Apple Watch Ultra 2 BLACK : Heart Rate Problems! (scientific review)
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Timestamps:
00:00 Important Background Info
01:13 Heart Rate Test 1 : Indoor Cycling
04:44 Heart Rate Test 2: Indoor Running
06:48 Heart Rate Test 3: Outdoor Running
08:59 Heart Rate Test 4: Outdoor Cycling
12:43 Heart Rate Test 5: Weight Lifting
15:04 Conclusions
Reference devices:
ZMax + Dreamento: https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.08.18.553744v1 & https://github.com/dreamento/dreamento
Polar H10: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31004219/
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This watch strap is called the “Titanium Milanese Loop”, and is one of the strap options with the new black Apple Watch Ultra. Still, I have to admit that this black Apple Watch Ultra 2 with this black strap is probably the best looking Apple Watch I own. But, is this strap actually any good? More specifically, if I want to use it during sports, will it be able to hold my Apple Watch Ultra 2 stably on my wrist? Because that’s usually the big issue with metal watch bands, they’re heavy and don’t have a lot of grip. On the other hand, the sensor of the Apple Watch has proven to be the best heart rate sensor out there under many conditions, so maybe it won’t matter. Today we will find out if this 200 dollar watch strap holds up during sports. I just had a quick first peek at the data, and the results are quite surprising! In total, I used this black Apple Watch Ultra 2 with the Titanium Milanese Loop during 4 bike-rides, a spinning session, an outdoor run, an indoor run and a gym session. Let’s see if it was able to track my heart rate accurately.
All of this makes the price tag of this metal band seem way too high. I’m quite surprised. My subjective feeling was that this metal band was better than many other metal bands I’ve tried, in that this one kept the watch in place better than I’m used to. However, it still appears this wasn’t enough, and the combined weight of the Ultra and the metal strap, plus the fact that metal just tends to slide more on my wrist, makes the signal quality too poor for reliable heart rate tracking. The good news is that the Apple Watch notices when the signal quality is poor, and it throws out those low quality measurements; but regardless this means that large parts of your training are not tracked. If we compare this to the much cheaper Apple Watch Series 10, this makes this particular Apple Watch Ultra 2 seem like a bad deal: you get poorer tracking, and roughly the same size of screen, and it even lacks the 1Hz always-on display. Of course the Ultra has better battery life, and the looks are arguably a bit better, but still, the 46mm of the Series 10 is less than half the price. So, if it were me, I’d definitely not get this metal band with my Ultra. Or, if I did, I would get a second strap for use with sports activities, but the costs then really start to add up. The good thing is that if you get the Ultra with another strap, it’s likely 100 dollars cheaper, which saves you 10% on the price and increases the performance of the Apple Watch Ultra by quite a bit. All in all, I am a bit disappointed. I honestly expected this strap not to degrade performance as much as it turns out it does. So, be forewarned if you do decide to get it.