Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra review

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The Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra is Samsung's attempt to challenge Apple's Watch Ultra with a collection of premium features and tough, premium design. The Galaxy Watch Ultra is this year's Samsung's top-tier smartwatch and replaces the Classic model from the last generation.

However, Samsung's naming scheme clearly distinguishes the two smartwatch lineups, so the Ultra isn't exactly a successor to the Watch6 Classic from last year and instead represents a new series.

Still, if we had to compare the Ultra to the Classic, the former poses a huge upgrade. The Galaxy Watch Ultra runs on a new, more powerful and more efficient Exynos W1000 SoC with five cores instead of just two; it draws power from a larger 590 mAh battery; and it has a more robust chassis design, incorporating sapphire, titanium and ceramic. As a result, the Ultra has a higher protection against extreme outdoor environments, hence why Samsung tries to appeal to outdoorsy users.

Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra specs at a glance:

• Body: 47.4x47.4x12.1mm, 61g; Sapphire crystal front, ceramic/sapphire crystal back, titanium frame (grade 4); IP68 / 10 ATM certified, 100m water resistant (up to 10 min), MIL-STD 810H certified, ECG certified.
• Display: 1.50" Super AMOLED, 480x480px resolution, 9:9 aspect ratio, 327ppi; Always-on display.
• Chipset: Exynos W1000 (3 nm): Penta-core; Mali-G68.
• Memory: 32GB 2GB RAM.
• OS/Software: Android Wear OS 5, One UI Watch 6.
• Rear camera: No.
• Front camera: No.
• Video capture: Rear camera: No.
• Battery: 590mAh; 10W wireless (Qi).
• Connectivity: LTE; eSIM; Wi-Fi 4; BT 5.3; NFC.
• Misc: Accelerometer, gyro, heart rate, barometer, altimeter, compass, SpO2, temperature (body), temperature (water), BioActive.

Despite the extra features, hardware and more rugged design, the Galaxy Watch Ultra is surprisingly similar to its predecessor. We have the same display, 47mm width standard and weight.

Unfortunately, the Galaxy Watch Ultra omits the rotating bezel this year, which is rather expected given that Samsung puts the bezel on every other generation. Since the Watch6 Classic had the ring, the Ultra skips it. The "virtual bezel" would have to do.

Let's see what else Samsung has in store for us as smartwatches are arguably more personal gadgets than smartphones even, so stick around to find out how much better is Samsung's first Ultra smartwatch in day-to-day use.

Unboxing the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra

The Galaxy Watch Ultra comes in a few retail boxes fitting in one another, but you only get the default straps inside and the appropriate 10W wireless charger with the USB-C connector at the other end.