Screen size
Watch 38mm (1st gen)1.5"
Watch Ultra 3Winner: 2.0"+24%
Quick verdict
Watch Ultra 3 leads the measured specs 8-2.
Measured wins
Watch 38mm (1st gen)
2
spec wins
Ties
3
equal specs
Watch Ultra 3
8
spec wins
Overall winner
Screen size
Technology
Watch 38mm (1st gen)
No cellular connectivity
Watch Ultra 3
GSM / HSPA / LTE / 5G
2G bands
Watch 38mm (1st gen)
N/A
Watch Ultra 3
GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
GPRS
Watch 38mm (1st gen)
No
Watch Ultra 3
-
EDGE
Watch 38mm (1st gen)
No
Resolution
Refresh rate
Peak brightness
Pixel density
CPU speed
RAM
Storage
Main camera
Front camera
Battery
Wired charging
Weight
Thickness
IP rating
Wi‑Fi
Bluetooth
USB
5G support
NFC
equal specs3.5mm jack
equal specsSD card
equal specsStereo speakers
Watch Ultra 3
-
3G bands
Watch 38mm (1st gen)
-
Watch Ultra 3
HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 - International, China, HK, HSDPA 850 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 - USA, LATAM, Canada
4G bands
Watch 38mm (1st gen)
-
Watch Ultra 3
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 39, 40, 41, 66 - International, China, HK, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 25, 26, 39, 40, 41, 66 - USA, LATAM, Canada
5G bands
Watch 38mm (1st gen)
-
Watch Ultra 3
SA/NSA
Speed
Watch 38mm (1st gen)
-
Watch Ultra 3
HSPA, LTE, 5G
Announced
Watch 38mm (1st gen)
2014, September. Released 2015, May
Watch Ultra 3
2025, September 09
Status
Watch 38mm (1st gen)
Discontinued
Watch Ultra 3
Available. Released 2025, September 19
Dimensions
Watch 38mm (1st gen)
38.6 x 33.3 x 10.5 mm (1.52 x 1.31 x 0.41 in)
Watch Ultra 3
49 x 44 x 12 mm (1.93 x 1.73 x 0.47 in)
Weight
Watch 38mm (1st gen)
40 g body (2.72 oz)
Watch Ultra 3
61.6 g or 61.8 g (black) (2.15 oz)
Build
Watch 38mm (1st gen)
Glass front (Sapphire crystal), ceramic/sapphire crystal back, stainless steel frame
Watch Ultra 3
Sapphire crystal front, ceramic/sapphire crystal back, titanium frame (grade 5)
SIM
Watch 38mm (1st gen)
No
Watch Ultra 3
eSIM
Other
Watch 38mm (1st gen)
IPX7 water resistant up to 1 meter and 30 minutes
Watch Ultra 3
IP6X certified 100m water resistant (22810:2010) 40m swimproof/diving (EN13319) MIL-STD-810H compliant ECG certified (region dependent SW application; HW available on all models)
Type
Watch 38mm (1st gen)
Retina OLED, 450 nits (peak)
Watch Ultra 3
Retina LTPO3 OLED, 3000 nits (peak)
Size
Watch 38mm (1st gen)
1.5 inches
Watch Ultra 3
1.98 inches
Resolution
Watch 38mm (1st gen)
340 x 272 pixels (~290 ppi density)
Watch Ultra 3
514 x 422 pixels (~326 ppi density)
Protection
Watch 38mm (1st gen)
Sapphire crystal glass
Watch Ultra 3
Sapphire crystal glass
Other
Watch 38mm (1st gen)
3D Touch display
Watch Ultra 3
Wide-angle OLED
OS
Watch 38mm (1st gen)
watchOS 1.0, upgradable to watchOS 4.3.2
Watch Ultra 3
watchOS 26, upgradable to watchOS 26.2.1
Chipset
Watch 38mm (1st gen)
Apple S1 (28 nm)
Watch Ultra 3
Apple S10
CPU
Watch 38mm (1st gen)
520 MHz Cortex-A7
Watch Ultra 3
Dual-core
GPU
Watch 38mm (1st gen)
PowerVR SGX543
Watch Ultra 3
PowerVR
Card slot
Watch 38mm (1st gen)
No
Watch Ultra 3
No
Internal
Watch 38mm (1st gen)
8GB 512MB RAM
Watch Ultra 3
64GB
Other
Watch 38mm (1st gen)
No
Watch Ultra 3
No
Loudspeaker
Watch 38mm (1st gen)
Yes
Watch Ultra 3
Yes, with dual speakers (86-decibel)
3.5mm jack
Watch 38mm (1st gen)
No
Watch Ultra 3
No
WLAN
Watch 38mm (1st gen)
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
Watch Ultra 3
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, dual-band
Bluetooth
Watch 38mm (1st gen)
4.0, LE
Watch Ultra 3
5.3, A2DP, LE
Positioning
Watch 38mm (1st gen)
No
Watch Ultra 3
GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS, QZSS
NFC
Watch 38mm (1st gen)
Yes
Watch Ultra 3
Yes
Radio
Watch 38mm (1st gen)
No
Watch Ultra 3
No
USB
Watch 38mm (1st gen)
No
Watch Ultra 3
No
Sensors
Watch 38mm (1st gen)
Accelerometer, gyro, heart rate
Watch Ultra 3
Accelerometer, gyro, heart rate, barometer, always-on altimeter (-500m to 9000m), compass, SpO2, VO2max, temperature (body), temperature (water)
Other
Watch 38mm (1st gen)
Natural language commands and dictation
Watch Ultra 3
Temperature sensing (0.01˚ accuracy) Depth gauge (±1m accuracy) Ultra Wideband (UWB) support (gen2 chip) Emergency SOS via satellite
Type
Watch 38mm (1st gen)
Li-Ion 205 mAh (0.78 Wh), non-removable
Watch Ultra 3
Li-Ion 599 mAh
Charging
Watch 38mm (1st gen)
Wireless
Watch Ultra 3
Wireless, 0-80% in 45 min
Colors
Watch 38mm (1st gen)
Stainless Steel/Red, White, Brown/Black/Blue/Red/Marigold/Jay Buckle, Blue/Stone Leather Loop, Silver/Space Black Milanese Loop, Link Bracelet, Space Black Stainless Steel/Black, Black Link Bracelet, Pearl Woven Nylon
Watch Ultra 3
Natural, Black
Models
Watch 38mm (1st gen)
A1553
Watch Ultra 3
A3281, A3282
Price
Watch 38mm (1st gen)
About 650 EUR
Watch Ultra 3
€ 829.00
SAR
Watch 38mm (1st gen)
-
Watch Ultra 3
1.16 W/kg (head)
SAR EU
Watch 38mm (1st gen)
-
Watch Ultra 3
1.19 W/kg (head)