Samsung got lots of attention when it announced the Galaxy Watch Ultra, its first super-rugged smartwatch designed to take a beating. It’s evident that Samsung wants to convert a few Garmin users to the Wear OS world with this $650 watch, and it’s also perfectly clear they’re capitalizing on the fame and fortune of the Apple Watch Ultra.
This watch seems like a big deal, and it is. But it’s also a straightforward product: If you use a Samsung phone but want an Apple Watch Ultra, the Galaxy Watch Ultra is the device to get.
That being said, it still carries all the headaches associated with Samsung watches when you try to pair to a different kind of Android phone — and those trade-offs might not be worth it at such a high asking price.
While it certainly comes off as an imitation of another company’s rugged smartwatch, the Galaxy Watch Ultra offers a compelling list of adventure-ready features that make the $650 price easy to justify for the right crowd.
What we liked about it
Ultra rugged with customizable controls
Samsung took the Galaxy Watch and wrapped it up in scratch-resistant titanium with a black/gunmetal finish that, in no uncertain terms, looks incredibly dope. The company added “squircle” corners to the Watch Ultra’s form factor so that it feels more rectangular than any previous Galaxy Watch. You’ll find the same 1.5-inch 480 x 480 AMOLED screen as the 44mm Galaxy Watch 7 at the top, complete with a boosted 3,000 nits of brightness and sapphire crystal glass. Oh, and it turns red at night for easier visibility — cool!
It comes in a single 47mm size, which is a bummer for those with small wrists. Though it’s not uncommon for these ultra-rugged watches to exclusively ship in larger sizes.
This watch is ready to take on any outdoor adventure you embark on, thanks to its MIL-STD-810H certification and 10 ATM water resistance (meaning it can survive being submerged up to 100 meters underwater). Samsung touts its ability to survive in temperatures between -4 and 131 degrees Fahrenheit, which is quite impressive.
The watch fits snuggly, and it somehow feels less bulky than wearing an Apple Watch Ultra. I think that’s due to it sitting flatter, since it’s a bit more spread out than the cube-like “computer on your wrist” aesthetic of the Apple Watch.
The Galaxy Watch Ultra comes in White, Gray and Silver finishes, and you have three band styles to pick from on Samsung’s website. I was sent the Marine band, which reminds me a lot of the Ocean band that Apple sells, except the Galaxy Watch Ultra has a more traditional buckle for securing it to your wrist. It’s certainly a bold look, but it’s one that I really enjoy rocking. You can easily add a higher-end band to dress it up if you’re going out, and the Marine band itself is perfect for all activities.
On the right side of the watch, you’ll find a couple of buttons you use for navigation and opening Samsung Wallet, as well as a third button in the middle with an orange accent. Samsung calls it the Quick button, and it’s quite literally their answer to Apple’s Action button. You can set it to open a custom workout, trigger the flashlight or stopwatch, or enable water lock. No, it doesn’t rotate like a watch crown or anything (which throws you off the first time you use the watch), but it does add a touch of convenience to the design.
The same great selection of fitness features
The Galaxy Watch Ultra comes with the same 3-in-1 BioActive sensor as the Galaxy Watch 7, which is more accurate in its tracking compared with the old sensor in the Watch 6. The sensor comes with all the tools you need to track your progress, such a heart rate monitoring and body composition, as well as skin temperature readings for things like sleep and menstrual cycle tracking.
On the Galaxy Watch Ultra, Samsung throws in a couple of extra features to make the watch feel more “ultra.” There’s support for stringing multiple workouts together and tracking them dynamically as you perform each one, which is super helpful for, say, triathlon athletes. It can also track your Functional Threshold Power (FTP) when cycling, which gives cyclists a deeper, pedal-specific understanding of their performance each time they hit the trail.
I’m not somebody who would regularly use these types of features, but I’ve heard from my fellow reporters that they do, indeed, work well. The rest of the fitness-tracking experience is identical to that of the Galaxy Watch 7, which means it’s well rounded and checks every box on your “Features I Need to Stay in Shape” list.
You get more than 100 different workout options, with plenty of customization options sprinkled throughout. Samsung’s data visualization that appears on the watch during workouts offers a lot of granular details for glancing at your progress, and it’s easy to stop and start a workout with the side keys.
You’ll find heart-rate zone tracking, stress tracking, achievements, advanced sleep tracking and more on the Watch Ultra, as well as blood oxygen and body composition recordings. I’ve played around with all these features, and they seem to work as expected. Recording your blood oxygen can be hit or miss, however, but that’s the experience with almost every smartwatch on the market.
The Galaxy Watch Ultra can also deliver an Energy score when you wake up in the morning, which is new with Samsung’s most recent watches. It records your sleep stages throughout the night and pairs them with other factors like stress and strain to report how well you’ve recovered using an algorithm powered by Galaxy AI. Your score will range from zero to 100 each morning, and I’ve had my fair share of scores from 55 all the way to 98. It’s worth noting that these scores obviously can’t represent exactly how you’re feeling, and you should always take them with a grain of salt. But the score is nice to have anyway so you know whether you’re on the right track to reach your goals.
All the data the Watch Ultra collects gets poured into the Samsung Health app, which offers an intuitive, simplistic UI that’s both well detailed and easy to understand. It’s available for every Android phone too, so you won’t run into any major compatibility problems. Of course, it’s not available for iPhone, but there’s already a great Ultra watch for those users anyway.
Equipped for your next adventure
Like the Apple Watch Ultra, the Galaxy Watch Ultra comes with features that are ideal for your next adventure. There’s dual-band GPS support, which allows you to retrace your steps when going for a walk or hike outside as well as record your trail with better accuracy. Granted, the feature is also available on the regular Watch 7, but it’s nice to see on the Ultra nonetheless.
Samsung also includes a dedicated water mode that automatically locks the touchscreen so you don’t get any false touches when underwater. When you turn it off, water is ejected from the speaker grille to avoid any damage, which is just as cool to use as ever.
For safety reasons, there’s also an 85-decibel siren that you can trigger using the Quick button. Considering it’s 85 decibels, it’s best not to set it off indoors so as not to disturb anyone around you (take my word for it), but it definitely seems useful for when you’re out in the wilderness and run into trouble.
What’s more, the Galaxy Watch Ultra comes with LTE by default, so you don’t have to upgrade to it at purchase time. You’ll still need to buy your own data plan, but at least no matter what Watch Ultra you pick up, you’ll have the option to add a cellular connection to it.
Two-day battery life is always great
Samsung did a solid job with battery life on the Galaxy Watch Ultra. The 590mAh cell is big enough to deliver two days of endurance on a full charge, which is more than most other Wear OS smartwatches. There’s only one exception that comes to mind: the OnePlus Watch 2, which can last three to four days, thanks to its big battery and dual-processor approach to efficiency.
But if you need longer than average battery life, the Galaxy Watch Ultra can deliver that. It’s also quick to charge back up, so it won’t leave you hanging for more than an hour without a watch on your wrist.
Performance is solid, as expected
I won’t spend a ton of time here, but just know that the Galaxy Watch Ultra performs perfectly well. It’s powered by Samsung’s Exynos W1000 processor that handles everything you throw at it with ease. It ships with Wear OS 5.0 out of the box with One UI layered on top, and it’s a delightful experience, unlike versions of Wear OS in the past.
What we didn’t like about it
The water-resistance rating means nothing
Samsung was able to secure a 10 ATM water-resistance rating for the Galaxy Watch Ultra, but it basically means nothing in day-to-day usage.
Sure, it acts as a safeguard against splashes, laps in a pool or shallow scuba diving, but Samsung clarifies that the rating is more so provided for water-pressure resistance, not the water itself. Samsung does not recommend diving with this watch; instead, it clarifies that it’s safe for swimming in a pool or showering.
That means it’s far less safe in the water than the Apple Watch Ultra 2, which comes with a much stronger WR100 water-resistance rating, as well as a special certification for diving accessories so you can go much farther underwater. Apple’s watch even has a diving computer app built in, whereas the Galaxy Watch Ultra doesn’t.
In everyday usage, you’ll be fine with the water resistance of the Galaxy Watch Ultra, but any serious water sports enthusiast will want to look elsewhere.
Some features remain exclusive to Samsung phones
Much like the regular Galaxy Watch 7, some features on the Galaxy Watch Ultra only work if you pair it with a Samsung phone. For example, you can’t record an EKG, your blood pressure or track irregular heart rates without the Samsung Health Monitor app, which is only available on Samsung phones. Energy scores also require a Samsung phone, and you won’t be able to use tools like the remote camera button and Do Not Disturb syncing unless your phone says “Galaxy” on the back.
Technically speaking, you can pair the Watch Ultra to a phone from Google, OnePlus, Motorola and the like. Most of the features will remain functional too. But if you want the complete experience, you need to own a Samsung phone, which is unfortunate.
Yeah, it definitely feels like an imitation Apple Watch
I won’t lie: The Galaxy Watch Ultra is a little too similar to the Apple Watch Ultra.
It’s fine that Samsung was clearly inspired by its Cupertino-based competitor for its own ultra-rugged smartwatch, but problems arise when you don’t try to make it your own. With a similar shape, nearly identical bands and a feature set that’s practically the same, the Galaxy Watch Ultra feels more like an imitation of Apple than an original thought from Samsung.
It’s expensive
While the Galaxy Watch Ultra is on the more affordable side of the spectrum when it comes to rugged smartwatches, it’s still pretty expensive at $650.
For that price, you could get a 44mm Galaxy Watch 7 (which does about 90% of what the Watch Ultra can do) as well as a couple of bands and still have money left over. Of course, the Ultra gets you a more rugged exterior, multiday battery life, an extra hardware button and a few nice safety features, but whether that’s worth an extra $250 is up to you.
Bottom line
The Galaxy Watch Ultra is one of my favorite Wear OS devices I’ve used. While it’s a bit expensive and a little too similar to the Apple Watch Ultra to ignore, it offers a great blend of rugged design, reliable performance and long battery life. It’s one of the best smartwatches for those who are tempted by the Garmins of the world but can’t give up all the smartwatch perks of answering phone calls or using voice commands on the go.
Samsung’s Galaxy Watch Ultra is equipped with all the tools you need for your next adventure, whether that’s to the top of the Rocky Mountains or your local gym. It’s easy to recommend to any Android user who wants something more substantial on their wrist. Just remember that you’ll need a Galaxy phone for the full experience.