Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 Review: The Ultra Name Is Well Earned

The Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 is easily one of the best Android smartwatches you can buy. Its premium titanium build, excellent AMOLED display, smooth performance, and extensive health and fitness features make it a compelling package. During my testing, step counting, heart-rate monitoring, and sleep tracking were particularly impressive, while Samsung Health offered genuinely useful insights. Battery life is decent at around two days, although charging could be faster. At ₹64,999, it isn't for everyone, and its bulky design can make sleep tracking uncomfortable. But for Samsung users who take fitness seriously, the Ultra 2 is an excellent choice.

The Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 is a big smartwatch, and there's absolutely no hiding that. In fact, that's one of the first things I noticed when I strapped it onto my wrist. It has a rather commanding presence, thanks to its 47mm titanium case and chunky design. Personally, though, I quite like how it looks. There's something about the rugged styling that gives the watch its own character, and it certainly feels different from the regular Galaxy Watches I've used over the years.

What surprised me even more was how well it goes with almost everything I wear. I've worn the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 with casual outfits, and I've also paired it with more formal clothing, and it looks right at home in both situations. In short, it's quite versatile.

Samsung has also put considerable thought into durability. I mean, of course, it's an Ultra watch. It features a titanium case, sapphire crystal protection for the display, and 10 ATM water resistance alongside an IP69K rating. It also meets the MIL-STD-810H durability standard. While I haven't personally pushed the watch to its durability limits, except for taking it out for swimming and in the rain, but it's always good to know how much beating the watch can take.

However, as much as I've enjoyed wearing the Ultra 2 throughout the day, things get a little complicated when it's time to sleep. The watch is quite thick, and the way it protrudes from my wrist makes it difficult to forget that I'm wearing it. I've found myself noticing its size whenever I move my arm around in bed, and there have been times when it has genuinely gotten in the way of getting comfortable.

And that's particularly frustrating because sleep tracking is one of the features I regularly use. I want to wear the watch overnight to understand my sleeping patterns, but its bulky design doesn't always make that experience pleasant.

Samsung has stuck with its familiar squircle design for the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, something we've already seen across the Galaxy Watch 8 series. You still get a circular display housed inside a cushion-shaped case, and personally, I quite like how the combination looks. Speaking of the display, Samsung has equipped the watch with a 1.52-inch Super AMOLED panel with a resolution of 498 × 498 pixels, and it's easily one of the things I've enjoyed most about using it. Everything looks sharp, colours are vibrant, and whether I'm checking my workout stats or simply glancing at the time, the screen looks excellent.

But what impressed me more was how well the display holds up outdoors. I've worn the Ultra 2 when outside and during late-night football sessions under the harsh spotlight, and visibility has never been an issue. The touchscreen has been equally impressive. I often check my workout information when I'm sweating, especially during football, and the display continues to register touches accurately.

I've also been using the Always On Display throughout much of my testing, and being able to quickly glance at the time without waking the screen is something I appreciate. Samsung also offers plenty of watch faces to choose from, ranging from information-heavy layouts to simpler designs. I've enjoyed switching between them depending on what I want to see on my wrist, and there's enough variety to make the watch feel a little more personal.

Samsung has made a fairly interesting change under the hood of the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2. Unlike the original Ultra, which used Samsung's Exynos chipset, this one is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon Wear Elite processor, paired with 2GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. It's a notable change, especially considering how long Samsung has relied on its own processors for the Galaxy Watch lineup.

Now, I've used plenty of Galaxy Watches over the years, and performance has generally been something I've had very little trouble with. The Ultra 2 continues that experience. Over the past two months, I haven't noticed any lag or stuttering, and everything from opening apps to switching between different tiles has been consistently smooth. Even when I'm jumping between workout information, notifications, and other apps, the watch keeps up without any fuss.

The Ultra 2 runs Wear OS 7 with Samsung's One UI 9 Watch interface on top. If you've used a recent Galaxy Watch, you'll feel right at home here. The layout is familiar, navigating through the menus is straightforward, and there isn't much of a learning curve. Samsung has also included physical buttons for navigation and quick access to certain functions, although I rarely find myself using them. Most of my interactions happen through the touchscreen, which has worked well enough that I haven't felt the need to rely on the buttons.
I've also been using the Ultra 2 exclusively with my Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, and connectivity has been excellent. I haven't experienced any random disconnections or syncing issues, which is particularly important for a device that's constantly exchanging information with your phone.

Of course, smooth performance is something you'd expect from a smartwatch costing ₹64,999, but then again, I've never really had any significant performance issues with Samsung's regular Galaxy Watches either. Be it the Galaxy Watch 8, Watch 7, or even the older Watch 5, all of them have handled everyday tasks perfectly well. And honestly, I doubt performance is going to be much of a concern with flagship smartwatches going forward. What interests me more is efficiency, particularly how well these processors manage power consumption without compromising on performance.

After all, there's only so much you can do with a small battery strapped to your wrist, and I'd much rather have a smartwatch that lasts longer between charges than one that opens an app a fraction of a second faster.

Fitness and health tracking are obviously a big part of the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2's appeal, and this is where I've spent a considerable amount of time testing the watch. Now, I don't go hiking every weekend, nor do I participate in extreme sports, but I do like keeping myself active, whenever possible.

Let's start with something as basic as step counting. To get an idea of how accurately the watch records steps, I decided to conduct a small experiment that I follow for every smartwatch review. I walked exactly 1,500 steps, manually counting every single one in my head, and then compared that number with what the watch had recorded. Interestingly, the Ultra 2 was ahead by just seven steps. That's an error of approximately 0.47%, which is practically negligible for a test like this.

Heart-rate tracking was equally reassuring. I compared the readings with an Apple Watch SE 2, and the numbers matched during my checks. I also wore the Ultra 2 while playing football, and the readings remained consistent throughout my testing. The dual-frequency GPS also did a decent job of recording my outdoor walks and runs, with routes being mostly accurate.

Football, however, is where I found the workout tracking particularly interesting. During one session that lasted an hour and ten minutes, the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 estimated that I had burned 700 calories, with an average heart rate of 136 bpm and a maximum of 175 bpm. The Samsung Health app also showed a detailed heart-rate graph, showing how my heart rate fluctuated throughout the session, alongside the time spent in different heart-rate zones.

Beyond workouts, I've also become quite fond of Samsung's Energy Score. It takes several factors, including sleep and recent activity, into account to give you a daily score that reflects your overall energy and recovery. What's more important here is that the app gives you an idea of how to go ahead with your day depending on that score. For instance, if the score showed 50-60, it would advise you to "take it light today".

Sleep tracking is another area where I've been impressed with the Ultra 2. The app provides a fairly comprehensive breakdown of your sleep, including how long you've slept, the different sleep stages, periods when you were awake, and even blood oxygen measurements. For example, one of my recorded sessions showed 1 hour and 34 minutes of REM sleep, 3 hours and 1 minute of light sleep, and 2 hours and 1 minute of deep sleep. It's quite a lot of information, but the app presents it in a way that's relatively easy to understand.
One weekend, I ended up falling asleep at around 5 PM and waking up at 8 PM. I then went back to sleep at around 11 PM and slept until the following morning. The Ultra 2 managed to recognise both sleeping sessions, including the afternoon nap, without me having to manually start any tracking. And that's something I genuinely appreciate. Sleep doesn't always happen in one uninterrupted stretch at night, so having a watch that can recognise those irregular patterns makes the data considerably more useful.

I've also explored the ECG feature and regularly checked my heart-rate trends through Samsung Health. However, there's one limitation I still find frustrating. Features such as ECG and irregular heart rhythm notifications, which can detect signs of atrial fibrillation (AFib), are only available when the watch is paired with a Samsung Galaxy. I'm honestly not sure why Samsung continues to impose this restriction, especially when the watch itself has the necessary hardware. This has been the case for several generations now, and I really hope Samsung eventually opens these features up to the rest of the Android ecosystem.

Of course, the Ultra 2 is more than just a fitness tracker. I've been using it with my Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, and one of the biggest conveniences has been dealing with notifications directly from my wrist. I receive plenty of emails and WhatsApp messages throughout the day, and being able to quickly check them without reaching for my phone has made a noticeable difference to my routine.

Calling has been equally convenient, with both the microphone and speaker performing well during my time with it. I've also occasionally used Gemini, although it hasn't become something I regularly depend on. Samsung Wallet, on the other hand, has been a genuine time-saver. Being able to make payments directly from my wrist is one of the many little conveniences that I've come to appreciate. Plus, it's always fun to see the shopkeeper looking at what's going on in awe.

Battery life is one area where I had fairly high expectations from the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, especially considering Samsung has packed a massive 800mAh battery inside. That's larger than the batteries found in the regular Galaxy Watch 9 series, and Samsung claims the Ultra 2 can last up to 60 hours with the Always On Display (AOD) enabled, or 80 hours with it switched off.

In my testing, however, the results were a little different. With AOD enabled throughout the day, alongside continuous health monitoring, notifications, sleep tracking, and regular workouts, the watch generally lasted around 1.5 days. Things improved when I started switching AOD on and off depending on my usage, and I could comfortably get around two days on a single charge. GPS-enabled workouts also consumed a fair amount of battery, although the drain wasn't particularly alarming.

And honestly, I think that's pretty decent. Having used several generations of Galaxy Watches, battery efficiency hasn't always been Samsung's strongest suit, but things have certainly improved over the years. Getting two days of usage from a smartwatch that's constantly monitoring your health, tracking workouts, and handling notifications is something I can appreciate. Of course, I'd love to see that stretch to three days in the future, but the Ultra 2 is already a noticeable step in the right direction.

Charging, however, could have been better. A complete charge typically took anywhere between 90 minutes and two hours during my testing. Interestingly, I noticed that charging was quicker when both the watch and the charging puck were cool. They tended to get quite warm during most charging sessions, though, which appeared to slow things down.

At ₹64,999, the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 is certainly not a small investment, especially for a smartwatch. But then again, this isn't a watch Samsung has designed for everyone, and after spending more than two weeks with it, I can see exactly who it's meant for (it ain't me).

If you're already invested in the Samsung ecosystem, take your fitness and outdoor activities seriously, and want detailed insights into everything from your workouts to sleep and recovery, the Ultra 2 makes a lot of sense. And if you also appreciate its rugged design and don't mind the extra bulk on your wrist, I'd say this is easily one of the best Android smartwatches you can buy right now. It offers an excellent combination of health tracking, everyday convenience, and features that justify the Ultra branding.

However, if you don't necessarily need all those advanced features and simply want a reliable smartwatch, the regular Galaxy Watch 9/Watch 8 is still around and should serve you perfectly well. Ultimately, the Ultra 2 is a fantastic smartwatch, but whether it's worth spending ₹65,000 on comes down to how much you'll actually use what it has to offer.