The Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra: A Premium Smartwatch for the Adventurous Few? While marketed as a rugged upgrade, the Galaxy Watch Ultra’s true value proposition remains debatable amidst a crowded smartwatch market. This detailed review digs deep into the device’s design, features, performance, and battery life, comparing it to its predecessors and competitors to help you decide if this hefty price tag is justified.
Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra Review: Design and Specifications – A Mixed Bag
The Galaxy Watch Ultra boasts a 47.7mm titanium case, promising IP68 (10 ATM) water resistance and MIL-STD-810H certification. However, the design itself is a point of contention. While marketed as a rugged upgrade from the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, its combination of a circular display and a boxy frame feels somewhat disjointed. Many have noted similarities to the Apple Watch Ultra, but it lacks the cohesive design language found in the latter. The much-loved rotating bezel from previous models is absent, replaced by a touch-sensitive bezel that functions reliably for navigation. This is likely a strategic choice to improve durability given the watch’s rugged design.
Titanium – More Marketing Than Reality?
A surprising detail, revealed in the fine print, is that the "Titanium" case is not entirely made of titanium. Samsung’s website states that titanium is "partially applied to the front and back cover areas of the metal frame, while the remaining parts of the frame are a mix of plastic and Grade 2 titanium." While the reason behind this isn’t explicitly stated, it likely pertains to improving cellular connectivity and cost efficiency. This detail raises questions about the perceived premium value of the design.
Comfort and Strap System
Despite its somewhat unconventional design, the Watch Ultra is surprisingly thin (12.1mm), making it comfortable for daily wear. The included Marine strap is exceptionally comfortable, thanks to its breathable perforations. The Dynamic Lug System, a significant improvement from previous models, makes changing straps remarkably easy and secure. While strong in some respects, the watch’s design is ultimately subjective and may not appeal to all users. Its lack of underwater functionality (despite durability standards) may also be disappointing to some.
Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra Review: Display – A Bright Spot
The Galaxy Watch Ultra features a 1.5-inch Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 480 x 480 pixels and is protected by sapphire crystal glass. Unlike some adventure watches, this isn’t an unusually large display; however, the larger casing surrounding it makes it appear more substantial. The key here is the sapphire glass, offering excellent scratch and impact resistance, making it ideal for outdoor use.
Outdoor Visibility and Glove Mode
The display is notably bright, delivering excellent visibility even under direct sunlight. The Always-On Display (AOD) mode remains clearly legible outdoors, albeit at a cost to battery life. It’s worth noting that the sensitivity of the touchscreen is adjustable so that navigation works effectively even when worn with gloves. Given the lack of a rotating bezel or digital crown, such improved touchscreen input is crucial.
Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra Review: Software and Companion App – A Polished Experience
The Watch Ultra runs on Wear OS 5.0 with Samsung’s One UI 6.0 Watch layer on top. The interface is visually appealing and fluid, with a sharp, crisp appearance thanks to the use of a new Samsung font. The software includes specific Watch faces for the Ultra, adding to customization options.
AI Integration and Health Apps
Samsung’s Galaxy AI integration mainly focuses on smart replies, which generally perform well. However, their reliability isn’t always consistently perfect. Users need to install both the Samsung Health app and the Samsung Health Monitor app on their smartphones for a full experience. The latter app is particularly relevant since it is the only app to display ECG and blood pressure (BP) readings, but it’s unfortunately only available on Samsung’s Galaxy Store, limiting its usage to Samsung devices.
Data Syncing and Fitness Features
The Samsung Health app provides a feature-rich user interface to monitor fitness metrics and view health data. Importantly, the app now allows syncing with Google Health Connect and other third-party apps like Strava. The app also includes a wide variety of video workout routines to aid wellness. Overall, the software and apps showcase many options to users and are well-polished and well-integrated.
Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra Review: Performance – A Smooth Operator but with Quirks
The Watch Ultra is powered by a Samsung Exynos W1000 (3nm) processor, paired with 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage (approximately 21.1GB user-available). The performance is generally smooth and responsive, although the implementation of the Quick Button could be considered more refined. While functional, its different functionalities – single, double, and long presses – initially led to some accidental activation, a concern shared by some other users.
Health Features and Accuracy
The Watch Ultra offers ECG and BP monitoring, but it’s important to note that Samsung explicitly states the BP readings are not medical-grade. While tests suggest reasonable accuracy relative to medical-grade equipment, this must be factored in. The SpO2 sensor, while consistent, did not match the readings of a standalone pulse oximeter. Sleep tracking provides satisfactory insight into sleep patterns, although it still doesn’t have functionalities to capture naps, but it does present suggestions to improve sleep patterns.
Fitness Tracking Performance
Step counting showed impressive accuracy, but standalone GPS tracking proved somewhat inconsistent, especially in environments with multiple buildings. The lack of support for multi-band GPS may be impacting the accuracy, which is a potential disadvantage when compared to other high-end fitness watches.
Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra Review: Battery Life – A Moderate Performance
The Galaxy Watch Ultra incorporates a 590mAh battery and supports 10W wireless charging via magnetic charging. The charging mechanism, while convenient, again only supports Samsung wireless charging technology. Battery life is respectable, but falls short of the advertised performance. Under heavy usage – which includes a daily 5km GPS-tracked walk, AOD enabled and numerous monitoring features activated – the battery lasted approximately two days, while lighter use (with AOD and tracking disabled) extended the battery life to three days.
Comparison with Competition
Compared to other premium smartwatches, the Galaxy Watch Ultra’s battery performance is in line with other Wear OS based watches, but falls short of devices like the OnePlus Watch 2R which shows significantly better battery life, especially in power-saving mode. The charging speed also pales in comparison to the OnePlus device.
Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra shows several improvements compared to previous models in the Galaxy Watch range, particularly in the software, customization, and use of features. The Watch Ultra offers great battery life for a standard Wear OS powered watch, but it is not a class leader in battery performance compared to other more rugged watches that focus on long battery life. However, its exclusive health features, limited to Samsung smartphones, sharply limit its appeal to a broader audience in relation to the cost, even when compared to its own Galaxy Watch 7. With the Galaxy Watch 7 providing nearly all of the useful features, at a significantly lower price point it can be challenging to justify the added cost unless the customer values the durability and robustness of the device.
The Galaxy Watch Ultra ultimately serves a niche audience: urban adventurers seeking a premium experience using certain functionalities paired with a durable device. However, individuals seeking the best performance in battery life, comprehensive fitness capabilities, and an all-round more rugged option should look at watches from specialist brands like Garmin or Suunto, despite their higher price point. For many users, the significant price difference and better battery life of competing brands such as the OnePlus Watch 2R will be hard to overlook.
