"That's what she said!"
There was nothing wrong with my venerable Apple Watch Series 6, other it was getting pretty banged up and the battery life was significantly less than what it had been when it was new, but I still wanted a new one. Ben had replaced his Series 5 with a Series 7 last year, but I couldn't justify the expense, especially since the 7 wasn't that big of an improvement over the 6—and I kept holding out hope that Apple would crack the elusive non-invasive glucose monitoring conundrum on a subsequent model. (As time passed it was abundantly clear that feature wasn't going to appear this year model either and sadly, still seems to remain several years away.)
When Apple revealed their new lineup last fall, I was immediately intrigued by their new aggressively styled, off-road 4×4 "Ultra" model. I knew it would be overkill for me, aimed as it was at a demographic of which I was most certainly not a part of, but I loved the styling. And yet, it seemed so. damn. big. And then there was the price.
If for no other reason than the waning battery life, I still wanted a new watch, so I opted for the 45mm Series 8 instead. After having a dark blue watch for years, I chose the basic aluminum finish this time, and it allowed me the freedom to use just about any color band with it. It responded to commands much more quickly than my old 6, would easily hold a charge throughout the day, and I liked the looks.
Ben had watch envy after my Series 8 arrived. He, however was also very intrigued by the Ultra. As you know, he's a big guy, and he really wanted to see how it looked on his wrist. About a week after I received my 8, we actually went to an Apple store and saw the Ultra in person.
Ben bought one, and I immediately regretted getting the 8.
As reviews and videos started rolling in on the Ultra, the more convinced I became that I'd made the wrong decision.
Luckily, since it was the holidays, Apple had extended their return window, so after vascilating back and forth for days and days on whether or not to return and exchange my 8, about three weeks ago, I took the 8 back to Apple and swapped it for the Ultra. I'd gotten a decent trade-in for my Series 6, so additional the financial sting wasn't that bad, and I have to say, I haven't regretted the purchase one bit.
The battery life is crazy! I often used to take my 6 "into the red" by the end of the day, preventing me from regularly using it for any sort of sleep monitoring, but the Ultra just keeps going and going. I can now consistently wear it overnight and only throw it on the charger when I jump in the shower the next morning to top it off.