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Forget the Apple Watch Ultra 2, the new Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra just may be the tough-built, full-featured smartwatch to beat in 2024.
Boasting a scratch-resistant titanium case, 100 meters of water resistance, impressive battery life and even more impressive health and fitness tracking capabilities, the new Galaxy Ultra is more than just a handsome-looking piece of wrist candy. And though it’s priced at a whopping $650, that's still more wallet-friendly than its Apple alternative (yet twice the cost of the new Galaxy Watch 7).
Here are all the key details you need to know about the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra, including its specs, holistic and smart features, battery life, build quality and more.
Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra cheat sheet: The major changes
- Processor: The Galaxy Watch Ultra sports the latest Exynos W1000 processor, the same as the Galaxy Watch 7, with three times the speed and 30% more efficient performance than the previous generation.
- Design: With a 47mm square-ish case, three physical buttons along the right side and a round 1.5-inch AMOLED screen, the Ultra represents an aesthetic departure from previous Galaxy Watch designs.
- Design: The Galaxy Watch Ultra has a customizable Quick Button.
- Display: Screen brightness maxes out at 3,000 nits, a match with the Apple Watch Ultra 2.
- Build-quality: Built for extreme adventures, water resistance is 100 meters and the Ultra is certified to work at altitudes down to 500 meters below sea level and 9,000 meters above.
- Battery: A 590 mAh battery should provide just over four days of power in Power Saving Mode and up to 40 hours in Exercise Power Saving Mode with GPS.
- Health monitoring: The latest BioActive Health sensor is FDA-approved to detect sleep apnea. It also provides insights into metabolic health and body composition.
- AI wellness features: Users get a daily Energy Score backed by AI and personalized wellness tips.
- Software: Along with the Galaxy Watch 7, the Ultra is the first Android smartwatch to launch with Wear OS 5.
- Fitness tracking: For fitness, the Ultra supports personalized heart rate zones and can track complex multisport activities like triathlons.
Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra: Price and availability
The Galaxy Watch Ultra starts at $649.99 making it a full $150 cheaper than the Apple Watch Ultra’s launch price. U.S. preorder starts today with devices expected to hit wrists beginning July 24. Choose from Silver, White and Grey.
Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra specs
Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra: What’s new
Because this is an entirely fresh smartwatch line for Samsung, everything about the Galaxy Watch Ultra can be classified as new. However, it does share a lot of tech, specs and features with the just-announced Galaxy Watch 7. Here’s a detailed breakdown of the Galaxy Watch Ultra vs. Galaxy Watch 7.
The Ultra uses a similar 1.5-inch AMOLED screen with sapphire glass protection as the Galaxy Watch 7 44mm model. However, screen brightness on the Ultra goes up to 3,000 nits, the same as the Apple Watch Ultra 2, for optimal viewing in bright sunlight.
A 590 mAh capacity battery coupled with the new, super-efficient Exynos W1000 processor should result in some of the best performance out of any Wear OS device available. Using standard power-saving mode, Samsung says you can get just over four days of juice; with the power-saving exercise mode and GPS enabled, you can expect up to 40 hours of battery life.
Samsung’s latest BioActive Sensor packs a ton of wellness and fitness tracking tech into a mind-blowingly small package, giving users insights into their metabolic health, body composition and biological age. The Ultra is also FDA-cleared to monitor for sleep apnea and alerts users to irregular heart rhythms as well as out-of-whack heart rates.
AI-backed sleep tracking incorporates a wide range of factors to help users better understand their sleep patterns and habits. The Ultra also provides a daily Energy Score along with tips and suggestions to improve your overall well-being.
On the fitness side of things, the Galaxy Watch Ultra tracks over 100 sports and activities and supports complex multisport tracking for triathletes and the like. Users also get personalized heart rate zones for a better understanding of how their efforts and heart rate correlate. And cyclists can easily generate a Functional Threshold Power (FTP) metric in under five minutes, with a little help from AI, to better understand their performance.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 7: How it compares to other smartwatches
In terms of the best smartwatches for Android, the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra is essentially in a class of its own. Google is expected to launch a new slate of Pixel Watch 3 products in the coming months, so, it will certainly be interesting to see how they stack up against the Ultra. But a direct competitor to the Ultra seems unlikely.
That means that the Apple Watch Ultra series is the nearest rival to the Galaxy Watch Ultra. From a ruggedness and waterproof perspective, both devices are a match. Battery life also seems pretty similar between the two. However, Samsung may beat Apple at health monitoring and fitness tracking tech/insights. The Galaxy Watch Ultra also costs less than its rival.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 7: First impressions
I’ve never owned an Android smartwatch but gosh darn do I have the hots for the new Galaxy Watch Ultra. Maybe it’s just because I’m a sucker for the cushion case design, which reminds me of some of my favorite vintage mechanical wristwatches, but I think this is Samsung’s best-looking smartwatch in a decade or more, and maybe the most compelling.
We’ve already begun testing the Ultra and are impressed by its build quality, sleek design and bright screen. However, more time is needed to see if all its fancy AI-backed holistic tech can live up to the hype.
Still, I’m excited to see a flagship Wear OS device made from titanium and with 100 meters of water resistance that’s truly positioned to give the Apple Watch Ultra line a run for the money.
Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra: Outlook
Unless Google surprises us all with the launch of an equally burly smartwatch this summer, the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra will sit alone at the top of the Wear OS heap as the device to beat. Of course, that comes with a hefty $650 price tag which is double the cost of the Galaxy Watch 7, despite doing many of the same things.
The one outstanding question in my mind is will the Galaxy Watch Ultra still look competitive in the greater smartwatch arena come September when the Apple Watch Ultra 3 (probably) launches? Time will tell.
