YouTubers test durability of Apple Watch Ultra in different ways

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in Apple Watch edited September 2022
The Apple Watch Ultra is a durable wearable device, and YouTubers have tested it in varying ways, with one testing out its diving capability while the other tested the screen with a hammer.




Apple launches are, as always, accompanied by a variety of teardowns and tests by tech vloggers, and in a variety of different ways. For the Apple Watch Ultra, billed as a durable diving-capable watch that adventurers could depend on, two videos neatly sum up the extremes of testing capability.

In a Sunday video, DC Rainmaker wanted to test out the diving capabilities of the Apple Watch Ultra, which is EN13319 certified, water resistant to 100 meters, and also offers a Depth app to show how far the user has descended.

However, based in Amsterdam, there are few opportunities to actually dive deep, so the test was conducted with a custom table-top dive chamber. Throughout the controlled "dive," the Depth app was shown to be accurate enough to use, as well as demonstrating the readings a user would see on completion.





In testing the app going to further depths than rated, the app changes to show a bright yellow background, along with the text "Beyond 130ft," indicating it has gone beyond the parameters of the app. The Apple Watch Ultra survived going to a simulated depth of 159 feet, before being returned to the "surface."

While the app didn't display depths after 130 feet on the screen, the Health app does show deeper depths for Underwater Depth. Unlike the watchOS app, the results show it went "beyond 144 feet," not quite the level the chamber was set to, but beyond what Apple uses in its marketing.

The more conventional and sensational testing of the Apple Watch Ultra was uploaded to YouTube on Saturday by TechRax. The same channel that wrecked a car to demonstrate the crash detection capability of the iPhone 14.

In a battery of tests right after unboxing, the YouTuber initially dropped the Apple Watch Ultra face-first onto concrete, with only minor scratches to the titanium case.





The second test involved dropping the Apple Watch Ultra into a jar full of screws, which was then vigorously shaken to try and scratch the device. Aside from a little dirt on the band, there was very little extra damage to the device.

Lastly, the YouTuber brought out a hammer and liberally applied it to the watch face, starting somewhat gently then ramping up in power. The screen turned off after 12 hits, but again, there was minimal external damage visible from the outside.

A further three hits caused the display glass to break, and a direct hit to the rear glass broke the back cover.

Amusingly, it seems that the Apple Watch Ultra is tougher than the YouTuber's furniture. After six hits, the surface of the table started cracking underneath the Apple Watch itself, forcing the YouTuber to reposition it and continue with the "testing."

While obviously attention-grabbing, the video does at least demonstrate that Apple really did make the Apple Watch Ultra a very rugged device. If it can shrug off a few hammer blows, it can certainly handle everyday life.

AppleInsider doesn't recommend conducting similar destructive testing at home. Partly because of the safety issues behind such activities, but mostly because it's a $799 smartwatch.

Read on AppleInsider
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 21
    StrangeDaysStrangeDays Posts: 12,876member
    Ah yes, an entirely practical "beat it with a hammer test to simulate...something" test. Rolleyes. Not clicking 
    edited September 2022 napoleon_phoneapartdewmewatto_cobrambenz1962mike1williamlondonAlex1N
  • Reply 2 of 21
    rob53rob53 Posts: 3,251member
    I bought a Swiss Army watch in Switzerland in 2001. Titanium band and sapphire crystal. I wore it daily for over 10 years and the crystal never got scratched. The band has a few very minor scratches that could probably be rubbed out. People who damage expensive products are stupid and should not get the benefit of any coverage. It must be nice to have so much money to waste. 
    watto_cobraAlex1N
  • Reply 3 of 21
    lkrupplkrupp Posts: 10,557member
    Ah yes, an entirely practical "beat it with a hammer test to simulate...something" test. Rolleyes. Not clicking 
    Well, unfortunately, you may not click on it but thousands will and that’s how these YouTubers make money. They paid $800 for the Ultra and will likely make three times that in views and ad revenues. That’s how far social media has sunk as well as stupid people are.
    edited September 2022 dewmewatto_cobrambenz1962williamlondonAlex1N
  • Reply 4 of 21
    mikethemartianmikethemartian Posts: 1,318member
    StrangeDays said:
    Ah yes, an entirely practical "beat it with a hammer test to simulate...something" test. Rolleyes. Not clicking 
    You do realize that stress testing is an integral part of engineering where devices are put through fast high temperature and cold temperature cycles, high humidity environments, high vibration environments, etc. Companies, including Apple, spend a lot of money on those tests you seem to think are so unnecessary.
    dewmegrandact73williamlondonAlex1N
  • Reply 5 of 21
    netroxnetrox Posts: 1,421member
    I am surprised how durable it is! 
    Alex1N
  • Reply 6 of 21
    KuyangkohKuyangkoh Posts: 838member
    lkrupp said:
    Ah yes, an entirely practical "beat it with a hammer test to simulate...something" test. Rolleyes. Not clicking 
    Well, unfortunately, you may not click on it but thousands will and that’s how these YouTubers make money. They paid $800 for the Ultra and will likely make three times that in views and ad revenues. That’s how far social media has sunk as well as stupid people are.
    I would like to see him swallow the watch and find out what happened next….
    watto_cobramac daddy zeeargonautStrangeDaysAlex1N
  • Reply 7 of 21
    DAalsethDAalseth Posts: 2,783member
    mikethemartian said:
    StrangeDays said:
    Ah yes, an entirely practical "beat it with a hammer test to simulate...something" test. Rolleyes. Not clicking 
    You do realize that stress testing is an integral part of engineering where devices are put through fast high temperature and cold temperature cycles, high humidity environments, high vibration environments, etc. Companies, including Apple, spend a lot of money on those tests you seem to think are so unnecessary.
    I used to work in quality control and stress testing of products. I was trained in how to do these kind of tests. To start any measurements were compared against a calibrated standard. Kinda like what they did with the dive simulation test in the pressure vessel. Exactly what they did NOT do when they beat it with a hammer. If they wanted to test the impact resistance of the crystal, use a series if larger calibrated weights dropped from a measured height. That would give you an actual traceable number. Beating it with a hammer was pointless and proved nothing, other than the had no idea what they were doing. 
    watto_cobrabestkeptsecretAlex_Vmbenz1962mac daddy zeeargonautfred1beowulfschmidtStrangeDaysroundaboutnow
  • Reply 8 of 21
    laytechlaytech Posts: 335member
    I can't tolerate the wasteful, pointless tests like these, no matter what they reveal. He will probably go on and claim damage through AppleCare or some other insurance, which ultimately drives the cost up for everyone. Selfish, mindless, and pointless. (yes repeat, totally pointless). 
    MBearmac daddy zeeargonautiOS_Guy80williamlondon
  • Reply 9 of 21
    wonkothesanewonkothesane Posts: 1,722member
    The hammer thingy causes some part in me to think how pervert we have become - earning money by having lemmings watch totally useless destruction. 
    mac daddy zeeargonauth4y3siOS_Guy80williamlondonAlex1N
  • Reply 10 of 21
    fred1fred1 Posts: 1,112member
    Personally I find it interesting to see just how much of a beating the Ultra Watch will take, not that I plan to buy one. But I would have preferred something in between a short drop and wailing on it with a hammer. He’s free to do what he wants with his property and everyone else is free to watch the video or not. 
    (Plus, I liked the comment, “Not on my watch.”)
    FileMakerFeller
  • Reply 11 of 21
    eriamjheriamjh Posts: 1,642member
    Wow.  I was amazed.  I’m going to go out immediately and buy… that hammer.  
    dewmefred1Alex1N
  • Reply 12 of 21
    DAalsethDAalseth Posts: 2,783member
    laytech said:
    I can't tolerate the wasteful, pointless tests like these, no matter what they reveal. He will probably go on and claim damage through AppleCare or some other insurance, which ultimately drives the cost up for everyone. Selfish, mindless, and pointless. (yes repeat, totally pointless). 
    Next Week at an AppleStore

    “Hi there. The crystal on my AppleWatch Ultra just, uh, shattered.”
    “Oh that’s not good, let me take a look.”
    Hands the watch to the Genius who inspects it.
    ”Yes it certainly has. And there have been cases of the crystals being manufactured with built in stresses that result in them fracturing in a short period. However, I’m afraid in this case the damage isn’t covered by AppleCare.”
    ”WHAT? Why not?”
    ”We saw the video dumbass.”


    fred1FileMakerFellerAlex1N
  • Reply 13 of 21
    Stabitha_ChristieStabitha_Christie Posts: 439member
    The YouTube video is just clickbait with no actual information on the durability of the watch. That AI went for second hand clickbait says something about their editorial standards. For the love of god at least creat unique clickbait. Or, even better, link to someone that actually did meaningful testing of the watch?  Or …. Just link to hammer guy. 
    Alex1N
  • Reply 14 of 21
    dewmedewme Posts: 5,359member
    But … Will it Blend?
    StrangeDaysmarklarkFileMakerFellerfocherAlex1N
  • Reply 15 of 21
    sunman42sunman42 Posts: 264member
    lkrupp said:
    Ah yes, an entirely practical "beat it with a hammer test to simulate...something" test. Rolleyes. Not clicking 
    Well, unfortunately, you may not click on it but thousands will and that’s how these YouTubers make money. They paid $800 for the Ultra and will likely make three times that in views and ad revenues. That’s how far social media has sunk as well as stupid people are.
    Given the sorry history of the US and several other countries over the last six years, in part due to the spread of disinformation via social media, I'd argue social media and people's gullibility havesunk a lot farther than "If it bleeds, it leads" hucksterism.
    williamlondonAlex1N
  • Reply 16 of 21
    atomic101atomic101 Posts: 131member
    Agreed that it’s wasteful and a bit over the top, but I still think that there is useful information that can be gleaned from these sorts of “tests”. For me, knowing that the watch can take several beatings with a hammer, or that a Nintendo Switch can survive being flung 10 feet into the air gives me some piece of mind that my day-to-day wear and tear is nothing to worry about. 

    It’s by no means standardized or calibrated, but then, neither are real world accidents with the devices. 
    edited September 2022 williamlondonmystigoFileMakerFellerAlex1N
  • Reply 17 of 21
    robjnrobjn Posts: 283member
    The video is worth watching just to see how many times he had to hit it with a big hammer before it broke. Of course, the test would have been more lifelike if someone was wearing it at the time.

    If you’re buying one of these you will find this reassuring, and that might be worth the few cents the YouTuber makes by your watching it.

    You don’t need to worry about this thing breaking. An impact hard enough to break this thing would also smash all the bones in your wrist. So no, you don’t need a case for it.
    netroxAlex1N
  • Reply 18 of 21
    StrangeDaysStrangeDays Posts: 12,876member
    Ah yes, an entirely practical "beat it with a hammer test to simulate...something" test. Rolleyes. Not clicking 
    You do realize that stress testing is an integral part of engineering where devices are put through fast high temperature and cold temperature cycles, high humidity environments, high vibration environments, etc. Companies, including Apple, spend a lot of money on those tests you seem to think are so unnecessary.
    You do realize you’re confusing a manufacturer’s product testing with a clickbait yahoo on youtube, right?
    DAalseth said:
    mikethemartian said:
    StrangeDays said:
    Ah yes, an entirely practical "beat it with a hammer test to simulate...something" test. Rolleyes. Not clicking 
    You do realize that stress testing is an integral part of engineering where devices are put through fast high temperature and cold temperature cycles, high humidity environments, high vibration environments, etc. Companies, including Apple, spend a lot of money on those tests you seem to think are so unnecessary.
    I used to work in quality control and stress testing of products. I was trained in how to do these kind of tests. To start any measurements were compared against a calibrated standard. Kinda like what they did with the dive simulation test in the pressure vessel. Exactly what they did NOT do when they beat it with a hammer. If they wanted to test the impact resistance of the crystal, use a series if larger calibrated weights dropped from a measured height. That would give you an actual traceable number. Beating it with a hammer was pointless and proved nothing, other than the had no idea what they were doing. 
    Bingo. 
    edited September 2022 williamlondonFileMakerFellerAlex1N
  • Reply 19 of 21
    illriggerillrigger Posts: 39member
    To counter all of that, what would you say if the thing broke far easier than expected? People say the exact same thing every time JerryRigEverything does a bend test, and yet every so often you end up with an iPad that bends in half when almost no force is applied. I agree that hitting something with a sledgehammer is dumb, but it's not like these people haven't found things out that are important to know (like to never ever stick an iPad Pro into your backpack unsupported).
    williamlondon
  • Reply 20 of 21
    FileMakerFellerFileMakerFeller Posts: 1,546member
    Hammergate!!!!
    Alex1N
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