I’ve been wearing the new Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 — just announced at Galaxy Unpacked alongside the Samsung Galaxy Watch 9 — for nearly a week, and I'm impressed.
Two years after the launch of the original ultra-rugged Samsung Galaxy Watch and Apple Watch Ultra competitor, the updated version adds better battery life, tons of new health and fitness insights, a brighter screen, and improved water resistance, all in a familiar design.
As one of TG’s resident smartwatch nerds, after five days on the wrist, here are the five things I dig the most about the new Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, along with one thing that I don’t like.
Galaxy Watch Ultra 2: Upgrade cheat sheet
But first, here’s a cheat sheet to all the most notable Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 stats and upgrades.
- Price: At $699, the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 is $50 more than its predecessor, which launched two years ago, but still $100 less than its nearest competitor, the Apple Watch Ultra 3.
- Design: The Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 is a tiny bit thinner than the original Galaxy Watch Ultra, but you may not notice the difference; the dimensions and weight are identical to the original model
- Screen: Maximum screen brightness has been bumped up from 4,000 nits to 5,000 nits, making it remarkably visible in direct sunlight
- Health features: New 'Vitals' dashboard with key metrics including heart rate, HRV, Sp02, body temp, and breath rate in one place; new 'Heart Health' score
- Fitness features: New Cardio Load insights, new Fitness Index score out of 100 based on factors like daily step count average, V02 Max, average heart rate, BIA (Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis), and average workout recovery time
- Battery life: 800 mAh battery is the largest in an Android wearable and a 35% capacity increase over the original Galaxy Watch Ultra; battery life usage averages ~25% drain per day in testing so far
Galaxy Watch Ultra 2: Versus competition
Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 |
Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra |
Apple Watch Ultra 3 |
|
|---|---|---|---|
Starting price |
$699 / AU$1299 |
$649 |
$799 |
Dimensions |
47 x 47 x 10 mm |
47 x 47 x 12 mm |
49 x 44 x 12 mm |
Weight |
61.5 g |
60.5 g |
61 g |
Display |
1.52-inch AMOLED, 5,000 nits max brightness |
1.5-inch AMOLED, 3,000 nits max brightness |
1.98-inch OLED, 3,000 nits max brightness |
Water resistance |
100 meters |
100 meters (not approved for diving) |
100 meters |
Battery life (tested) |
60 hours |
48 hours |
42 hours |
Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 like #1: The price
The Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 is priced at $699, a modest $50 increase over the launch price of its two-year-old predecessor. More notably, it's a hundred bucks cheaper than the latest Apple Watch Ultra 3, its nearest non-Android competitor.
Meanwhile, the latest Galaxy Watch 9 models —which share pretty much all the same features, just in a less beefy package — range from $379 to $459.
Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 like #2: Super-bright display
The new Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 3 sports a sizable 1.52-inch display that maxes out at an impressive 5,000 nits, making it one of the brightest displays in any full-featured wearable, including 2026's best smartwatches.
The Apple Watch Ultra 3, by comparison, maxes out at 3,000 nits of max brightness. Real-world translation: the new Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 is a lot easier to read in bright sunlight than the newest Apple Watch Ultra.
Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 like #3: A (finally) dive-ready design
The original Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra promises 100 meters of water resistance, but unlike the newest Apple Watch Ultra 3, it's not rated for use while diving or even snorkeling.
Samsung no doubt caught some flak for this shortcoming. Thankfully, the new Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 is thoroughly dive-ready. In fact, Samsung is partnering with the Mares diving app to turn the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 into a fully-fledged dive computer, complete with speed monitoring and safety-stop alerts.
Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 like #4: New holistic features galore
Similar to the new Samsung Galaxy Watch 9, the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 ships fully-loaded with all sorts of new health and fitness insights. While some of these will possibly make their way to older models, for now, most are exclusive to the latest launches.
The features include a new Vitals dashboard for viewing your most important up-to-the-minute health stats in one place, a new Cardio Load score to see your heart health, a freshly launched Fitness Index score that compares your fitness to your peers, and more.
Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 like #5: Big on battery life
Not only did Samsung equip the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 with a higher-capacity battery — 590 mAh for the old model vs 800 mAh for the new one — but the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 is noticeably more power-efficient than its predecessor, despite a brighter display.
In my testing so far, the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 uses about 35% battery every 24 hours, including tracking a daily ~45-minute outdoor workout and a full night of sleep.
This leads me to believe that the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 can last roughly three days or 72 hours per charge without using any power-saving features, a notable improvement over its predecessor, which lasted closer to 40 hours per charge.
Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 like dislike #1: The case is still massive
The original Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra required nothing short of a burly wrist to look and feel "at home." With dimensions as grand as 47.4 × 47.4 × 12.1 mm and a weight just over 60 g, the new Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 feels nearly as overwhelming on my normal-ish, 6.5-inch wrist as its predecessor.
Samsung made the new Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 a tiny bit thinner, shaving off over 2 mm of thickness. Still, the width and height remain the same.
That said, the new Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 strap is thinner, softer, and more flexible than its predecessor, which is a major improvement.
More from Tom's Guide
- I'm a smartwatch reviewer, and here's my Apple Watch Series 12 wish list — three upgrades I want, and one I don't
- Leaked Apple Watch 12 design change is the opposite of an upgrade — and that has me worried
- Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 needs these 3 upgrades to convince me to switch from my Apple Watch Ultra 3
