Is the Apple Watch Ultra for small wrists?

When the Apple Watch Ultra was announced, I was very excited! And also very scared. 

Let me explain.

I have been alternating back and forth over the years between the 45mm and the 41mm Apple Watches, and I eventually settled on the 41mm size because it just looked aesthetically better on my wrist. It was the more sophisticated choice. It didn’t look like a kids vtech watch on my wrists. 

When you wear a piece of tech, sometimes bigger isn’t always better. 

Eventually I became heavily invested in 41mm bands, including the link bracelet. Did I miss the bigger screen size? Of course I did, but I couldn’t switch to a bigger size anymore, could I? 

Enter the Apple Watch Ultra. 

Could I really pull this off? Going from 41mm all the way to 49mm? All the puzzle pieces were lining up in my favor. My Series 5 was starting to show its age at almost 3 years, and my wife wanted to give the watch a try for tracking her workouts. I could have gotten her an Apple watch SE, but a used stainless steel Series 5 was more pleasing to her eye, and frankly a much better device. She is still not consistent with it, but it still lives on under her watch (pun intended). Her go to band is the black milanese loop since it is “infinitely adjustable,” and it allows the skin to breathe easily.

So now that I had a “buyer” for my Series 5, I pulled the trigger on the Ultra. Once I unboxed it, I was genuinely excited to hold it and admire its titanium curves but I had to put it on right away. This was the breaking point for me. Was it going to look too big, or would I be able to pull it off? Well here it is:

The alpine loop is a wider band, but its comfortable fabric doesn’t pull hair like the 45mm sport band.

Just for reference, my wrist is 160mm. (41mm sport band)

I thought to myself, this is quite a beast and it did initially look huge on my wrist. After using it for a few days, I got used to it, and it didn’t really stick out as anything abnormal. It was a watch with a mission, and it was not masking it in any way. I thought to myself, even though this watch is bulky, it is supposed to look bulky like a Casio G-Shock (which I do own). I bought it with the Starlight Alpine Loop, which I alternate with my 41mm blue sport band. I really wanted the blue/gray trail loop, but that was sold out for a launch day arrival. 

The Alpine Loop is a great band and very comfortable, but I do use the small sport band 90% of the time. It’s just easier to deal with and easier to dry with a quick wipe, especially after workouts. I know that the 45mm bands work with the Ultra and fit flush with the band slot, but since I already had a 41mm band, I decided to stick with it until I buy another sport loop in the larger size. 

Once I bought the larger sport band, I didn’t like how much wider and longer it was. I was so used to the 41mm width and length that I just couldn’t get a proper fit with the 45mm band. The wider band was pulling on more wrist hair, and that was a deal breaker. Even though the 41mm band does expose part of the band slot, it actually fits the watch’s character perfectly. This watch is not smooth or subtle in any of its curves like the Series 8, with the protruding crown guard and flat, sharp screen bezel. So what if you can see the band slot a little bit? It actually adds to the brawny look.

The regular Apple Watches are smooth and have curves that flow seamlessly between screen and body. It is meant to be a piece of fashion as well as a tool. The Ultra on the other hand is a tool, period. Aesthetics are for the most part thrown out the window, and you have a lot more freedom to wear it however you want regardless of how big or small your wrist is. 

If you have been wearing the smaller sized Apple Watch over the years (38mm, 40mm, and 41mm) and you want the Apple Watch Ultra, I say give it a try. Worst case scenario, you can always return it, but I think you will find out that it actually might just be OK for your smaller wrist. 

You won’t truly know unless you try.

Apple’s markup is kind of a mess.

Apple’s markup tool is something that I use probably on a daily basis, but there are some inconsistencies that you should be aware of, especially if you are using it cross platform between iOS and macOS. Here are just some scenarios that I tried and discovered how confusing things can get.

Let’s start with the Mac:

1. Markup for screenshots are permanent edits once you close out of the preview, whether you do the edit immediately after taking the screenshot by clicking on the small icon in the corner of the screen, or if you access it later from Finder.

2. Markup for a photo in the Photos app can always be edited and undone.

3. Markup for a pdf can always be edited and undone.

On the iPhone and iPad:

1. If you take a screenshot and edit right away by clicking the tiny screenshot, whatever markups you do that way will become a permanent “instance.” The only thing you can do after this point is revert back to the original image, or build upon the current markups you did. You cannot erase part of these markups.

   • For example, if you added a square and a circle to your markup, you can revert back to the original image with no markup, or you can build upon the square and circle. You cannot erase just the circle or just the square.

2. If you take a screenshot and flick it away, go to the photos app and then do the markup, you can edit, erase, and undo without any restrictions. Nothing is permanently engraved until you share the photo with the share card.

3. Markups for a pdf can always be edited and undone.

For cross platform talk:

1. Pdf files are pretty easily editable without much hassle on either platform. I have had no trouble when switching between the 3 platforms and was able to easily undo any changes seamlessly.

2. If you have iCloud photo library on, you can edit on an iPad and easily undo those edits on an iPhone, Mac, and vice versa. I was able to verify this on my iPhone and iPad, but since I do not have iCloud photo library enabled on my mac, I can’t confirm whether that works or not. My guess is that it does work.

The tip of the day is: if you are taking a screenshot of anything on iOS or iPad OS, swipe it away and access it from the photos app before you do any markups. This way you have more control in modifying your markups later on. For mac, markups for screenshots are permanent so be careful regardless of when you mark them up.