The Galaxy Watch Ultra is Samsung’s most premium smartwatch yet, and it’s designed to be the ultimate companion for everyday users and fitness enthusiasts. With a combination of cutting-edge features, durability, and a sleek design, the Watch Ultra stands out as a worthy competitor in the world of wearable technology. This smartwatch is a testament to Samsung’s commitment to innovation, particularly regarding health tracking and fitness capabilities.
Design and Display: A Premium Experience
From the moment you unbox the Galaxy Watch Ultra, it’s clear that Samsung has prioritised a premium design. The watch sports a sleek and rugged build, featuring a titanium case that makes it both durable and lightweight. This construction choice ensures that the watch can withstand the rigours of intense physical activity while maintaining a clean appearance for everyday use. Whether you’re hitting the gym, running, or attending a business meeting (bands can be changed in a few seconds), the Watch Ultra blends seamlessly with any occasion.
The display is nothing short of stunning. The 2.0-inch Super AMOLED screen presents vibrant colours, deep blacks, and sharp text, making it easy to read notifications, fitness stats, and more, even in bright sunlight. Having a resolution of 480 x 480 pixels, the Galaxy Watch Ultra gives users a crisp, clear viewing experience that few other smartwatches can truly match. The always-on display feature is another welcome addition, ensuring you can quickly glance at the time or workout metrics without waking the screen manually.
Performance and Battery Life: Power Meets Efficiency
Under the hood, the Galaxy Watch Ultra is powered by Samsung’s Exynos chipset, paired with 1.5GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. This combination ensures that the watch runs smoothly through its full range of features. The performance is snappy, with minimal lag, even when multitasking between fitness tracking, music playback, and notifications.
Battery life is always a key consideration when choosing a smartwatch, and the Galaxy Watch Ultra does very well on this front. The 590mAh battery delivers impressive life, easily get up to three days of regular — including actively tracking workouts — use, and even longer with more conservative usage. For fitness enthusiasts who rely heavily on GPS tracking and health monitoring features, the watch can still last an entire day of intensive use. This is a significant improvement over previous models and ensures that you won’t be constantly worrying about charging your watch, even on long hikes or runs.
The Galaxy Watch Ultra also supports fast charging, so if you do find yourself running low on power, you can quickly top up the battery and get back to your activities in no time.
Fitness Features: A Workout Companion Like No Other
When it comes to fitness tracking, the Galaxy Watch Ultra truly shines. Samsung has packed this device with various health and fitness features that cater to everyone, from casual walkers to elite athletes. Whether your fitness goals involve improving your cardio health, strength training, or staying active throughout the day, this delivers.
Its comprehensive health tracking suite is at the core of fitness capabilities. The watch has an array of sensors that monitor everything from heart rate to blood oxygen levels (SpO2), and it even has ECG functionality. These health metrics are invaluable for users who want to monitor their cardiovascular health closely. The built-in sensors provide continuous heart rate monitoring, and the watch will alert you if your heart rate drops below or rises above a certain threshold, ensuring that you stay aware of your body’s condition during workouts and rest.
Sleep tracking is another key feature of the current generation of smartwatches. The Galaxy Watch Ultra offers detailed insights into your sleep patterns, including deep, REM, and light sleep stages. With this information, you can make informed decisions about your sleep habits and ensure you get the rest you need to perform at your best.
For runners, cyclists, and hikers, the Galaxy Watch Ultra’s GPS capabilities are a level up on previous generations. The watch includes dual-frequency GPS, significantly improving location accuracy, even in challenging environments like dense forests or urban areas with tall buildings. The route tracking feature allows users to map out their runs or hikes beforehand and precisely follow their course, thanks to real-time navigation.
The watch also offers automatic workout detection for running, walking, cycling, and swimming. This means you don’t have to start a workout manually — just begin your activity, and the watch will detect it and start tracking your performance; although I did find that this was a bit hit and miss, even when it worked, the start was often delayed.
One of the most innovative fitness features of the Galaxy Watch Ultra is its ability to perform body composition analysis. Using bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), the watch can measure key metrics such as body fat percentage, muscle mass, and water retention. This feature is handy for users looking to fine-tune their fitness routines, as it provides a more holistic view of your body’s current state beyond just weight or BMI. This enables you to plan your workouts and diet to meet your goals.
The Galaxy Watch Ultra supports over 90 workout types, ranging from traditional exercises like running and cycling to more niche activities like yoga and pilates. The watch’s multisport mode is a standout feature for athletes who participate in multiple sports. This mode allows you to switch between different activities without ending your workout session, making it easier to track your overall performance during events like triathlons.
Water resistance up to 100 meters means that the Galaxy Watch Ultra is suitable for swimming and capable of tracking your performance in the pool. It can monitor metrics like laps, distance, stroke type, and swimming efficiency. This feature is perfect for swimmers who want to improve their technique and track their progress over time.
Smart Features: More Than Just a Fitness Tracker
While fitness is a significant focus of the Galaxy Watch Ultra, it also does an excellent job as a smartwatch in its own right. It supports a wide range of features, including notifications for calls, messages, and apps and Samsung Pay for contactless payments. The watch also features voice assistants like Bixby and Google Assistant, allowing you to control smart home devices, set reminders, and ask questions without pulling out your phone.
Additionally, the Galaxy Watch Ultra offers extensive third-party app support, enabling users to download and install apps directly from the Galaxy Store. This adds a level of versatility, allowing you to personalise your watch to suit your specific needs, whether that’s adding a meditation app or a music streaming service.
Conclusion: A Top-Tier Smartwatch for Fitness and Beyond
The Galaxy Watch Ultra is an absolute powerhouse of a smartwatch that delivers both fitness tracking and everyday smart features. Its premium design, long battery life, and advanced health and fitness features make it a standout choice for anyone looking to invest in a high-quality wearable. Whether you’re an athlete training for your next competition or someone who simply wants to stay active and informed about your health, the Galaxy Watch Ultra delivers on all fronts. It’s not just a smartwatch—it’s a comprehensive fitness companion that helps you reach your goals while keeping you connected and stylish.
At $1,299.00 it’s far from a cheap option, so it’s worth carefully considering the features you’re going to utilise before dropping the coin. It’s a great companion to any Android, but particularly Samsung’s fleet of phones like the Galaxy Fold or Flip 6 (See Alex’s recent review) and Galaxy Buds and — review coming soon — Galaxy Ring.
