Samsung is moving into the high-end watch space with the new Galaxy Watch Ultra. At first glance, it might look a little too similar to the Apple Watch Ultra, but in my brief hands-on time, it was snappy, comfortable and offers a wide array of health features.
Most of the watch is built on Samsung’s existing smartwatch platform, so it has a circular display and runs a version of Wear OS 5 with a few added adventure features. This includes a new ‘Quick Button’ that you can set to open a workout, the flashlight, or a few other things. You can press and hold on to it to start an emergency siren.
As you can see here, my hand is pushing up against the Quick Button.
The most impressive improvement over the existing Galaxy Watches is that the Ultra has 100 hours of battery life due to its larger size, but to achieve that, you need to lock the watch into an ultra power saving mode, which does limit a lot of features. That being said, 100 hours can easily get you through a long weekend trip, and it didn’t feel huge on my wrist. Instead, it felt comfortable. The fact that it’s thinner than the Apple Watch Ultra I usually wear was a huge plus.
Samsung also says that its new watch’s sensors are more accurate across the entire Galaxy Watch 7 lineup, which should help fitness enthusiasts get the most out of their workouts. Combine that with a 30 percent faster chip, and these watches should offer a nice upgrade to any existing Wear OS devices from the last few years.
One strange omission is the lack of a rotating bezel. A key selling feature of the Apple Watch Ultra is that it’s easy to use with gloves on. The Galaxy Watch Ultra, on the other hand, feels like it was designed to look cool and hold a big battery, nothing more. Weirdly enough, the orange action button spins, too, but it doesn’t function as a Digital Crown, so instead, it just makes the button feel cheap. I should also mention that in my brief time wearing it, I hit the button by mistake a lot since it protrudes so far out from the side of the Watch.
We still need to review it before we pass judgment, but for now, it feels like a cooler Galaxy Watch, not necessarily more premium than the other Samsung smartwatches.
The Galaxy Watch Ultra has a 47mm screen and is available in Titanium Grey, Titanium Silver, or Titanium White. It starts at $879.99 in Canada. It’s available for pre-order now and goes on sale July 24th.
MobileSyrup may earn a commission from purchases made via our links, which helps fund the journalism we provide free on our website. These links do not influence our editorial content. Support us here.
