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AI Update Leaves Apple Watch Ultra Behind
15 Jun
Summary
- Apple Watch Series 9 and later get watchOS 27, older models excluded.
- Original Apple Watch Ultra misses AI features and a new watch face.
- Some users are unhappy about older Apple Watches losing support.
Apple's forthcoming watchOS 27 update, expected this fall, will notably exclude older Apple Watch models, including the original Apple Watch Ultra. Only Apple Watch Series 9 and later devices will receive the new software enhancements. Older models, such as the Series 6 through 8 and the SE 2, lack the neural processing cores required for advanced AI features like the contextual awareness enhancements for Siri.
The original $800 Apple Watch Ultra, released four years prior, will miss out on a new "Modular" watch face and other promised improvements. These include better battery life, faster Wi-Fi, more accurate sleep tracking, and quicker media playback. The exclusion of the original Ultra model from significant updates, even as other devices like the iPhone 11 and original HomePod receive support for their respective upcoming OS versions, has led to user frustration, with some feeling their devices are being prematurely abandoned.
