Apple launched the Apple Watch Ultra last year as a premium smartwatch last year. It costs more than the regular watch, and comes with a titanium casing. While you could get different strap options, the watch itself just arrived in the one titanium color option.
That may change with the next Apple Watch Ultra, however. Apple may be working on bringing a dark titanium color option with the second-generation Apple Watch Ultra. Mark Gurman talked about the possibility in his latest Power On newsletter.
Apple tested a dark titanium color for the original Watch Ultra
We ended up getting the Watch Ultra in a single color, but that wasn't always the plan. Gurman revealed that Apple did consider and test a dark titanium color for the best Apple Watch, but ultimately decided to not release it.
Gurman wrote, "Before the release of last year’s Ultra model, Apple tested a dark titanium color option. It ultimately canceled the option because designers didn’t like the appearance, but it could still theoretically arrive in 2023."
Of course, there's no confirmation that this is going to happen, but it makes sense that Apple would want to bundle more colors with the new generation. The dark colorways also sell rather well, so there wouldn't be any reason to not do it, unless the design team gives it another pass.
We've also previously heard that the Apple Watch Ultra 2 could get some 3D-printed parts. Those are likely to be the internal mechanical parts, though, so there may not be a difference in the cosmetics on that end. We can expect a range of strap options, however, and more outdoors-focused features, since the watch is designed for exactly that.
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is due to arrive before the end of the year, and likely alongside the iPhone 15, possibly in September.
