One Week With Samsung’s Galaxy Watch Ultra

Much has been said about Samsung’s Galaxy Watch Ultra, which was launched at the recently concluded Galaxy Unpacked event in Paris. Some have labelled it an Apple Watch Ultra copycat, but I found it to be the most impressive product that Samsung unveiled at the event. After using it as my primary smartwatch for the past week, I can say that this is an intriguing device that deserves serious consideration, especially for those who already use Samsung hardware. In fact, if I didn’t personally use an iPhone, Mac, and iPad, I would gladly switch to the Galaxy Watch Ultra.

The AEGS score, a metric that Samsung has integrated into the Samsung Health app, has been highlighted with its latest wearable products. This feature effectively helps track your energy levels. Over the last weekend, I had very little to eat and hardly any sleep, yet due to an event, my step count increased dramatically. During the week, I tried to catch up on more rest in the evenings, but a day-long trip to Bangalore, involving two flights, interrupted this plan. The watch helped me map out how my daily activities and dietary intake affected my energy levels. It also supports a wide assortment of Indian food items which helps with accuracy. 

As an avid table tennis player, I found the Galaxy Watch Ultra to be more accurate in tracking my stats than the Apple Watch. The figures were even close to those provided by a WHOOP band, a device I had previously attempted to incorporate into my routine, albeit unsuccessfully.

Samsung has been able to gather all this information thanks to its cutting-edge new BioActive sensor. Additionally, the new SoC ensures that the Android Wear experience is very fluid, comparable to that of the Apple Watch Ultra. However, I miss the rotating bezel, which not only adds character to Samsung's smartwatches but also makes them more user-friendly. This issue is particularly noticeable for someone like me, who is coming from an Apple Watch Series 9 with its digital crown.

The screen on the Galaxy Watch Ultra is superb—extremely bright, making it very legible in any situation. The night mode watch face looks sleek, and the double cushion design gives the watch a distinguished appearance. Although some people call it an Apple Watch Ultra copy, mainly due to the rubber strap, I found the strap to be very comfortable, even more so than the one currently offered by Apple. I had the orange strap, which works brilliantly with a wide assortment of clothes, though for more formal events, you might need to switch to a more formal strap option, which I haven’t yet tested.

The clincher for me is the battery life, which not only lasts more than two days on a single charge but also charges very quickly with the wireless charging puck provided by Samsung. Considering that the Galaxy Watch Ultra is priced around Rs 20,000 cheaper than the Apple Watch Ultra 2, it could be the high-end smartwatch to choose if you're not tied to using an iPhone

Sahil Mohan Gupta

BW Reporters Sahil is an experienced tech and auto journalist with more than 15 years in the field. He has played a pivotal role in launching major tech platforms in India across TV, print, and web. As the Tech and Auto Editor at BW Businessworld, he covers consumer technology and automotive sectors through reviews, reports, interviews, and analyses. Readers can anticipate insightful, witty, and deeply analytical content with a focus on the end user. In his leisure time, he enjoys music, particularly stone cold blues and progressive rock from the 60s.