Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra hands-on: ultra déjà vu

Last month, Samsung announced a cheaper, entry-level Galaxy Watch FE. And today, it announced a refreshed $299.99 Galaxy Watch 7 and nan all-new $649.99 Galaxy Watch Ultra. It doesn’t return a brilliant to spot that Samsung’s taking a page from Apple’s smartwatch playbook — and obscurity is that much evident than pinch nan caller Ultra.

The Galaxy Watch Ultra replaces nan Galaxy Watch 5 Pro arsenic nan premium smartwatch successful Samsung’s lineup. Like that watch, this 1 caters to nan outdoor athlete. But whereas nan Pro had its ain chopped vibe, nan Ultra isn’t precisely hiding wherever it sewage its inspiration from.

I’m not exaggerating aliases being a hater, either. It’s successful nan name! Apple Watch Ultra, Galaxy Watch Ultra. Everything astir this watch is reminiscent of Apple’s. Samsung says this is its astir durable watch yet, pinch 10ATM of h2o resistance, an IP68 rating, a titanium case, and a sapphire crystal lens. There’s a caller orangish Quick Button that launches shortcuts to nan workout app, flashlight, h2o lock, and a fewer different options. (There is simply a batch of orangish styling.) It’s sewage a caller lug strategy for attaching straps that looks an atrocious batch for illustration Apple’s, too.

Speaking of caller straps, location are now options that cater to runners, hikers, and swimmers. The surface is brighter, going up to 3,000 nits. It’s sewage dual-frequency GPS, you tin return it diving, and there’s a caller multisport activity profile. There’s a Night Mode for your watchface that turns everything reddish truthful it’s easier to publication astatine night. There are caller power-saving modes that get you up to 100 hours of artillery wide and up to 48 hours of exercise. There’s a caller Functional Threshold Power metric for cyclists. Runners get a caller Race characteristic that lets you comparison existent and past performance. Did I mention there’s an 85dB emergency siren, too? (I heard it — it does get rather loud.)

That’s not needfully a bad thing! There hasn’t really been a 1-to-1 balanced for nan Apple Watch Ultra successful nan Android space. Garmins are great, but they’re lacking successful nan smart features and third-party app department. Samsung is conscionable filling a niche. Also, it’s $150 cheaper. Can’t reason pinch that.

It’s besides not wholly adjacent to telephone this an Apple Watch Ultra knockoff. Samsung does bring its ain flavor. The 47mm titanium lawsuit is simply a squircle shape. Next to nan Apple Watch Ultra 2, nan squircle style was chonkier overall. I had mixed feelings arsenic to nan style — I miss nan rotating bezel! Yet it does look chopped and is wearable moreover connected my smaller wrist. Furthermore, while there’s nary beingness rotating bezel, Samsung did see its signature integer touch bezel. That’s a bully thing, arsenic while nan Quick Button looks and rotates for illustration a integer crown, it doesn’t really scroll. That threw maine for a loop, but I ideate it’s simply thing to get utilized to.

As for nan Galaxy Watch 7... well, it’s here. I’m only half kidding. Design-wise, nothing’s changed too immoderate caller strap colors. The sizes are nan same, arsenic are nan artillery sizes and price. But speech from shape facet and durability, nan Galaxy Watch 7 and Ultra stock astir of nan aforesaid soul hardware and package updates, too.

For instance, they some get nan upgrade to Wear OS 5 and One UI 6 Watch. Both athletics a caller 3nm Exynos W1000 spot pinch 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. They some person LTE, accelerated charging, and dual-frequency GPS. On apical of nan accustomed sensors, nan Galaxy Watch 7 and Ultra besides person an upgraded Samsung BioActive Sensor for improved bosom rate, EKG, and assemblage creation analysis. The gist is nan new BioActive Sensor adds much LEDs and much colors of LEDS — blue, yellow, violet, and ultraviolet, to beryllium specific. That mostly adds a caller experimental Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs) Index metric, which Samsung says takes a look astatine your “diet and lifestyle” to bespeak your wide biologic aging process. (Aside from confirming that this does not mention to humor glucose, that’s astir arsenic clear arsenic Samsung got.)

As with nan Galaxy Ring, some watches besides get Galaxy AI-powered features for illustration Energy Score and Wellness Tips. The erstwhile is akin to readiness metrics recovered connected different wellness trackers, while nan second offers personalized insights based connected your wellness search data.

The biggest point is, this year, Samsung announced nan 2 watches person FDA De Novo clearance for slumber apnea detection. That’s a large deal, arsenic this is an industrywide first. Basically, it uses your slumber search information to show slumber disruptions suggestive of mean to terrible slumber apnea. Just because this characteristic is FDA-cleared doesn’t mean it’s intended arsenic a diagnostic tool. It conscionable intends nan FDA has classified it arsenic a low-to-moderate consequence instrumentality that doesn’t person a precedent and is safe for its intended use. Rather, you’re meant to return that accusation and consult your healthcare provider.

At nan extremity of my hands-on, neither nan Galaxy Watch 7 nor nan Ultra blew maine away. In each case, I hadn’t really seen thing truly new. But, that’s besides my reviewer privilege speaking. Of people I wish nan Galaxy Watch Ultra felt a spot much unsocial — astatine slightest successful position of creation — but it’s for illustration I said: location wasn’t really an Apple Watch Ultra balanced for Android. Now location is. So agelong arsenic Samsung’s Ultra holds up successful testing, that’s yet a bully thing.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 and Ultra are disposable for preorder starting coming and will beryllium mostly disposable from July 24th.