Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra Review: A perfect sturdy contender for outdoor use

Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra Review: In what can be termed as its quest to dominate the premium smartwatch market, Samsung has unveiled its next wearable: the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra.

Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra Review: The device runs on Exynos W1000 SoC and is powered by a 590 mAh battery. Its built feels solid, which encompasses titanium, sapphire, and ceramic, offering it significant durability under unfavourable conditions. In this review, we will delve deep into the features and upgrades this device has received over its predecessor and analyse its potential to challenge other devices in the same segment. 

Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra Review: With dimensions of 47.4x47.4x12.1mm and weighing 61g, the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra is visually soothing. It boasts a refreshed design with a premium feel, thanks to its 47-mm display, along with a titanium case and sapphire glass face. The device is equipped with three buttons on the right, namely the Quick button, Home button, and Back button. If you are someone who likes to put on the smartwatch while undertaking intense activities, like exercising, brisk walking, and other outdoor activities, the device is more than capable, remaining largely free of scratches and dents. 

Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra Review: The orange straps are attractive, though the rotating bezels are omitted. Users can still perform similar motions within the bezels to navigate through a variety of options, offering a very satisfying haptic experience. The watch comes with an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance and is available in three colour options: Titanium White, Titanium Gray, and Titanium Silver. 

Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra Review: It boasts a 1.5-inch Super AMOLED display with 480x480 resolution. The display is bright and vibrant, ensuring sharp details whether you are viewing notifications, maps navigation, messages, or more. The steps are easy to attach and come in three options: Marine, Trail, and Peakworm. Navigation on this device is simple and intuitive. If you swipe down on the home screen, connectivity options and settings will appear; swiping from right to left will take you to health reading; swiping from left to right will let you access pending notifications, and swiping up navigates you to all your apps.

Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra Review: Thanks to the advanced sensors and hardware, including Exynos W1000 SoC with 2GB RAM and 32GB internal storage, the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultradelivers a seamless performance. Its accuracy in capturing different metrics is noteworthy, for instance, you can get a near-accurate reading of heart rate and GPS, and it also efficiently monitors sleep, heart rate, and AGEs. While we checked the device during gym sessions, we were pleasantly surprised by its real-time tracking with precise readings. 

Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra Review: However, it sometimes falls short in identifying the activities being performed, for example, while using a treadmill, it could not accurately track the exact distance covered, attributed to a stagnant GPS may be. Similarly, while cycling, the device sometimes fails to recognise the exact activity being undertaken. It seems that the company needs to improve what can be referred to as ‘activities segregation’ to ensure proper metrics readings. The watch runs on WearOS 5 atop Samsung’s One UI 6.0, offering a smooth and fluid user experience. 

Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra Review: The device offers numerous customisation options, allowing you to change the Watch face to suit your taste. The night mode is particularly impressive, activating a bright reddish UI that is both vibrant and premium, ensuring a clear display of objects on the screen. Other features include the double pinch functionality, enabling quick actions, like snoozing alarms or removing notifications from the screen. The voice assistant helps to control the music, while app management is also user-friendly. The smartwatch provides comprehensive sleep tracking and sleep patterns, including blood oxygen monitoring and sleep apnea detection, delivering accurate sleep metrics. Another significant functionality onboard is the AGEs feature, which Samsung claims can provide insights into a person’s metabolic health and may potentially help predict the risk of diabetes and related ailments.

Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra Review: The Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra packs a 590mAh battery, which takes a little over 90 minutes to get fully charged. The battery backup is satisfactory, though not the best, lasting approximately a little over a couple of days. However,it apparently fails short of Samsung’s ‘100 hours’ in power-saving mode claim. Hence, if you are planning a trip of more than a couple of days, you might need to plug in the charger multiple times to charge your smartwatch. Considering the segment it belongs to; users would have expected a more reliable battery prowess. 

Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra Review: Overall, the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra is an ideal choice for those seeking a durable wearable for outdoor activities like fitness training. With its solid build and premium design, the device’s aesthetics offer a compelling proposition. One important thing to consider is its incompatibility with iPhones. With seamless performance and near-accurate readings of health metrics, the smartwatch can be a great pick in its category. 

Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra: Pros

- Attractive design

- Near-accurate health readings, including AGEs index

- Responsive display and smooth UI

- High durability

Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra:  Cons

- Battery backup does not live up to expectations

- Not compatible with iPhones

- Real-time tracking could be smooth

- Price is on the higher side