With the first Galaxy Watch Ultra, Samsung had shown that it meant to take the premium smartwatch segment seriously. It was not simply an alternative to the traditional Galaxy Watches, but a device designed for those who demand something more in terms of durability, battery life, sports tracking, and outdoor-focused features. A product that, inevitably, drew attention also for its design, very different from what the Korean manufacturer had accustomed us to in previous years.
With Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra2, the philosophy doesn’t change, but it is refined. Those who expected an aesthetic revolution will probably be surprised that Samsung chose to focus on the aspects truly important in daily use: longer battery life, an even brighter display, superior performance, new health and sports features, and noticeably improved comfort during prolonged use.
It’s an approach I personally share. In the smartwatch sector, especially when talking about high-end products, it’s not always sensible to radically change an already convincing project. Rather, it’s smarter to intervene on the details that truly affect the user experience.
After trying Galaxy Watch Ultra2 as my main smartwatch for quite a while, I can say that Samsung has further consolidated its position in the Wear OS world. Today this device is probably one of the most complete products available to Android users, thanks to a balance that’s hard to find among competitors in terms of performance, battery life, health tracking, and build quality.
Naturally this is not a smartwatch designed for everyone. The list price is important and some of its best features can only fully express themselves within the Galaxy ecosystem. However, if your goal is to purchase a premium smartwatch capable of accompanying you throughout the day, from workouts to sleep tracking, Galaxy Watch Ultra2 is certainly one of the first products to consider.
Observing Galaxy Watch Ultra2 for the first time one might almost think they are looking at last year’s model. Because, yes, from a purely aesthetic point of view Samsung has chosen to keep the design almost unchanged: we find the characteristic squared case with a 47 mm circular display, the premium titanium construction and an instantly recognizable look.
The true evolution, however, is hidden in the details. The first thing I noticed using it every day is that Samsung has done an excellent job refining the product. The smartwatch is slightly thinner than the previous generation, and this helps make it more comfortable to wear throughout the day. What’s surprising is that this reduction in thickness did not come at the expense of battery life: on the contrary, there is room for an even larger battery inside, about 30% more than the previous model.
Samsung has also kept the three side buttons, a solution I continue to greatly appreciate. The top button can be configured to quickly summon Gemini or other functions, the bottom one supports customizable actions such as double-tap, while the distinctive central Action Button remains fully programmable. It is a level of customization that really lets you tailor the smartwatch to your needs: some will use it to immediately start a workout, and some, like me, will prefer to assign it more practical daily-use functions, such as turning on the flashlight.
Then the new straps arrive. The silicone one that I had the chance to use in my sample is slightly thinner and lighter than the first-generation one. As a result, it leaves fewer marks on the wrist and, especially during continuous use, it is decidedly more comfortable.
I also appreciated Samsung’s attention to the aesthetic details. In the Silver version I tried, for example, the orange accent with the “Ultra” inscription on the strap faithfully echoes the color of the Action Button, the new exclusive watch faces, and the indicator placed at the 12 o’clock position.
Also worth noting is an important new development: the strap attachments are completely new. This means that the accessories of the previous generation are not compatible with Galaxy Watch Ultra2. It is a choice that may not please those who had already invested in several straps, but I must admit that the new attachment system is actually more practical and faster both in mounting and removal.
The display remains an AMOLED panel of 1.5 inches, but Samsung has addressed one of the aspects that most affect daily use: brightness. In fact, it goes from 3,000 nits of the previous generation to as high as 5,000 nits of peak brightness. And I can say it without hesitation: I had the chance to try it on particularly sunny days and readability is really excellent. In fact, it’s probably the best display I’ve ever seen on a smartwatch when used under direct sunlight.
The feeling is almost like watching a small lighthouse on the wrist: notifications, maps, workout data and watch faces remain perfectly readable even in the most challenging lighting conditions.
These first impressions gave me the sense that I wasn’t wearing a completely new smartwatch, but a Galaxy Watch Ultra finally refined in all those small aspects that, in the first generation, still left some room for improvement. And this, at least after the first week of use, is probably the quality I’ve appreciated the most.
If the design represents an evolution of the first generation, it is on the inside that Galaxy Watch Ultra2 makes one of the most important steps forward. Samsung has indeed abandoned the Exynos processor used on the previous Ultra in favor of the new Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear Elite, a choice that, at least from what I could verify in my tests, translates into a perceptible improvement not only in terms of performance but also in energy efficiency.
The interface is always extremely smooth, apps open quickly and the transitions between the various screens happen without hesitation. In fact, even the Galaxy Watch Ultra wasn’t exactly slow, but here you can sense a greater maturity of the entire system.
A large part of the credit naturally also goes to Wear OS, which continues to represent the most complete operating system in the Android landscape.
The availability of the Play Store makes it possible to install virtually any useful app for everyday life: Google Maps, Spotify, WhatsApp, Google Wallet, and all the major apps dedicated to sports and productivity. It is one of the aspects I continue to appreciate the most compared to the proprietary operating systems of many competitors.
One of the most interesting software innovations is undoubtedly the integration of Gemini, which is progressively taking the place of the traditional voice assistant.
During the test I used it mainly to create reminders, send messages, obtain quick information, and manage some of the smartwatch’s functions without having to touch the display. It’s a feature that will probably gain even more value with future updates, but even today it makes interacting with the smartwatch decidedly more natural.
Phone calls are very good as well. The speaker is powerful and clear, enough to allow you to converse without particular difficulty even outdoors, while the microphone system manages to isolate the voice very well.
During phone calls, the people I spoke with always heard me clearly and naturally, without having to repeat phrases constantly or bring my wrist to my mouth.
As usual, Galaxy Watch Ultra2 places great emphasis on health monitoring. We find Samsung’s BioActive sensor, capable of monitoring heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, skin temperature, body composition via BIA analysis, stress level and sleep quality, as well as ECG and blood pressure, of course.
From a purely technical standpoint, the sensor is extremely comprehensive, but what I was interested in understanding was whether Samsung had managed to improve the accuracy of the readings compared to the previous generation. The answer, at least as far as I could verify, is yes.
I can’t tell you for sure whether the sensor is completely new or simply refined through new algorithms, but the heart rate readings seemed decidedly more precise and, above all, faster to adapt to changes in intensity during workouts.
Even when comparing myself with other colleagues, a very positive assessment has emerged. The good Guerz, for example, told me how the data recorded during physical activity are now extremely close to those obtained using Garmin devices paired with a chest heart-rate strap, which has long been considered one of the benchmarks for this type of measurement.
Not everything, though, is perfect. If I had to identify one aspect that has convinced me the least during this week of use, I would probably talk about the sleep tracking.
The analyses turn out to be very thorough once the night has ended, but I’ve noticed that the detection of the actual moment when you fall asleep continues to arrive with a few minutes’ delay compared to reality.
It’s not a serious problem and it doesn’t compromise the overall picture of the sleep analysis, but it’s one of those small details that I hope Samsung can refine through upcoming software updates.
It’s a constructive critique, especially considering how much the rest of the health sector has grown compared to the previous generation.
One of the reasons the Galaxy Watch Ultra2 is able to offer such a complete experience is its perfect integration with the Galaxy ecosystem.
The new Galaxy AI-based features enable wellness suggestions, increasingly in-depth analyses of the data collected, and a much more intelligent interaction with the smartwatch.
Naturally the device can be used with most Wear OS-compatible Android smartphones, but it is clear that the full extent of its potential emerges when it is paired with a Samsung smartphone.
It’s precisely in this configuration that all the advanced features are unlocked, the integration with Galaxy AI is complete, and the experience is perfectly coherent between phone and smartwatch.
If you already own a recent Galaxy, the Galaxy Watch Ultra2 is probably the ideal companion. If you instead use an Android smartphone from another manufacturer, you’ll still have an extremely capable smartwatch, but with a few exclusive features missing compared to the Samsung-designed experience.
One of the aspects that intrigued me most before trying Galaxy Watch Ultra2 was to understand whether the switch from the Exynos processor to the new Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear Elite would bring concrete benefits, or if it would have amounted to nothing more than an on-paper upgrade.
After about a week of use, I can say that the difference is noticeable.
It’s difficult to determine how much credit should be attributed exclusively to the new SoC and how much to the software optimization carried out by Samsung, but the final result is evident: the smartwatch is always responsive and, above all, the battery life is significantly better than the first generation.
Samsung has also managed to increase the battery capacity up to 800 mAh, about 30% more than the previous Galaxy Watch Ultra, despite a slightly thinner profile.
During my trial week I used the Galaxy Watch Ultra2 exactly as I would with my personal smartwatch: notifications always on, continuous heart-rate monitoring, Always-On Display, sleep tracking, phone calls directly from the watch, and several workouts with GPS.
In this scenario I’ve always been able to get through the day without any battery anxiety, ending the day with a margin that’s considerably more reassuring than what I remembered from the previous generation.
There is, however, one aspect that continues to convince me less: the charging speed. On the one hand, battery life has grown noticeably, but the time required to bring the battery back to 100% remains quite long. It’s not a problem that notably affects those who routinely charge the smartwatch overnight, but those who prefer to do quick top-ups before heading out or between workouts might still find this limit a bit frustrating. Considering the product’s premium positioning, I would have expected a step forward also in this regard.
Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra2 is offered in Italy at the list price of 749 euros in the 47 mm LTE configuration. This is a significant price, perfectly in line with the product’s premium positioning and with the main competitors in the high-end segment.
And we’ve reached the conclusion of this review, I believe the best way to describe the Galaxy Watch Ultra2 is very simple: Samsung has not tried to reinvent the product, but to perfect it.
It’s a choice I personally agree with.
The first generation was already an extremely complete smartwatch, but it had some small aspects that could be improved. With this new model Samsung intervened exactly where it was needed: it increased the display brightness, made the device thinner and more comfortable to wear, introduced better bands, significantly improved battery life, refined sensor accuracy, and brought Wear OS to an even higher level of maturity, also thanks to the integration of Gemini.
These are all improvements that, taken individually, might seem marginal. In day-to-day use, however, they contribute to the sense that you’re wearing a decidedly more refined device on your wrist.
After this week of use, the feeling is that you have an extremely mature smartwatch in your hands.
Samsung has shown that it listened to the feedback received on the first generation and has worked precisely on those details that, in everyday use, really make a difference. There are no aesthetic revolutions or features designed solely to impress during the presentation, but there is a long list of small improvements that make the overall experience more pleasant in nearly every aspect.
And this is exactly why the Galaxy Watch Ultra2 convinced me.
For those who already live in the Galaxy ecosystem, it is probably the best smartwatch Samsung has ever made. For those seeking the maximum that the Android world can offer in 2026, it undoubtedly represents one of the most complete options currently available on the market.
If I had to sum it up in one sentence, I would say this: Samsung hasn’t changed the winning formula of the Galaxy Watch Ultra; it’s simply refined it to make it one of the best experiences you can currently have on an Android smartwatch.
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