While testing Samsung’s latest Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 and Galaxy Watch 9 over the past few days, I found that although both smartwatches share the same DNA, my experience with each was quite different. The Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 is a more rugged, shock-resistant watch designed for outdoor enthusiasts, while the Galaxy Watch 9 is more of an everyday lifestyle smartwatch.
This suggests the high-end smartwatch segment is evolving, with the market now clearly divided between enthusiast and lifestyle segments.
At the end, it depends on what matters most to you. But as a reviewer, I am increasingly seeing how smartwatches are becoming more independent of smartphones while, at the same time, locking users into a particular ecosystem. It’s also an interesting time to review wearables, with screen-less fitness bands emerging as an alternative to smartwatches.
What: Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 and Galaxy Watch 9 | Price: Rs 64,999 and Rs 41,999, respectively
Familiar designs
If you compare the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 with its predecessor, you won’t find any major differences, at least in how the watch looks and feels on your wrist. However, Samsung has made some subtle changes to the Ultra 2. While the blueprint remains largely the same as the original Ultra, with Samsung’s distinctive “cushion” design still in place, the Ultra 2 feels lighter on my wrist. In fact, the 47 mm case is said to be 12 per cent thinner than before. Even the strap weighs less.
This is a good thing. After all, you wear a watch almost all day, and since the Ultra 2 is marketed towards runners, a lightweight wearable is a good thing. But I must say that the Ultra 2 can overwhelm some people. It has a rugged design and is built with aerospace-grade titanium and sapphire crystal.
The design is also different from the Apple Watch Ultra 4. I liked the rounded-square titanium case with a conventional circular display, which makes the screen look like a traditional watch face while also giving the wearable a distinctive look.
The watches also offer personalised heart-rate zones, VO₂ max estimates, cardio-load analysis, and automatic exercise recognition. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)
My only issue with the Ultra 2 is that it comes only in a 47 mm case, which can look large on people with smaller wrists. A smaller case should have been there. Otherwise, the Ultra 2’s design and build quality are impressive. It looks premium in every sense, has a familiar three-button layout on the right edge, and includes the circular Quick Button, differentiated by an orange surround, which provides immediate access to frequently used outdoor and exercise functions. The two flatter buttons above and below handle the usual Home and Back functions.
There is no mechanically rotating bezel, which I definitely miss. Instead, you get a fixed, touch-sensitive bezel you can use to navigate menus.
The Galaxy Watch 9, on the other hand, is a more simplified version of the Ultra 2 and looks quite different. It also has a cushioned or “squircle” silhouette, with a circular display surrounded by a square bezel with rounded corners. Samsung has retained the two-button layout on the right side. The top button takes you to the home screen, while the bottom button takes you back one screen, with another shortcut available via a long press. Both the buttons and touchscreen were responsive, but I realised that Samsung could copy the Google Watch Pixel 5 and opt for a large display by shaving off the bezels.
The silicone band that came with my review unit was decent enough and felt just right for running and exercise. It stayed securely on my wrist and handled sweat without becoming irritating, especially in Delhi’s weather.
On the Ultra 2, you get a 1.52-inch Super AMOLED display that is incredibly bright, peaking at 5,000 nits. For reference, the Apple Watch Ultra 4’s display tops out at 3,000 nits. Meanwhile, the Watch 9’s 1.3-inch Super AMOLED display remains unchanged on the 40mm case; the 44 mm version has a 1.5-inch Super AMOLED display. It’s bright, reaching up to 3,000 nits, and I had no trouble reading it under direct sunlight.
The Ultra 2 is rated as Samsung’s toughest smartwatch, with 10 ATM and IP68 water resistance and MIL-STD-810H certification. The 10 ATM rating means the watch is water-resistant up to 100 metres. The Watch 9 is also durable enough for everyday workouts, with IP68 and 5 ATM ratings for water and dust resistance, meaning it is water-resistant up to 50 metres, along with MIL-STD-810H certification for durability in harsher environmental conditions.
Health remains the biggest focus point
I wouldn’t say Samsung is doing anything different, but health and fitness remain the biggest talking points of any new smartwatch on the market today. The Ultra 2 carries forward all the health and fitness features from the original Ultra, including heart rate, blood oxygen levels, sleep, and stress tracking, ECG readings, and blood pressure monitoring. It also adds new features, such as antioxidant levels, body composition, and AI-powered coaching.
I was particularly excited about the body-composition feature, which uses bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) to estimate skeletal muscle mass, fat mass, body water, body fat percentage, BMI, and basal metabolic rate. To take a reading, you enter your weight and place two fingers on the watch’s buttons while it sends tiny electrical impulses through your body. To be honest, I was excited to do a body-fat scan from my wrist. The problem was that I didn’t have the right instrument to measure the results against, so the metrics quickly became meaningless. After three weeks of testing, I had actually forgotten that the feature even existed.
Sleep tracking remains accurate in my testing alongside the AI-powered sleep coach. Another feature that I found useful was the Sound Exposure, which works similarly to Apple’s Hearing Protection. It uses the watch’s microphone to track environmental noise exposure and show how much of your daily recommended limit you have used.
The health features are largely the same on both the Ultra 2 and Watch 9. I liked the new Vitals feature, which tracks metrics such as heart rate, respiratory rate, blood oxygen levels, and skin temperature. To deliver accurate results, it needs at least seven nights of data to establish a baseline. Once it does, you can miss a day or two, and it will still pick up where you left off. Then there is something called Fitness Index, which combines body-composition data with workout metrics to assess your fitness level and create a personalised training plan.
The new Trail Running feature, which is exclusive to the Ultra 2, is geared toward outdoor adventures. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)
Automatic exercise recognition works well, detecting activities such as walking within about 10 minutes and running in roughly four minutes. However, auto-logged outdoor workouts don’t activate GPS, so you will need to manually start the workout to record your route.
If you hit the gym every day or run regularly, many of the health features will be useful, and some may even motivate you to get out of the house and think more holistically about your health. I am not saying every health feature is useful, and I don’t expect anyone to use every feature. But they are there, and I am glad that Samsung’s Health app presents the results in a way that the average person can understand. But again, and I repeat this, none of these health features can be independently verified for accuracy without access to clinical-grade equipment.
Exclusive to the Ultra 2 is Trail Running, geared toward outdoor adventures. It shows real-time elevation data during climbs and lets users download trail maps for offline access, meaning you can get turn-by-turn navigation through the watch’s speaker or a connected Bluetooth device. It also has a built-in Mares dive computer (a popular name in the space) that provides extensive underwater data.
Easy-to-use interface and locked to Android ecosystem
There was a time when using Samsung devices felt cumbersome, and I often struggled to navigate from one feature to another. If you use a Samsung phone, however, both the Ultra 2 and Watch 9 are easy to use. There is virtually no learning curve; the watches are fast, and the interface feels thoughtfully designed. The new Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear Elite processor makes the watches fast and responsive, especially for outdoor tracking.
Both the Ultra 2 and Watch 9 ship with Wear OS 7, and Samsung is promising five years of major Wear OS updates and security patches. Yes, these are Wear OS watches, and the app selection is great. Gemini is useful for hands-free navigation, while WhatsApp and Google Maps are fully supported.
I liked the new Vitals feature, which tracks metrics such as heart rate, respiratory rate, blood oxygen levels, and skin temperature. (Screenshot taken on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8)
Long battery life
The Ultra 2 is getting a major battery upgrade over its predecessor, increasing from 590 mAh to 800 mAh. This means the watch can last up to four days on a single charge, which is great for travelling or when you are off to the mountains for trekking.
On the Watch 9, Samsung estimates up to 30 hours of battery life, but I got close to 24 hours with the Always-On Display enabled.
Should you buy the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 and Watch 9?
The higher-end Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 is genuinely an interesting flagship smartwatch and offers several hardware upgrades over its predecessor. Its bright 5,000-nit display, smoother performance, larger battery, and health features make it an appealing option for enthusiasts, especially if you already own a Samsung Galaxy smartphone.
I know the kind of audience that would appreciate a device like the Ultra 2, but I will say it again: not everyone will like a rugged smartwatch. It’s an outdoor-focused watch, and its premium price makes the Ultra 2 more suited to frequent travellers and enthusiasts.
However, if you want a smartwatch that looks good and tracks your everyday health, the Watch 9 is a feature-packed option. Neither the Ultra 2 nor the Watch 9 will meet everyone’s requirements, but each is designed with a different type of user in mind.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 is more of an outdoor sports watch, while the Galaxy Watch 9 can be seen as an everyday smartwatch. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express) 
The watches also offer personalised heart-rate zones, VO₂ max estimates, cardio-load analysis, and automatic exercise recognition. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)
The new Trail Running feature, which is exclusive to the Ultra 2, is geared toward outdoor adventures. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)
I liked the new Vitals feature, which tracks metrics such as heart rate, respiratory rate, blood oxygen levels, and skin temperature. (Screenshot taken on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8)
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