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Design and Hardware
Samsung's latest Ultra smartwatch hits all the notes of an 'ultra' wearable: a solidly designed timepiece with chunky detailing that puts activity tracking front and center. For the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 ($700), the company has made major improvements to battery longevity and performance, while still forging its own health-tracking path with a bunch of unique metrics.
Hardware
Hardware
Mat Smith for Engadget
It's refreshing to see some major hardware upgrades on this second Galaxy Watch Ultra. Starting with the 1.52-inch display, it now reaches up to 5,000 nits of brightness, a big leap from the original's 3,500-nit max. It features a squircle design that looks distinct from circular smartwatches and the Apple Watch.
The watch is lighter and slimmer than its predecessor, but at 10.7mm thick and 61.5 grams, it remains a substantial, outdoorsy timepiece. It uses a proprietary Dynamic Lug System, which limits band compatibility compared to other wearables.
There is no rotating bezel, and the buttons on the right edge are more refined. While the lack of a physical dial can be frustrating for precise adjustments, the hardware is highly durable, featuring a shock-resistant titanium casing and IP69K dust and water protection.
The lack of a physical dial can be frustrating at times. Using picker wheels, which you scroll to choose a number, seem overly sensitive across multiple apps.
The watch has a water resistance rating of 10 ATM, allowing for depths up to 100 meters. However, a promised dedicated diving app remains unavailable months after launch.
Battery Performance
Battery capacity is up substantially, from the original Watch Ultra's 590mAh cell to 800mAh. Combined with the latest Snapdragon Wear Elite chipset, it delivers the battery life expected from a high-end smartwatch.
With mid-to-light use and the always-on display enabled, the device lasted three days before dipping below 20 percent. This included notifications, daily gym workouts, and sleep tracking.
Over a full week, the device typically required only two charges. With tracked workouts disabled or the always-on display turned off, battery life extended to four or five days.
Software and Interface
Software and interface
Mat Smith for Engadget
Navigation remains complex, relying on a mix of three hardware buttons and various swipe gestures. While improved over older Tizen-based watches, the interface can feel cluttered.
Navigation centers on swiping from the edges: top for Control Center, bottom for the app drawer, right for notifications, and left for fitness metrics. The app drawer icons can be difficult to distinguish at a glance.
Samsung provides an app panel for recently used apps, which helps mitigate the difficulty of navigating the alphabetical app list.
Health features are split between the Health and Health Monitor apps to comply with regional medical regulations. This fragmentation can make accessing specific metrics, like ECG or sleep apnea data, cumbersome.
Samsung offers a variety of customizable watch faces, though uploading personal photos remains sluggish.
Health and Biometrics
Sleep tracking, hydration tracking and everything else
The watch includes advanced biometrics, including antioxidant levels, hydration tracking, body composition scanning, and new loud noise detection.
A new Heart Health Score feature attempts to synthesize sleep, stress, and activity data into a single metric, though it is often buried within the companion smartphone app.
Many metrics require opening the Health app on a paired smartphone, which limits the utility of the watch as a standalone device.
Automatic workout detection is highly consistent, often flagging sessions more reliably than competing devices.
Antioxidant tracking requires pressing a thumb against the rear sensors. While it provides health suggestions, the results can be inconsistent.
The Watch Ultra 2 adds trend charts and daily history logs for antioxidant levels, though the utility of this specific metric remains questionable.
Mat Smith for Engadget
Sleep tracking has been improved, now requiring only three days of data instead of seven. This makes it easier for users who do not wear their watch every night to utilize the feature.
Despite the long battery life, many users still prefer to charge their devices overnight, which remains a barrier to consistent sleep tracking.
A new sleep coaching program provides habit suggestions based on your initial sleep patterns, adjusting dynamically over a 4- to 8-week period.
Sleep apnea detection is now integrated into the Health Monitor app, requiring two nights of data with the watch worn tightly.
The watch monitors blood oxygen, heart rate variability, and breathing disruptions. Note that several advanced health features, including ECG and blood pressure monitoring, are exclusive to users with a Galaxy phone.
Wrap-up
Mat Smith for Engadget
The Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 is a premium, capable wearable that matches its main competitors in hardware quality. Its standout battery life and bright display make it a compelling choice for those in the Samsung ecosystem.
While sleep tracking has improved, other health metrics like antioxidant and hydration tracking remain inconsistent or of limited practical use.
Priced $100 lower than the Apple Watch Ultra 4, the decision to buy largely depends on your phone platform. The Galaxy Watch 9 offers similar health features for less, but lacks the Ultra 2's superior battery life and display brightness.
Score breakdown
Scored out of 10Price & Release Date
Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 ($700)
