Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra Review: It’s Ultra, but Not for Everyone!

 Samsung has been in the smartwatch game for a considerable time now. Through a series of incremental — and sometimes major — upgrades over the years, it has managed to remain a force to be reckoned with in the wearables segment. Now, with the launch of the Galaxy Watch Ultra, it’s attempting to strengthen its position and take the fight to Apple and its existing line-up of Ultra smartwatches.

We’ve had the Galaxy Watch Ultra with us for a bit now, giving us the opportunity to test it in-depth and figure out if it’s worth the money that Samsung is asking for it. So read on for all that you need to know about it.

The watch has a squircle design and a circular screen within it. Everything about the watch’s material and build quality is premium. The grade 4 titanium body and the sapphire crystal that protects the screen are the best out there and will surely protect you from some basic scratches and day-to-day wear and tear.

Now, the watch and band weigh approximately 90 grams, and I must say that again, the watch is not for everyone. Every time I was working on my laptop, even while writing this review, the watch just sat on the desk instead of on my wrist. I wore it to bed just once to track my sleep and was not able to do so again because of its heft—not even for this review.

Interestingly, the bezels are non-rotating. Yes, they are fixed and it might have to do with the fact that the watch is 10 ATM water resistant for up to 10 minutes and is IP68 rated. So forget about swimming, you can even take it diving.

Can the Hardware Hold Its Own

The Galaxy Watch Ultra is a mixed bag in the hardware department. On the outside, it uses a 1.5-inch OLED display that’s crisp and sharp. Interestingly, it’s also the same display we’ve seen on the Galaxy Watch 6 last year.

This panel is capable of good brightness levels and is also protected by Sapphire glass to protect it from scratches and wear and tear from day-to-day use. Not to anyone’s surprise, it comes with a horde of sensors, including a Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis Sensor, an Infrared Temperature Sensor, and an Optical Heart Rate Sensor, to name a few.

To handle such sensors and to improve the functionality, Samsung has used a new SoC underneath the hood—the Exynos W1000. This is a brand-new chipset built using an advanced 3nm manufacturing process.