Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra review: A strong contender for the 'Ultra' lifestyle

When Samsung unveiled its first premium outdoor fitness watch, the Galaxy Watch Ultra, it was clear the tech giant was taking a shot at the likes of Garmin and Apple’s outdoor adventure offerings. Naturally, I was intrigued. Having worn my Apple Watch Ultra 2 for quite some time, I was curious about how Samsung’s take on the premium fitness smartwatch would hold up—especially when worn side by side with Apple’s flagship.

After a month of near-daily wear and comparison with my Apple Watch Ultra 2, I found myself impressed by the Galaxy Watch Ultra’s ambition but slightly underwhelmed by some aspects. Here’s why.

The Looks: Sleek and Strong

Let’s start with the obvious: the Galaxy Watch Ultra is a beauty. Samsung has gone all-in on the rugged aesthetic with a 47mm titanium case and a sapphire crystal face. It’s built to endure the great outdoors, whether you’re diving, hiking, or biking. Water resistance up to 10 ATM? Check. IP68 rating for dust and water resistance? Double-check. It even boasts the ability to withstand temperatures as high as 55 degrees Celsius and elevations up to 9,000 metres (no, I didn’t hike Everest to confirm).

That said, the Galaxy Watch Ultra’s design, while striking, is also oddly reminiscent of its main competitor, Apple. The orange band feels distinctly familiar, and the side button bears an uncanny resemblance to Apple’s Action button. Even the Double Pinch gesture feels like a riff on Apple’s Double Tap feature. But hey, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, right?

In terms of looks, Samsung has nailed it. However, if you’re looking for something more visually distinctive than the Apple Watch Ultra, you might find it a tad derivative.

Performance and Features

Functionally, the Galaxy Watch Ultra performs well. It tracks a plethora of activities and provides detailed metrics, much like its competitors. However, having switched between my Apple Watch Ultra 2 and this, I immediately noticed a few limitations.

Navigation on the Galaxy Watch Ultra can be a bit tricky. I often found myself swiping through several menus before finding the feature I needed, whether it was Track Back or checking my heart rate. The Apple Watch’s interface feels far more intuitive in this regard. There’s room for improvement, and it feels like something that future updates could streamline, but for now, it’s a slight hindrance.

Battery Life: Good, but Could Be Better

Now, battery life is always a critical aspect of any outdoor fitness watch, and here’s where I wish Samsung would’ve pushed the boundaries a bit more. The Galaxy Watch Ultra’s battery life is decent at about two days, which is great for a smartwatch but not quite up to scratch for a serious weekend camping trip. With Power Saving mode on, you can squeeze out about 3-5 days, but even then, it’s far below what you’d get from a Garmin, for example. For someone like me, who tends to forget to charge things until they’re on their last 10%, this was a slight letdown.

Health Insights: The AGEs Dilemma

One of Samsung’s standout features is its Advanced Glycation End-products (AGEs) index. While the science behind it is intriguing—measuring these products can help assess risks for conditions like diabetes or stroke—it’s still very experimental. For now, it feels like more of a novelty than a game-changing health feature. 

Body composition measurements, on the other hand, were fairly consistent and helpful. My readings aligned with what I typically expect as a health-conscious individual, and they stayed steady over the testing period. But again, there’s nothing here that dramatically surpasses what’s already on the market.

Sleep Tracking: Penguins and Puppies

Samsung’s sleep-tracking features are impressive, especially the “sleep animal” profiles that give you fun insights into your sleep habits. As someone who often wakes up during the night (thanks to my puppy, who seems to think my pillow is her personal playground), I was identified as a “penguin,” which was surprisingly accurate. It’s a nice touch, though not a revolutionary one—Fitbit has been doing this for a while.

Sports and Adventure: Missing a Few Key Plays

The Galaxy Watch Ultra is clearly designed with the adventurer in mind, with dual-band GPS, a compass, and Track Back features. As an outdoor enthusiast, I appreciated these, but they aren’t quite as intuitive or well-integrated as on the Apple Watch Ultra. Finding them during an activity was often more cumbersome than it should be.

While it has plenty of useful metrics like cadence and vertical oscillation, it’s missing a few of the sports features that make the Apple Watch Ultra stand out, such as diving. If you’re big into water sports, you’ll probably find this lacking compared to Apple’s ecosystem.

Connectivity and Compatibility: Android Bias

Here’s where things get a bit tricky. As an Android user, you’ll likely have a great experience with the Galaxy Watch Ultra, especially if you’re on a Samsung phone. However, if you’re using a non-Samsung Android, or worse, switching from an iPhone like I did, the experience becomes a little fragmented.

Certain features, like the ECG, are only available with a Samsung phone. And while the watch syncs up with apps like Google Fit, Samsung Health is really the optimal partner here, which limits its appeal to non-Samsung users. It doesn’t help that Samsung still lacks the seamless satellite messaging or connectivity features that the Apple ecosystem offers.  

The Verdict: A Solid First Attempt

There’s no denying that the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra is a well-built, highly capable outdoor fitness watch. But after testing it extensively, sometimes alongside my Apple Watch Ultra 2, it feels more like a promising work in progress than a market leader.

Samsung has plenty of potential to catch up in future iterations, and for Android users, this is one of the best options available right now. However, if you’re coming from the Apple Watch ecosystem, especially if you’re deep into outdoor adventures, you might find it hard to switch fully. 

The Galaxy Watch Ultra is a solid debut, but it’s not quite the category disruptor it could be - at least, not yet.