Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra Review: When You Want a Watch That’s Always in Your Face

The Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra is simply a batch of watch. At definite times erstwhile utilizing it, I thought it whitethorn person been too overmuch watch. As idiosyncratic who enjoys biking and hiking, I find Samsung’s astir costly wearable to beryllium a useful, though overly talkative companion. It’s the benignant of instrumentality for folks who are hopeless to adjacent their circles and don’t caput a ticker that’s ever successful their face. Even aft 2 weeks with the Ultra strapped to my wrist, I’m not definite I’ll ever beryllium that benignant of person.

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The $650 Galaxy Watch Ultra is simply a measurement up from the basal $300 Galaxy Watch 7 successful respective ways, but it’s inactive a beefier mentation of its cheaper brother. It has a amended battery, a much durable ammunition and screen, and acold amended h2o resistance, and it is rated for up to 100 meters nether the waves. Additionally, it has respective much tweaks to Samsung’s suite of WearOS 5 apps meant to connection much details astir your cycling oregon moving performance.

Naturally, the archetypal happening you’ll comparison the Galaxy Watch Ultra to is the Apple Watch Ultra 2, which is much than fair. Samsung named it to suggest an Android alternate to Apple’s rugged and costly sports watch. The Galaxy Watch Ultra is $650 compared to the Apple Watch Ultra’s $800, but Samsung boasts humor oxygen sensing features similar slumber apnea tracking, thing that’s not connected the Apple Watch owed to an ongoing patent kerfuffle with Masimo Inc.

Like the Apple Watch Ultra 2, this instrumentality volition entice athletes with precise circumstantial features. These are the benignant of capabilities I can’t trial individually without abruptly throwing connected a wetsuit and taking scuba lessons. I’m an progressive guy. I signifier humanities swordsmanship doubly play and walk, bike, and hike whenever and wherever possible. Still, I’m not going to commencement grooming for a triathlon oregon aquathlon anytime soon. 

But I tin archer you what it’s similar to dedicate truthful overmuch of my wrist’s existent property to Samsung’s costly sports watch. The instrumentality sits similar a upland connected my arm, and the Marine silicon ticker set is simply a small overmuch if you’re simply taking a stroll astir town. I’d suggest looking astatine the Trail oregon Peakform bands instead, though I haven’t tested either of those options. More than that, the rugged and durable Watch Ultra is made to hound you astir your wellness data. I wouldn’t spell arsenic acold arsenic to telephone it a hypochondriac’s paradise. Still, with the dedicated slumber apnea detection and precocious glycation extremity products (AGE) tracking, it starts to consciousness overwhelming aft your archetypal checkup with doc Samsung.

I similar the Ultra-exclusive ticker look designs. I bask having truthful overmuch information up-front successful specified a customizable way. And yet, I desperately privation Samsung included immoderate analog power mechanics connected this $650 watch. Even though a 47 mm show is large for a watch, it’s inactive comparatively tiny for my fingers to run alone. The Galaxy Watch Classic has that famed rotating bezel, and damn maine if I miss its lack here. Samsung’s high-end sports ticker besides has a programmable  “Quick Button” equivalent to Apple’s Action Button, but the Korean tech elephantine didn’t person a integer crown equivalent. 

What’s present is inactive a precise bully sports watch. Its beardown artillery beingness lasts good past a afloat time and aggregate workouts. If you privation to dedicate your wrist to being your diversion enactment center, you couldn’t bash overmuch amended than the Watch Ultra.

Galaxy Watch Ultra Design and Display

Photo: Kyle Barr / Gizmodo

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Samsung calls its quadrate assemblage beneath the circular show its “cushion design.” I wouldn’t telephone the ticker pillow-like, but it’s comparatively comfortable. I ne'er genuinely forgot I was wearing it, but I could autumn dormant with it connected arsenic rapidly arsenic I could without it (which, to beryllium fair, isn’t that casual for maine without a watch). I could find a snug acceptable with the basal and lone wristband enactment that wasn’t excessively choky oregon loose. 

It’s inactive a large watch. While the look is an already ample 47mm, the chassis feels bigger than that. I person immoderate alternatively average-sized wrists, and the Ultra takes astir of that diameter. The ticker is 12.1 mm thick, and it has managed to snag connected shelves, doorway frames, and immoderate towels portion I bash laundry. It’s a bully happening it’s a rugged small guy, and the caller Dynamic Lug set connectors kept it successful place. I don’t ideate getting immoderate little clumsy with it, adjacent aft respective much weeks of use. 

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is simply a 49mm ticker face, yet it feels smaller erstwhile you get it connected your wrist. If there’s 1 happening Samsung should person stolen from Apple, it’s the integer crown. This big, costly ticker could person stolen the rotating bezel that’s specified a beloved portion of the Galaxy Watch Classic. The rim adjacent looks similar it should rotate. Instead, it’s stuck to interaction controls. Even with a ample ticker look and improved navigation betwixt Tiles successful WearOS 5, it’s inactive not arsenic cleanable arsenic a carnal control. It would person made the Galaxy Watch Ultra basal isolated adjacent much from the Galaxy Watch 7, chiefly due to the fact that there’s nary updated Classic this year.

At the precise least, it looks similar the part. I similar the orangish and titanium grey colorway, and you tin customize the integer ticker look successful a assortment of ways. I kept the modular Ultra Analog but switched up the colors for classy reddish connected black. You tin besides modify the 8 antithetic complications astir the face, and there’s a dizzying fig of options. If you don’t privation your emblematic ticker look but inactive request a batch of accusation upfront, the Ultra Info Board is besides precise comprehensive.

The exclusive nighttime mode is besides precise charismatic successful its heavy neon red. Eventually, you tin get utilized to its size, and the agleam surface goes a agelong mode toward that end. The automatic brightness detection was bully capable for nonstop sunlight oregon dimly lit rooms, and it was solid. 

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Galaxy Watch Ultra Software and Usability

Photo: Kyle Barr / Gizmodo

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Samsung’s astir costly ticker shares overmuch of the aforesaid bundle arsenic the Watch 7, though determination are a fewer upgrades to however the ticker handles antithetic workouts and wellness tracking. Plus, it present has a useful programmable Quick Button. I kept it connected the default to bring up workouts, but you tin besides alteration it to bring up different functions. I got much mileage retired of that than the pinch gesture, which ne'er seemed to enactment for maine successful the fewer places you tin usage it.

Let’s get those exclusives retired of the way. I’m a beauteous progressive person, but that’s not thing I necessitate successful my day-to-day life. I bash bask the unusual time of cycling erstwhile I tin negociate it. The Ultra supports “Functional Threshold Power” tracking based connected your bosom rate. It measures the powerfulness a rider tin support for highest show implicit an hour. That besides requires an other powerfulness metre compatible with a Galaxy phone. Those outgo hundreds oregon adjacent thousands of dollars. You’ll get your speed, incline, and different cycling metrics with Samsung Health connected some the Ultra and Watch 7. That’s much than capable for astir casual bikers.

There’s besides an Ultra-specific tile for multi-sports. This lets you acceptable it up for erstwhile you’re grooming to run, bike, and aquatics successful speedy succession. The remainder you tin get connected the Ultra is besides connected the Watch 7. That includes a caller AGE scale (still successful a “Labs” beta successful the Samsung Health app) via a rebuilt wellness sensor array, much close GPS tracking, and humor oxygen sensing for slumber apnea. 

Samsung makes it wide erstwhile utilizing the ticker that nary of this information is meant to substitute a afloat checkup with a wellness professional. The slumber apnea diagnostic requires you to walk 2 nights with it on, and if the ticker detects immoderate humor oxygen issues, it volition simply archer you to spot a doctor. The aforesaid goes for bosom complaint oregon ECG monitoring. 

There are times erstwhile the ticker is somewhat disconnected the mark. The Ultra erstwhile detected I woke up astatine 7:10 a.m. That would person been a large night’s slumber for me, but I cognize I was afloat awake earlier 6 a.m., oregon astatine slightest erstwhile I was cognizant capable to cheque the clip connected my telephone (obviously bleary capable to hide to cheque the clip connected the ticker I was wearing). I don’t cognize however overmuch that impacts my slumber score, though Samsung Health routinely told maine I was just to bully connected my vigor score. I don’t consciousness similar a “good” oregon “fair” astir days, but possibly the lone mode to consciousness bright-eyed and bushy-tailed is to scope the fabled 100 score.

The GPS inactive isn’t cleanable for metropolis settings. That dual-band GPS is meant to way your whereabouts better. It did a precise bully occupation showing my biking courses, but that was on immoderate main thoroughfares successful Brooklyn. I tracked a fewer walks successful Manhattan, and the Samsung Health app seemed to amusement maine phasing done buildings. GPS is notoriously hard successful municipality environments, but I wouldn’t accidental the caller watches are a existent chopped supra past models.

Finally, you person a fewer additions that travel from the update to WatchOS 5. This mentation of the Android ticker is expected to beryllium faster, and portion I wouldn’t accidental the ticker felt snappy, I ne'er had immoderate lag oregon issues with supported apps. That Tiles interface is inactive imperfect. It lacks a speedy quality to reposition each tile, and my ticker was constricted to 15 widgets adjacent though I cognize it could grip more. You tin usage your digit to rotate astir the surface to prime a tile, but if this happening had a carnal bezel, it would beryllium that overmuch easier.

Galaxy Watch Ultra Battery Life and Durability

Photo: Artem Golub / Gizmodo

If there’s nary circumstantial diagnostic that mightiness entice you to bargain the bigger watch, you would astir apt get the Ultra for the amended artillery life. It houses a 590 mAh artillery compared to the 300 mAh oregon 425 mAh batteries connected the Watch 7 models. After utilizing it, I tin accidental that artillery size makes a large quality successful longevity. 

After a fewer days with the watch, aft its artillery was afloat calibrated, I could tally it for astir 46 hours, spell done 2 workout sessions successful 1 day, and inactive person conscionable capable foodstuff to cheque the clip earlier plugging it successful and going to bed. That was each without needing to crook connected regular oregon workout power-saving mode. 

After a night’s rest, I would aftermath up and find that it had lone mislaid astir 10% of artillery life, adjacent erstwhile it was investigating for slumber apnea. I would inactive suggest taking the charging pad with you if you don’t deliberation you’ll beryllium location for a while. Compared to past Galaxy watches, there’s nary much reverse wireless charging from a Samsung phone. The institution claims this is owed to the redesigned BioActive Sensor, truthful it nary longer sits flat. I initially didn’t deliberation it would beryllium an contented for me. That was until I forgot my charging pad astatine the office, and my ticker was connected its past legs. 

At the precise least, I didn’t request to interest astir the ticker overheating, adjacent during this play of terrible heat. Even erstwhile the prima was baking the streets and frying maine similar an ovum connected the sidewalk, the ticker and my wrist didn’t get immoderate warmer than the ambient environment. The ticker has an operating somesthesia betwixt -4 degrees and 131 degrees Fahrenheit. I haven’t taken the ticker into Death Valley, and I astir apt ne'er will, but it worked arsenic good arsenic it should for my purposes. 

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Verdict

Photo: Kyle Barr / Gizmodo

More than immoderate ticker I’ve used, the Galaxy Watch Ultra made maine consciousness similar a cyborg, ever plugged in, whether during my workouts, grooming oregon conscionable walking around. I couldn’t conscionable deterioration the ticker and hide it was there. It buzzes routinely to archer maine to basal up from my desk. It gets caught connected my apparel erstwhile I enactment them on. Its agleam show glows with puppy-like glee aft I wage it a bare glance. 

I admit that it’s inactive somewhat cheaper than the Apple Watch Ultra, but that doesn’t mean it’s cheap. It inactive costs much than doubly arsenic overmuch arsenic the baseline Watch 7, and I wouldn’t accidental immoderate of the features are truthful defining that it makes it worthy the other $350. The chap big-screen OnePlus Watch 2R boasts the aforesaid multi-day artillery beingness arsenic Samsung’s Ultra, though it’s not going to person astir arsenic galore wellness tracking features.

But past again, I would similar the Ultra implicit the 7 simply due to the fact that if I’m hiking, I won’t person to interest astir my ticker dying connected maine arsenic I huff it done the woods. I similar the Ultra ticker faces and each the small complications acold much than you tin get connected the cheaper devices. If the Ultra had the classic’s rotating bezel, it would beryllium an casual proposal for those who tin spend it. 

It’s a ticker that volition instrumentality implicit your wrist and—if you fto it—your life. If that’s what you’re after, past the Ultra and its monolithic ticker look fits the bill.

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