In all the years Samsung has complemented its flagship smartwatch with some kind of secondary model, the Galaxy Watch Ultra is definitely the one that made me the most excited.
Category
🤖
TechTranscript
00:00In all the years that Samsung has complimented its flagship smartwatch with some kind of
00:04secondary model, the Galaxy Watch Ultra is definitely the one that's made me the most
00:09excited.
00:10But now that I've actually been able to test it out for a couple weeks, do I think it's
00:14worth $650?
00:17I would like to start with addressing the elephant in the room, and that is how blatantly
00:21Samsung drew inspiration from the Apple Watch Ultra success for its own Ultra watch.
00:26But hey, if something worked out really well for Apple, why wouldn't another company take
00:30a stab at it?
00:31Besides, there are some ways Samsung tried to make the Galaxy Watch Ultra special that
00:36I think have worked out well.
00:38However, there are also some peculiar limitations that you won't find on the Apple Watch Ultra
00:432 or other premium sport watches for that matter.
00:46Let me take you through the biggest pros and cons.
00:49My favorite thing about the Galaxy Watch Ultra is how it looks.
00:52In order to maintain Samsung's circular smartwatch legacy, we basically get a 3,000-nit, 44-millimeter
00:58rounded display cushioned inside a squircle-shaped chassis.
01:03It's not quite as square-like as the Apple Watch Ultra, but the visual similarity is
01:07clearly there.
01:09You can get the Galaxy Watch Ultra in titanium white, titanium gray, or titanium silver,
01:14which presents some of the best-looking finishes I've seen for any smartwatch ever.
01:19What's more, the watches are meant to be worn with a collection of three new sporty
01:22straps, all interchangeable, of course.
01:25From a durability standpoint, which obviously matters a lot for a watch like this, it's
01:29meant to withstand harsh conditions under military-grade testing standards, and the
01:33aerospace-grade titanium is highly scratch-resistant, so you won't have to worry too much about
01:38roughing it up during your outdoor activities.
01:41Another reason to get the Galaxy Watch Ultra is the added orange quick button nestled here
01:45between the two other control buttons.
01:48This button can be used to assign a function such as launching a workout, logging intervals,
01:52opening the flashlight, or triggering the watch's 85-decibel safety siren.
02:06You can assign this function in the Galaxy Watch Ultra's settings pretty easily.
02:10I alternated between a few during testing and ultimately landed on the flashlight function
02:14as my favorite.
02:16More importantly, I really like using buttons in lieu of a touchscreen when possible.
02:21This way, the display stays fingerprint-free, and if you're wearing gloves or have wet
02:25hands, buttons are also more reliable to use.
02:28I will say I wish Samsung took things one step further by including the physical rotating
02:32bezel, but I suspect the fan-favorite mechanism might have limited the watch from a durability
02:37standpoint.
02:38Either way, the addition of the quick button gets a thumbs up from me.
02:42Accurate health tracking is also a selling point of the Galaxy Watch Ultra.
02:46Now, I know some reviewers have had mixed experiences, but in terms of things like step
02:50counting, heart rate readings, my watch matched my controls very closely.
02:55Backing up a bit, the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra delivers Samsung's holistic health tracking
02:59experience, incorporating the basic you'll find on most smartwatches with some special
03:03features that you can read more about in my in-depth review linked below.
03:07But what you need to know is that health-based features on the Galaxy Watch Ultra are powered
03:11by Samsung's updated Bioactive Sensor, which is a combined PPG heart rate sensor, ECG blood
03:17oxygen reader, and BIA sensor.
03:19These points of data collection feed a slew of new Galaxy AI features like Energy Score
03:23and the latest Sleep AI algorithm.
03:26Energy Score is pretty neat, and I especially liked competing with myself daily to get higher
03:30scores.
03:31Samsung is also quite advanced when it comes to sleep tracking insights, and I appreciated
03:35the various sleep markers and generally accurate reflection of my own sleep quality.
03:41Alternatively, what I'm a bit more confused by within fitness tracking is the new Advanced
03:45Glycation End Products, or AGES Index, and it's basically a score of metabolic health
03:49and biological aging informed by lifestyle and dietary habits.
03:54Of all the health and activity features, this is the one I'm most iffy about.
03:58On one hand, your AGES Index can be a sign of potential health risks, but on the other,
04:03it's very questionable to serve up a metric that many people don't have a basic understanding
04:08of.
04:09I do lots of my own research to only kind of understand.
04:12A lack of understanding of what your baseline should look like could potentially cause alarm
04:16based on the results.
04:17I also have no way of checking whether the readings were accurate against a control unless
04:22I make an appointment with a specialist.
04:24A final reason I would buy the Galaxy Watch Ultra is because of battery life.
04:29According to Samsung, the Galaxy Watch Ultra lasts up to 100 hours in power saving mode,
04:34or just over 4 days.
04:36With exercise power saving, which still uses continuous GPS to track workouts, the watch
04:40can last up to 48 hours.
04:42That said, under normal use, my Galaxy Watch Ultra lasted just about 2 days.
04:47It's just a bummer that the Galaxy Watch Ultra can't accept reverse wireless charging from
04:51a Samsung phone like previous gen watches.
04:54I recharged the watch with the included magnetic charger and it took about 2 hours to get the
04:58watch charged back up.
05:00In my humble opinion, fast charging should be standard for the premium tier of smart
05:03watches, but at least the watch itself lasts long enough.
05:08Quickly before I get into reasons to skip, I wanted to call out that we've featured almost
05:12all of the new Samsung products in videos already, reviews, tech takedowns, you name
05:17it, so be sure to go check those out.
05:19Now, for reasons I'd skip the Galaxy Watch Ultra, starting with the fact that many features
05:24require you to own a Samsung phone.
05:26Though the Galaxy Watch Ultra is technically compatible with any Android smartphone, for
05:31a majority of the best features like FDA-cleared sleep apnea detection and ECG readings, you
05:36need to download the Samsung Health Monitor app.
05:39Irregular heart rate notifications and all of the Galaxy AI features, such as that energy
05:44score and wellness tips, require a Samsung phone with up-to-date software.
05:49But then to use the new double-pinch gesture, you need to have a Samsung smartphone running
05:52One UI 6.1.1.
05:55At launch, that only includes the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6, so I couldn't
06:01use the Z Fold 5 that I normally use for Android watch testing.
06:05I don't think Samsung customers should be encouraged to buy a new phone just to be able
06:09to use all of the new features from day one.
06:12I also would avoid the Galaxy Watch Ultra if you're a diver or fan of water sports.
06:17Although I am not personally a deep-sea diver, who would have guessed, I have enjoyed speaking
06:22to Apple Watch Ultra users in recent years about how the watch functions as a dive computer.
06:27Despite the Galaxy Watch Ultra being rated for similar 1080M depth abilities, it's not
06:32actually suitable for things like water skiing and, yes, diving.
06:36Not suitable is Samsung's own words from Samsung.
06:39Let me read.
06:40Galaxy Watch Ultra is water-resistant with an IP68 rating based on the lab test conditions
06:45for submersion in up to 1.5 meters fresh water for up to 30 minutes.
06:49It is not suitable for high-pressure water activities and diving.
06:53Considering the first Galaxy Watch Ultra image that pops up on Samsung's website is the watch
06:58bubbling in water, I would say the limitations are a serious miss.
07:02Sure, if you're just going swimming in the pool or ocean for a bit, the Galaxy Watch
07:06Ultra can track that workout, but many smartwatches can do the same for hundreds of dollars less.
07:13That brings me to my last and maybe the biggest reason to skip the Galaxy Watch Ultra, and
07:18that is it's not all that much different performance-wise from the flagship Galaxy Watch 7.
07:24Think about the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra versus the standard S24.
07:28While it's true they have the same Snapdragon processor, the Ultra model gets better cameras
07:32and included S-Pen.
07:33I don't know that the Galaxy Watch Ultra offers enough to create a true distinction between
07:39the Galaxy Watch 7.
07:40They have the same 3-nanometer processor, same bioactive sensor, same Wear OS 5 software
07:45with One UI, same Galaxy AI features, and same double-pinch gesture.
07:50It's just in a different package, albeit a nicer-looking package, but are looks enough
07:54to justify spending $650 versus $300.
07:59Everyone has their own priorities, but for me, even one exclusive software feature or
08:04app would help the Ultra's case.
08:06So should you buy or skip the Galaxy Watch Ultra?
08:10I know I say this a lot, but this one is actually a tough one for me.
08:13I really, really like how it looks, although I'm a little bitter Samsung didn't loan me
08:17the white titanium version I tried at the hands-on session, because that one is stunning.
08:23I also love the fact that I don't have to charge it every day, that's a convenience
08:26that matters a lot to me personally.
08:28Although I'm kind of skeptical whether the Galaxy Watch Ultra is truly more premium than
08:33the Galaxy Watch 7 to justify the higher price, it's still a successful smartwatch overall.
08:38Perhaps I wouldn't be so tough on it in this review if it didn't beg to be compared to
08:43the Apple Watch Ultra.
08:44At $649, it's an investment, and I don't ultimately foresee the Galaxy Watch Ultra reaching the
08:51same type of popularity as the Apple Watch Ultra, especially among non-athletes.
08:56Either way, my biggest question now is whether this watch is just going to be a one-off,
09:00or if we're going to get a Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 next year.
09:03If we do, what features would you want to see?
09:05Be sure to let me know in the comments.
09:07As I mentioned, we have tons of other reviews and stuff up now with all of the latest Samsung
09:11gear, including my Galaxy Ring review that you should definitely check out if you haven't
09:15already.
09:16Otherwise, thanks for watching, I'll catch you next time.