Is the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra a unblushing Apple Watch Ultra clone ? Is it nothing more than a copycat without any original idea ? Those were the initial thoughts going through my head when I first see it , and I cogitate it ’s what a raft of people ’s first response to the watch is , too .
For its part , Samsung is leaningheavilyinto the law of similarity . Between the like watch lot trend , the “ Ultra ” appointment , and even the Night Mode option that call on some watch face red and black , it ’s unsufferable not to drawApple Watch Ultra equivalence .
But here ’s the affair . After using the Galaxy Watch Ultra for this review , I do n’t see it as an Apple Watch Ultra clone at all . Instead , I believe it ’s one of the most original and unique Android smartwatches you’re able to buy in 2024 — as imperfect as it may be .
Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra: design
Upon first see the Galaxy Watch Ultra , Ihatedhow it looked . The roach display and bezel on top of the square body ? It ’s a jarring , polarise esthetical that I did n’t mean I could get behind . However , after wearing the Galaxy Watch Ultra for over a week , Ilove it .
For all the comparisons hoi polloi want to take out to the other Ultra smartwatch , the Galaxy Watch Ultra ’s design is wholly and unabashedly singular — and it ’s a big reason why I ’ve enjoyed wearing it so much . There ’s a tangible gumption of reference with this design . It looks unlike any other smartwatch on the market place today , and that ’s not something I get to say very often .
With a 47 mm titanium shell , the Galaxy Watch Ultra is quite large , but even this has n’t inconvenience me . The atomic number 22 design preserve the watch lightweight and comfortable ( slightly lighter than the Apple Watch Ultra 2 ) , and I ’ve even found it comfy enough to sleep with . That certainly wo n’t be the case for everyone , but as someone with very tiny wrists , I was enjoyably surprised with how accessible I found the Ultra . The unexampled watch band organization is dandy , too . It ’s a proprietary design , similar to the Apple Watch , and it ’s fabulously prosperous to down watch bands on and off .
Ultra Analog watch faceJoe Maring / Digital Trends
I also quite like all of the push . In addition to the usual place and Back release , there ’s a new Quick button in between them . By default , the Quick push button launch the Exercise pageboy in Samsung Health . you may customize it to execute another action in Samsung Health ( such as starting a specific exercise type ) , pop a stopwatch , rick on the flashlight , or turn on the piss lock mood before you go swim . Pressing the button during a workout break / resumes it , double pressing while campaign or bicycle record a lap covering , and holding it during an usage ends it .
interchangeable to other Samsung smartwatches , you could also customise the Home and Back button to open specific apps , prompt a virtual assistant ( Bixby or Google Assistant ) , and more . It mean you may do a lot on the Watch Ultra without ever using the touchscreen , and I roll in the hay it .
What I do n’t get laid , though , is the absence of a physically circumvolve bezel or crown . consider the importance of the crown on the Apple Watch Ultra — and even Samsung ’s own expertise here on watches like theGalaxy Watch 6 Classic — not offer this type of piloting is a huge miss . you may move your finger along the edge of the projection screen to use the “ digital bezel ” to more cursorily navigate through screens / menus , but it ’s not the same .
Ultra Info Board watch faceJoe Maring / Digital Trends
There ’s a real sense of persona with this invention .
As annoying as the crown / bezel berth is , it ’s also my only real bone to pick with the Galaxy Watch Ultra ’s blueprint . It ’s unique , center - catching , comfortable , and fabulously functional . Samsung really won me over here , and I didnotsee that come .
Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra: durability
As the Ultra name connote , this is a smartwatch plan for people with “ ultra ” lifestyles . And by almost every account , the Galaxy Watch Ultra can accommodate those lifestyles . Here are the main things to note :
These are all neat trait to have , and they mean the Galaxy Watch Ultra is quick to withstand rough environments better than non - Ultra smartwatches . However , there ’s one significant thing to note here .
Although the 10 ATM water resistance is double that ofthe 5 ATM rating for the Galaxy Watch 7 , Samsung ’s hunky-dory print clearly state that the Galaxy Watch Ultra is n’t suitable for “ ultra ” H2O activeness .
Here are Samsung ’s own parole : “ It [ the Galaxy Watch Ultra ] is not worthy for gamy - press water activity and diving event . It may be used for shallow - piddle activities like swim in a pond or ocean . ” By comparison , the Apple Watch Ultra is a enceinte diving event smartwatch and can effectively be turned into a full - fledged diving computing machine with the Oceanic+ app .
While this does n’t move me in person ( I ’ve never been dive a Clarence Day in my lifetime ) , it does experience disingenuous to market the Galaxy Watch Ultra as an “ radical ” wearable , yet pretermit a feature like this — particularly when it ’s one of the Apple Watch Ultra ’s most unique qualities . This may not weigh for many of you take this , but for others , it ’ll be a deal breaker .
Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra: screen, performance, battery life
What about the screen , execution , and battery life ? They ’re all smashing . The Galaxy Watch Ultra has a 1.5 - in AMOLED panel with a 480 x 480 resolution . It ’s the same size and resolution as the panel on the 44 mm Galaxy Watch 7 , and while I would have liked a slightly declamatory screen to accompany the vainglorious size of the Ultra , the blind itself is outstanding . It ’s sharp , colored , and plenty brilliant , with up to 3,000 nit of maximal brightness .
public presentation has been top - notch , too . Inside the Galaxy Watch Ultra is the Exynos W1000 — Samsung ’s first 3 nm smartwatch chip . navigate the Watch Ultra ’s port is buttery smooth , apps open quickly , and I ’ve not notice any delays with receive notifications from my phone ( which included aGalaxy Z Flip 6and aGalaxy omega Fold 6during my examination ) .
Along with better performance , the fresh chip is also more efficient than former ones . Combine that with a 590mAh stamp battery — the largest barrage fire ever in a Galaxy Watch — and the Galaxy Watch Ultra delivers very good battery life .
Even with the always - on display enabled , receiving lot of notification , and plenty of action and sleep tracking , the Galaxy Watch Ultra gets very stuffy to two days of use per charge . As an model of its length of service , I started one Monday with 100 % bombardment at 5:30 a.m. After tracking three exercise ( a treadmill streak , circumference education , and an outdoor walking ) and a little under six hours of sleep trailing , I had 43 % barrage remaining at around 7 a.m. the next mean solar day . At 7:20 p.m. that evening , I had 8 % left in the tank .
This is n’t the very good battery life you could get on a Wear bone smartwatch , but it is very practiced . What ’s not so good , however , is the Watch Ultra ’s charging fastness . Using the included charge Robin Goodfellow and plugged into a charger capable of 10 watts or more ( what Samsung recommends ) , the Galaxy Watch Ultra takes over 90 bit to go from 10 % to 100 % . This is fine if you ’re charging the smartwatch overnight or if you are n’t in a Benjamin Rush , but if you demand a lot of juice in a short amount of time , you wo n’t get that here .
Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra: fitness and health features
The Galaxy Watch Ultra introduces a few new wellness features , my darling of which is Energy Score . At the startle of each day , the Galaxy Watch Ultra afford you a account on a scale of 1 to 100 to ascertain your energy / readiness for the day . This is based on various component , including your sleep meter eubstance , bed / wake timing , the previous day ’s activity , sleeping HRV , and more . Your mark is also play along by a few sentences explaining it , offering personalized setting about the score you have each day .
exchangeable to the Readiness Score you get on theOura Ring , I really like the addition of the Energy Score to the Watch Ultra . It ’s a helpful metric unit to work with , and I ’ve found the scoring precise to how I actually experience . After a restful day with a portion of sleep , my sexual conquest the next Clarence Day was 87 . After a night out attach to by a few alcoholic drunkenness , my mark dip to 44 the next 24-hour interval .
The other two newfangled health features are sleep apnea monitoring and an AGEs index . The former is pretty square . After you set it up in the Samsung Health Monitor app and wear the Watch Ultra for two Nox of nap tracking , from that breaker point forward , you ’ll be alarm each morning if the watch observe signs of moderate to severe sleep apnea . The feature article has appeared to work as advertised ( as I distrust , I ’ve not had any warnings of eternal rest apnea ) , and it ’s an impressive characteristic to have on a smartwatch in 2024 .
relatively , I ’ve found the AGEs index less impressive . AGEs ( advanced glycation terminate products ) are compounds that form in your body when sugar molecules oxidise fatness and protein molecule . Essentially , a goodly diet and life style generally result in a dispirited AGEs indicator , while the opposite can direct to a higher index . So , the lower AGEs indicant you have , the just .
It ’s certainly an interesting metric , but it ’s also a confusing one . My AGEs index is trending toward the high end of the scale , which I get confutative give my generally healthy diet , even physical exercise , weight , and most recent bloodwork . Similarly , Samsung advises younotto look at your AGEs index every day , yet it ’s present in the Samsung Health app front and kernel as if you should . And with diabeticandnondiabetic Galaxy Watch 7 / Ultra ownersreporting similar results for each other , I ’m not sure I ’ll be put much weight behind my AGEs indicant anytime soon .
What about the balance of the Galaxy Watch Ultra ’s health / fittingness rooms ? It ’s wonderful . Like the Apple Watch , your activity is tracked by three well obtainable goals : Motion , Time , and Calories . you’re able to customise these pretty extensively , and they provide a unmortgaged , understandable goal to turn toward each day .
Samsung ’s practice session library is also wonderfully exhaustive , boast options for ply , walk , swim , cycling , hiking , treadmills , ellipticals , and much more . raw this yr is a Multisport mode , which enable you to create a workout modus operandi for a triathlon , duathlon , or your own custom one .
Similarly , the character of the Galaxy Watch Ultra ’s exercise tracking is superb . Wearing both the Galaxy Watch Ultra and the Apple Watch Ultra 2 for a two - mile run , Samsung ’s numbers describe up almost exactly with the data point from Apple ’s wearable . My heart rate was often within 1 to 2 heartbeat per minute between the two watches , my cadency was within 2 step per arcminute , and the GPS and distance data were almost identical , too . TheApple Watch Ultra 2is one of the beneficial in the business in this esteem , and the Galaxy Watch Ultra is every bit as good .
Sleep tracking is corking , too . Samsung cater alotof data here , include your sleep stages , sleep clip restfulness , blood oxygen while sleeping , skin temperature , and more . All of this ( and other factors ) are taken into considerateness to give you a sleep grievance each night .
The Galaxy Watch Ultra ’s exercise trailing is brilliant .
moreover , after seven nights of tracked sleep , you could follow a three - hebdomad sleep coaching plan with tips to improve your eternal sleep quality . Samsung has long pop the question one of the more telling eternal sleep - trailing systems on a smartwatch , and that has n’t changed with the Galaxy Watch Ultra .
And that ’s not even everything ! Through the Samsung Health app , you may also supervise your stress throughout the day , cut through your piddle and food for thought consumption , measure your body musical composition , follow guided workout turn , and more . ripe of all , all of this is offer for loose with no subscription .
Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra: software and updates
The Galaxy Watch Ultra is one of the first smartwatches to embark with Wear OS 5 and Samsung ’s One UI 6 Watch user interface . It looks and feels well-nigh identical to premature Samsung smartwatches , though there ’s a sense of tally polish throughout . The UI find a bit frosty , notifications are delivered reliably , and everything just seems to run a little smoother than before .
The self-aggrandizing newfangled feature film this yr is “ Double Pinch . ” Totally not inspired byDouble Tap on last class ’s Apple Watches , Double Pinch allows you to tap your index fingerbreadth and ovolo together to verify certain aspects of the Watch Ultra . Right now , that includes suffice call , dismissing alarm system , controlling music playback , and taking pic with your mate Samsung earphone .
It work well enough , though it ’s notquiteas responsive as Apple ’s implementation . Samsung does helpfully show an icon on the screen if you ’re in an app that can utilise the motion , but similar to the Apple Watch , it feels pretty underutilized and restrain in its scope .
The Galaxy Watch Ultra also comes with a few new vigil faces to examine : Ultra Analog , Simple Ultra , Spatial Number , Simple Digital , and Ultra Info Board . As someone who typically does n’t likeSamsung ’s watch faces , these all look moderately good ! The Ultra ones , specifically , complement the Galaxy Watch Ultra ’s design nicely and are the ones I ’ve stuck with .
gratefully , if Samsung improves Double Pinch or sum other new features , the Galaxy Watch Ultra will find those update for a while to come . The Galaxy Watch Ultra will receive four age of update , think of you ’ll keep getting the latest software through July 2028 .
Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra: price and availability
The Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra is usable to buy now from Samsung ’s website , Amazon , Best Buy , and other major retailers . It come in one size ( 47 mm ) , includes optional LTE connectivity by default , and costs $ 650 .
The Galaxy Watch Ultra is available in three colours : Titanium Gray ( with an orange band ) , Titanium White ( with a white band ) , and Titanium Silver ( with a black band ) .
Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra: verdict
So , where does that pull up stakes us ? The Galaxy Watch Ultra has an original and comfortable invention , a lovely sieve , fast performance , reliable battery lifespan , and a fantastic health and fitness trailing suite . It ’s a mighty telling software package .
But as telling as the Galaxy Watch Ultra is , as I alluded to at the root of this review , it ’s not perfect . The lack of an interactional crown or bezel is a huge cut and a miss , especially given Samsung ’s expertise in this department . Combined with the limited ability to use the Watch Ultra in the water , its slow charge fastness , and the perplexing AGEs forefinger , it ’s a lot weighing on the $ 650 price tag .
Making things more complicated is the fact that theSamsung Galaxy Watch 7starts at just $ 300 and offer an almost identical experience . It has the same Saratoga chip , the same presentation ( on the 44 mm manakin ) , the same amount of RAM and reposition ( 2 GB and 32 GB , respectively ) , the same software features , and indistinguishable health detector . And if you take care outside of what Samsung declare oneself , other watches like theOnePlus Watch 2,Google Pixel Watch 2 , andTicWatch Pro 5all redeem commendable smartwatch experiences at similarly low-pitched price .
The Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra is something especial .
But even considering all of that , I ca n’t help but still cerebrate there ’s something especial about the Galaxy Watch Ultra . It ’s not the most sensible or hard-nosed choice , but neither is the Apple Watch Ultra . rather , it ’s something particular . Samsung ’s first Ultra wearable is n’t quite as successful as Apple ’s version , but it ’s also quite different — and it ’s off to a really impressive start . With a span of smart tweaks for the next multiplication , it might be unstoppable . But even for this first , frail attack , the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra is well deserving your aid .
