seems all too happy to toss aside. Of course, it could also entice users to upgrade to the next $800 smartwatch, like the Apple Watch Ultra 3, or to the rumored Series 12 watch, which may not offer many real hardware updates.
(Source: Gizmodo.com)
