The Quick Verdict
Get the Series 3 Max+. For $199.98 it gives you a rechargeable battery, a color-adjustable LCD, and enough accuracy and range to handle any course you'll play. The Series 4 Ultra at $299 has a better OLED display and tighter water resistance, but it runs on disposable CR2 batteries — and paying $100 more for a rangefinder that can't be plugged in is a trade-off that doesn't make sense for most golfers. Go Series 4 Ultra only if you play in genuinely wet conditions often enough that IP54 vs IPX4 matters, or if the OLED display is a dealbreaker for you. Check price at Amazon →
What They Have in Common
Both are Blue Tees rangefinders with 6x magnification, slope with a legal-play switch, pulse vibration on flag lock, and ±1-yard accuracy. They'll give you the same yardage to the flag on the same shot. The core job — point it, lock the flag, read the number — is identical between them.
Where They Differ
Battery and Charging
This is the big one. The Series 3 Max+ has a built-in 1,000 mAh rechargeable battery via USB-C, rated for about 50 rounds per charge. The Series 4 Ultra runs on three CR2 batteries with no recharging option. CR2s are available at most pharmacies, so you won't be stranded mid-round, but you're buying batteries indefinitely — and CR2s aren't cheap. Over two or three years of regular play, that adds up. The fact that the more expensive rangefinder requires disposable batteries is a genuine oddity, and it's probably the clearest reason to stick with the Series 3 Max+.
Display
The Series 4 Ultra has an OLED display with brightness control. OLED gives you deeper blacks and better contrast than LCD, and the ability to dial brightness up or down is genuinely useful depending on whether you're reading it in full sun or shade. The Series 3 Max+ counters with a "red/black HD colour control" LCD — which lets you toggle display colors for visibility, but it's still LCD. Honestly, the OLED is better. If you've ever struggled to read a rangefinder on a bright day, you'll notice the difference. This is the Series 4 Ultra's strongest argument.
Water Resistance
The Series 4 Ultra is rated IP54; the Series 3 Max+ is IPX4. Both handle rain — neither is submersible — but IP54 adds dust resistance on top of splash protection. For most golfers playing in standard conditions, IPX4 is fine. If you're regularly playing coastal courses in the wind or live somewhere genuinely dusty, IP54 is the more thorough rating. For a typical Saturday round, the gap is marginal.
Range and Flag Lock
The Series 4 Ultra has a listed maximum range of 1,200 yards, but its flag lock tops out at 350 yards. The Series 3 Max+ goes to 1,000 yards total with "advanced flag lock" — and no separate cap listed for flag acquisition. On a golf course, you're almost never locking a flag beyond 300 yards, so the 1,200-yard headline is mostly marketing. What matters is reliable flag lock at normal approach distances, and both rangefinders should handle that fine.
Who Should Buy Which
Get the Series 3 Max+ if:
- You want to charge your rangefinder the same way you charge your phone and never think about batteries again.
- You play 2–3 times a week and the idea of tracking down CR2 batteries mid-season sounds annoying (it is).
- You're the golfer who leaves everything in the bag between rounds — the Max+ can sit uncharged for weeks and still have juice when you pull it out.
- Budget matters and you'd rather put the $99 difference toward a lesson or a sleeve of balls.
Get the Series 4 Ultra if:
- You play early-morning rounds in October where dew is on everything and you want every extra notch of weather protection you can get.
- The OLED display is genuinely important to you — if you've found LCD rangefinders hard to read in bright conditions, OLED is a real improvement.
- You don't mind buying CR2 batteries and always keep a set in your bag as a matter of habit anyway.
The Bottom Line
The Series 4 Ultra has two legitimately better features: an OLED display and a higher IP rating. But it costs $100 more and drops the rechargeable battery, which is a real step backward in convenience. A rangefinder you have to keep buying batteries for shouldn't cost more than one you can just plug in. The OLED is nice — I won't pretend it isn't — but it's not $100 nice, especially when you're giving up the charging convenience to get it.