Apple Watch Ultra 4 drops GLONASS satellite support, keeping GPS, Galileo, QZSS and BeiDou

The latest Apple Watch Ultra 4 has been found to drop support for the GLONASS satellite system from its specs, while still fully supporting GPS, Galileo, QZSS, and BeiDou.

According to technical specifications officially published by Apple, the Apple Watch Ultra 4 no longer supports the GLONASS satellite system, unlike its predecessor, the Apple Watch Ultra 3, which supported all 5 systems: GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, and BeiDou.

GLONASS is Russia's satellite navigation system, which most consumer devices can only receive via the L1 signal, less accurate than other systems, especially on dual-frequency devices like the Apple Watch Ultra 4. GLONASS also uses a different signal architecture, requiring receivers to adjust hardware delay values per satellite, which can introduce positioning errors.

Apple has not officially explained why it dropped GLONASS, but technology experts believe it likely improves accuracy, reduces processing load, and may benefit battery life. Notably, the Apple Watch Series 12 still supports GLONASS, since it's a single-frequency device where the L1 signal's limitations matter less. The differing satellite-system choices across models reflect a strategy of tailoring hardware to each product's intended use.

Source: Techhaus Thailand (citing MacRumors)