Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 review: Peak performance for serious athletes and adventurers
The Galaxy Watch Ultra 2's core upgrades include a much brighter 5,000-nit display, a faster processor, a larger battery, and new Gemini-powered features. Picture: Samsung
The Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 is Samsung's latest offering for high-performance athletes. While it looks similar on the outside, key internal changes include a much larger battery, a faster processor, and new Gemini features like Raise to Talk. The Watch Ultra 2 has exceptional hardware and advanced specialised tracking, making it a true powerhouse built for endurance and extreme environments.
The Watch Ultra 2 isn't a small device for those who use a smartwatch as a fashion accessory. Despite being 12% thinner and 25% lighter than its predecessor, it’s still bulky, and it can look out of place on a small wrist. Instead, it focuses on the robust feel the Ultra name suggests, wrapped in premium, durable titanium. While the case diameter is large, which gives it a substantial presence, Samsung has made a noticeable effort to refine its ergonomics. I love its rugged looks on my wrist and don’t mind the bulkiness. I also didn't have any issues wearing it for sleep tracking or getting it snagged on clothes.
Designed to live up to the Ultra name, it features water resistance (IP69K, up from IP68) and deep-sea EN13319 certifications that meet professional diving standards. It's engineered for challenging, unpredictable conditions and sports a sapphire crystal display that’s highly resistant to scratches and impacts inevitable during outdoor adventures.
Unlike the Apple Watch Ultra, which uses a physical digital crown for navigation, the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 uses a circle-within-a-squircle design with distinct buttons (quick, home, back). To navigate, you use the touch bezel: swiping around the screen's edge scrolls through apps and menus, or you use the physical buttons. It takes some getting used to, and I personally prefer the reliability of a physical crown. I found Samsung's implementation frustrating at times, mainly because a press of the faux digital crown is a shortcut to the workout menu. I can’t tell you how many times in the first week I pressed it thinking it would bring me to the home screen.
The display is slightly larger (1.52-inch vs 1.5-inch) and has a stunning 5,000-nits peak brightness (up from 3,000-nits peak). You can see it easily even in direct, harsh sunlight. High visibility makes it easy to read, and details are sharp.
Beyond peak brightness, the dedicated night mode is far easier on the eyes than standard AMOLED displays, and it’s great for use in the dark without lighting up a room.
While the touchscreen is responsive, the quick-access action button, highlighted in orange, is incredibly useful. Using it to jump straight into a workout mode without navigating menus saved significant time during transitions.
While I think the Ultra Watch 2 is an amazing smartwatch, it's overkill for most people. However, for serious athletes or outdoor adventurers, it makes sense. Features like the detailed trail run view, for example, give you granular metrics on gradients, climbs, and descents. You also get high-end features for divers, like the automatic detection and real-time monitoring of depth, temperature, and time. The watch also automatically detected my cycling, but it was slow to pause and didn't always stop the workout once I finished my ride, which was frustrating.
It offers specialised features for long-term analysis, like the new Fitness Index and Cardio Load. These tools provide necessary context, helping those who need it assess whether to push harder or take a lighter day for recovery.
Health monitoring features, including ECG, sleep apnea detection, IHRN, and blood pressure tracking, require a Samsung phone. The blood pressure feature still requires calibration using a standard cuff-style pressure monitor. I wouldn't recommend this watch if you don't use a Samsung device. I did all my testing while I still had the Samsung Galaxy Fold 8.
The battery capacity bump to 800mAh is significant and most certainly pays off. I don’t run marathons and wouldn’t consider myself a heavy user. I typically got anywhere from three to four days with AOD enabled and an extra day with it off.
There’s only one version of the Watch Ultra 2, which includes full support for cellular connectivity, NFC for contactless payments, Bluetooth 6.0, and the latest Snapdragon Wear Elite platform with 2GB of RAM and 64GB of storage.
Both the Google Pixel Watch 5 and the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 share the core Wear OS 7 operating system, but Samsung's custom interface creates a significantly different user experience.
Crucially, the dual-frequency GPS accuracy was excellent. I tested it on varied terrain, and the tracking was highly consistent on my cycling routes.
The charging speed is adequate, taking about 1 hour and 35 minutes for a full charge, but compared to the Google Pixel Watch 5, it feels average. It can also take much longer if you use an older, slower charger.
The Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 is a commanding piece of hardware. Its phenomenal 5,000 nits display and extended battery life solidify its standing as a premier athletic companion. It’s perfectly suited for high-demand users needing reliable, long-lasting performance across diverse sporting events.
€749.00
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