Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra2 review: making the best better

The Galaxy Watch Ultra (review) was Samsung’s first attempt at making a smartwatch for outdoor enthusiasts, though it never felt like a first-generation device. Extremely rugged and loaded with features, it was pretty much the best smartwatch money could buy. The Galaxy Watch Ultra2 (first impressions) carries that legacy forward by bringing some noteworthy upgrades, making it the new ruler of the wrist, so to speak. Read on for more.

Table of Contents

Design and display


Samsung is sticking to the design language as before, so you’ll see a circular screen framed by a familiar-looking squircle case when you lay your eyes on the Watch Ultra2. Look closely, though, and you’ll see the new-generation watch has gone on a healthy diet and shed a few millimetres from its waist. And considering that the predecessor was quite bulky, this bodes well for the Galaxy Watch Ultra2. The new model is actually thinner by a whopping 12% as compared to the previous version, and that’s no mean feat, especially when you consider that the battery capacity has been bumped up by no less than 35%. Of course, the numbers don’t mean anything unless they offer real benefits, and in this case, they definitely do.


The thinner case means a slimmer profile, making the watch easier to wear, especially during outdoor sports activities. Combine that with the softer, lighter bands that Samsung has provided with the watch this time, and your wrist shouldn’t have reason to complain. Speaking of the bands, they use the same proprietary mechanism as before, so regular watch bands aren’t compatible. The bigger battery means more time away from the charger, but more on that later.


The 47mm titanium case features solid build quality, and the watch conforms to the MIL-STD-810H standard. It’s rated for 10 ATM water resistance, and the IP rating has also been bumped up to IP69K. In fact, the watch can be used as a full-fledged diving computer, as it’s now capable of recording dives, measuring the depth, time and water temperature in real time. A dedicated diving app coming later in the year will offer more advanced features, including ascent/descent speed tracking and safe dive limits.


The 1.52-inch Super AMOLED display features Sapphire Crystal for protection and has received a big upgrade of its own. The 3,000 nits brightness boasted by the OG Watch Ultra was pretty good, but the new model takes it several notches higher by offering up to 5,000 nits, making screen legibility even better outdoors. This is yet another meaningful upgrade designed to improve usability, and it helps quite a bit.

Features


The Galaxy Watch Ultra2 is Samsung’s flagship smartwatch, and as the torchbearer of the lineup, it takes the responsibility of showcasing the brand’s might in this field. And it succeeds in that endeavour too. Samsung uses a healthy dose of Galaxy AI across health monitoring, fitness tracking, and productivity features, with algorithms also helping with personalised insights that help make the data meaningful to users.


Here’s a list of some of the noteworthy features it brings from a health and fitness perspective:

An impressive assortment of sensors is on board, each responsible for capturing and monitoring a specific aspect. This list includes a BioActive sensor, temperature sensor, accelerometer, barometer, gyro, geomagnetic sensor, and a light Sensor

It’s worth pointing out that the features listed above are just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. The feature list is quite extensive, so I think most users should focus on the core metrics they want to monitor instead of getting overwhelmed by the numbers. For instance, as you use the watch and peek at the captured data in the Samsung Health app, you’ll see a bunch of different scores. Apart from the Heart Health Score, Daily Cardio Load and Fitness Index I mentioned above, you’ll see numbers like Energy Score, Sleep Score, Antioxidant Index, etc, and it’s up to you to zero in on the ones that look relevant to you based on your own health and fitness goals. Rather than obsessing over the numbers, it’d be a good idea to proceed based on what your body is telling you. That said, the extensive array of metrics and indicators serves as a solid indicator of how your overall health is progressing.

UI and app connectivity



The Galaxy Watch Ultra2 runs a customised build of Wear OS 7, offering full access to Google’s suite of applications and third-party apps via the built-in Play Store. The UI is intuitive and swipe-driven, and shouldn’t involve much of a learning curve even for first-time users. Swipe down for quick settings, swipe up for the app drawer, swipe right for notifications, and swipe left for tiles (or widgets) you can customise to show the data you want at a glance. On the right side of the watch, you get a Home and a Back button, along with a customisable action button in the middle.


For setting up the watch, controlling its settings, etc, you need Samsung’s Wearable app, and to view the captured data, you can use the Samsung Health app. Both of these come pre-installed on Samsung phones, and can be downloaded via the Play Store if you want to pair the Watch Ultra2 with a different Android phone. iPhone users are out of luck, since the Galaxy Watch Ultra2 doesn’t play well with iOS. And if you do have a Samsung phone, you should also get hold of the Health Monitor app from the Galaxy App Store, since that’s the one you’d need to measure your ECG and Blood Pressure. And since this app is only available via the Galaxy App Store and doesn’t work with non-Samsung phones, this means that the advanced health features I mentioned are only available to those Ultra2 users who pair the watch with a Samsung phone.


Also worth mentioning that the Galaxy Watch Ultra2 features built-in LTE connectivity (via eSIM), so you don’t need to carry your phone with you all the time. This is especially useful while partaking in outdoor activities and adventure sports, since the LTE connectivity lets you handle calls, basic messaging etc without your phone, and apps like Amazon Music etc can work standalone. Also, despite the fact that Samsung has made the Ultra2 much thinner than its predecessor, it’s still a chunky watch. Something to be kept in mind if you aren’t used to wearing a watch to bed, especially considering that many of the health tracking parameters it monitors only get measured while you’re sleeping.

Performance and battery

From an accuracy perspective, the numbers I saw during my usage seemed on point, so suffice it to say that you won’t have any complaints in that regard.


The Galaxy Watch Ultra2 has another big upgrade to boast of, and that comes in the performance department. Utilising Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon Wear Elite platform, paired with 2GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, the wearable offers smooth and fluid usage. The battery capacity is yet another noteworthy hardware upgrade, moving to 800mAh (up from 590mAh in the predecessor), and in my usage, it lasted about 2.5-3 days on a single charge. This is with the always-on display enabled and about 30-40 minutes of active GPS-based workout tracking per day, plus all the standard features like heart rate, sleep tracking etc in use. A full charge takes a tad less than a couple of hours, using the bundled charging puck.

Verdict


For its asking price of Rs 64,999, the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra2 squarely lands in the premium segment, befitting its positioning as the top-end wearable from the brand. Scoring high on pretty much all aspects like durability, performance and features, it stands out as a compelling health platform that sits on your wrist and guides you on your fitness journey. Equally at ease in the great outdoors as in the boardroom, it takes its place on the throne as the most loaded smartwatch money can buy right now, with the only caveat of note being that you should be a Samsung phone user to make the best of its capabilities.

Editor’s rating: 8.5 / 10

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