Samsung has followed Apple’s lead with a new Ultra smartwatch. Here’s everything you need to know about the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra.
The Galaxy Watch Ultra (not Watch 7 Ultra, mind you) was announced during Samsung’s summer Unpacked on July 10. The watch accompanied the Galaxy Watch 7, and a handful of other Samsung products.
The Galaxy Watch Ultra is Samsung’s answer to the Apple Watch Ultra lineup, which was announced in 2022. The wearable has a lot in common with its Apple counterpart, including the way it looks. The new rugged smartwatch is aimed at athletes and anyone who likes outdoor adventure.
Price
The Galaxy Watch Ultra comes in a single 47mm Bluetooth + 4G config, priced at $650. It is available in Titanium Gray, Titanium White, and Titanium Silver. For reference, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is $800.
Where to buy
The Galaxy Watch Ultra and Galaxy Watch 7 are up for pre-order and will begin shipping on July 24. If you wish to pre-order the device, you can head to Samsung’s website. The watch is also available for pre-order on Amazon and Best Buy.
Design & display
Samsung’s Galaxy Watch Ultra features a round watch face enclosed in an almost square body. This squared-off shape echoes the “squircle” design element Samsung uses for app icons throughout its software. There are three buttons on the side of the Galaxy Watch Ultra with the middle being a Quick Button with extra functionality.
The watch’s design somewhat mirrors 2017’s Gear Sport smartwatch. Design is subjective, but the Galaxy Watch Ultra certainly looks odd. However, it’s good that Samsung isn’t simply copying Apple.
There are three buttons on the side of the Galaxy Watch Ultra with the middle being a Quick Button with extra functionality. It lets you instantly start and control workouts and map other functions to suit your needs.
The Galaxy Watch Ultra is significantly larger and thicker than the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic, with dimensions of 47.1 x 47.4 x 12.1mm. It weighs 60.5g, which is slightly lighter than the 61.4g Apple Watch Ultra, but you won’t notice this difference in real-world usage.
In the display department, the Galaxy Watch Ultra boasts a 1.5-inch Super AMOLED display with a 47mm diameter and a resolution of 480x480px, reaching up to 3,000 nits of peak brightness. The display is protected by a sapphire crystal top, so scratches shouldn’t be an issue. The casing is made from Grade 4 titanium.
Specs
The Galaxy Watch Ultra brings durability improvements over the standard Galaxy Watch 7, with MIL-STD-810H military-grade certification.
The new wearable offers 10ATM water resistance, and can work at a wider range of altitudes, from 500 meters below sea level to 9,000 meters high for tracking activities like swimming in the ocean to cycling in extreme environments.
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Inside, the smartwatch is powered by the new Exynos W1000 chip, which is 3nm and has a CPU that’s three times faster than the W930. It also comes with 2GB of RAM.
Samsung says the new chip is 30% more efficient. The watch includes dual-frequency GPS for better tracking accuracy, even in dense urban areas.
The wearable packs a 590mAh battery, which Samsung claims offers the longest battery life within the Galaxy Watch lineup, providing up to 100 hours in Power Saving mode and 48 hours in Exercise Power Saving mode.
Fitness & software features
The Galaxy Watch Ultra can track 100 sports and multi-course workouts. It lets you track everything from swimming to cycling to running. Plus, the new Functional Threshold Power (FTP) for cycling is claimed to measure maximum cycling power in just 4 minutes with AI-powered FTP metrics.
While wearing the watch, you can pinch your fingers together twice to perform certain functions on your watch or phone, like snapping a picture or silencing an alarm. This is similar to the double tap gesture on Apple’s Watch Series 9.
Galaxy Watch 7 and Galaxy Watch Ultra are the first Android smartwatches powered by Wear OS 5, the most powerful release from Wear OS yet.
The Galaxy Watch Ultra steps up your health game with personalized tips powered by Samsung AI. The smartwatch tracks all the usual fitness metrics you’d expect, like sleep and heart rate. But with Galaxy AI on board, it can analyze that data to give you personalized recommendations you can actually use.
Should you buy the Galaxy Watch 7 Ultra?
The Galaxy Watch 7 Ultra is worth buying if you’re an athlete or outdoor enthusiast who also happens to be an Android user. Much like the Apple Watch Ultra, the Galaxy Watch Ultra is supposed to offer the most high-end features, whether it’s military-grade build or a bright display.
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