The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is still overbuilt in the best way, just not overpriced anymore

    By Omair Khaliq Sultan
Published December 17, 2025

If you’ve been eyeing the Apple Watch Ultra 2 but choking a bit at the usual $799 price tag, this discount is the nudge you’ve been waiting for. At $549, you’re getting Apple’s most rugged, feature-packed smartwatch with cellular, serious fitness tracking, and long battery life for a lot less than usual.

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is built around a 49mm titanium case, so it feels substantial without being a brick on your wrist. It’s designed for people who run, hike, ride, swim, or just want a watch that can take real abuse. You get a bright, outdoor-friendly display, an Action button you can map to workouts, waypoints, or other quick actions, and extra-long battery life compared to regular Apple Watch models.

Under the hood, it’s still very much a full Apple Watch: heart rate tracking, ECG, blood oxygen, advanced workout metrics, sleep tracking, and all the usual notifications and apps. The precision dual-frequency GPS is a big perk if you do a lot of outdoor activity and care about accurate pace and route data. With GPS + Cellular, you can leave your phone behind on runs or at the gym and still take calls, stream music, and use maps.

At $799, the Ultra 2 is undeniably a luxury: great hardware, but not easy to justify if you’re on the fence. At $549, the value case gets a lot stronger. You’re now paying high-end smartwatch money for a wearable that sits at the top of Apple’s lineup, rather than saving a bit and stepping down to a less capable model.

It also makes sense if you’ve been thinking about both a fitness watch and a regular smartwatch. The Ultra 2 can comfortably do both: it has the GPS and durability you’d want for training, plus the app ecosystem, notifications, and everyday convenience you expect from an Apple Watch. If you’re already in the iPhone world, the integration is about as seamless as it gets.

If you’ve been waiting for the Apple Watch Ultra 2 to dip into “I can actually justify this” territory, $549 is that moment. You’re saving 31% off the list price and getting Apple’s most rugged, fully loaded smartwatch with cellular, precision GPS, and long battery life in the process. For serious Apple Watch fans and active iPhone users, this is exactly the kind of deal that doesn’t stay around forever.

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