Apple Watch Ultra 4 Defect On Arrival

I purchased an Apple Watch Ultra 4 on 18th Sept. Ever since the purchase, I have not been able to charge it within the 75 minutes given by Apple. The actual charge time lasts for as much as 4 hours for a charge from 12% to 100%.

I have checked all items recommended check items (including AC-DC adapter, charging brick, etc.) but have not been able to find the problem. I have un-paired the watch and the iPhone without finding any improvement.

Is there a way to confirm whether the watch hard ware is working properly?

When calling Apple, I am being told the watch needs "repair". I find it difficult to believe that a NEW Apple product needs "repair" after having been delivered as a dead-on-arrival.

Posted on Oct 15, 2026 6:47 PM

1 reply

steve626

Level 7 (20,243 points)

Oct 15, 2026 7:06 PM in response to Sanroku

A small percentage (a few %) of even the most reliable electronic products have defects. Remember that most Apple products can be returned for any reason in the first 14 days. Yours is under warranty so definitely follow through with Apple. They will either fix it or replace it with a new one. Bring your charging equipment when you bring the watch in so those items can be tested also.

It's not common but it does happen. My daughter has had two iPhones over the past 15 years that had issues when relatively new and in each case she was given a new product to replace the defective one. I also had a new Apple TV 4K that was replaced when new because it would not switch off.