Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra: Premium Wear OS Power Hampered by Divisive Design

Samsung has finally built a smartwatch that can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Apple's premium adventure models. The Galaxy Watch Ultra, which arrived in mid-July 2024, packs the latest Wear OS 5 software, a titanium case rated for serious durability, and a battery that lasts nearly three days between charges. It's the kind of device that should appeal to runners, hikers, and anyone who wants their wrist computer to survive a dunking in the ocean. There's just one problem: the thing looks divisive enough to stop people from wanting to wear it in the first place.

The watch's case design is the first thing you notice, and it's hard to unsee. Samsung has settled on what can only be described as a squircle—a shape caught between a square and a circle, with four rounded corners that create dead space around the display. It's the design equivalent of picking dusty sage for a wall color when you couldn't decide between gray and green. The 1.5-inch display itself is bright and readable in sunlight, maxing out at 3,000 nits, and the sapphire glass protection is genuinely useful. But those empty corners make you wonder why Samsung didn't either make the screen bigger or slim down the case. There's also a raised bezel that looks like it should rotate—a feature Apple's Ultra has and Samsung's doesn't—which only adds to the sense that something is missing. The orange accents throughout the design, from the action button to the indices, are loud and limiting. Even if you swap the band, you're stuck with that orange. The Marine band itself is clunky, with an oversized clasp and a tail that refuses to stay put. The reviewer woke up twice with the watch completely off her wrist, something that's never happened with any other device she's tested.

But here's where Samsung redeems itself: the watch actually works. The action button, while underbaked at launch, provides quick access to workouts and tools like the flashlight. The guard around it prevents accidental presses, a common frustration on Apple's Ultra. More importantly, the GPS tracking is genuinely impressive. When tested alongside Apple Watch Ultra 2 and Garmin devices in rain, under tree cover, and between tall buildings, the Galaxy Watch Ultra kept pace with the best of them. It acquired GPS signals quickly and recorded solid data. The heart rate sensor, upgraded with multi-band GNSS support and an improved optical sensor, performed well during runs, walks, and indoor cycling. There were some anomalies during rowing workouts, possibly due to wrist position while holding a handle, but overall the accuracy is solid enough for most athletes.

The battery life is genuinely impressive. The reviewer hit nearly three days repeatedly during testing, even with considerable GPS tracking during workouts. That's thanks in part to Wear OS 5's focus on power efficiency, especially during exercise. Charging became infrequent enough not to feel like a burden. One trade-off: reverse wireless charging is gone because Samsung redesigned the BioActive sensor package. But if you own both the Galaxy Watch Ultra and the new Galaxy Ring, you can wear just the ring to bed to capture overnight stats while the watch charges, and all the data syncs automatically.

Wear OS 5 and Samsung's One UI 6 Watch overlay bring real improvements. The software is snappy, with a new processor that loads tools and apps quickly and keeps the experience glitch-free. Watch Face Format lets you customize faces with additional complications and colorways. Some new health features feel half-baked, though. The AGEs index, which measures Advanced Glycation End-products to indicate biological aging and metabolic health, is unclear and underbaked. It's hard to know what a good score actually is. The Energy Score, based on sleep, activity, and heart rate variability, shows promise but didn't fluctuate much during testing despite varying activity levels. Sleep tracking remains a weak point—the watch tends to rate sleep higher than other wearables like Oura Ring and Withings, suggesting inflated scores. Samsung did add FDA-approved sleep apnea detection, which is valuable, but the overall sleep tracking still needs refinement.

Samsung has also added athlete-focused features. There's a triathlon and multisport mode, customizable workout data pages, and heart rate zones you can adjust to your goals. Race Partner lets you compete against your own ghost data. You can import GPX files for routing workouts and hikes. There's an emergency siren, borrowed from Apple's playbook, that's genuinely loud. Cycling FTP prediction is new, though the reviewer couldn't test it during the review period.

The watch comes in three colorways—gray, silver, and white—though all retain that orange action button. It's only available as an LTE model, which adds to the premium price tag of $649.99. Some health features, including ECG, blood pressure detection, and irregular heart rate notifications, require a Samsung phone, a limitation that feels increasingly outdated. If the design doesn't appeal to you but you want Samsung's durability and features, the Galaxy Watch 7 at $299.99 offers many of the same highlights for less money. The Galaxy Watch Ultra is the best Wear OS smartwatch available right now, but that crown may not last long—the Pixel Watch 3 is coming soon.