{"id":453705,"date":"2026-02-04T17:20:10","date_gmt":"2026-02-04T17:20:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/453705\/"},"modified":"2026-02-04T17:20:10","modified_gmt":"2026-02-04T17:20:10","slug":"i-almost-gave-up-on-the-galaxy-watch-ultra-but-then-i-found-what-its-actually-good-for","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/453705\/","title":{"rendered":"I almost gave up on the Galaxy Watch Ultra, but then I found what it’s actually good for"},"content":{"rendered":"

I have a love\/hate relationship with smartwatches.<\/p>\n

Growing up in the ’80s and early ’90s, I loved the idea of a computer on my wrist.<\/p>\n

Nothing was cooler than strapping on my Seiko MessageWatch, getting sports scores and stock prices (very important for a middle school student) via radio waves.<\/p>\n

It felt like magic, and I couldn\u2019t wait for what the future held.<\/p>\n

There’s no doubt that modern smartwatches<\/a> are powerful and impressive tools, but they are a bit much.<\/p>\n

I don’t need a constant Star Trek-esque readout of my vitals \u2014 it makes me anxious.<\/p>\n

I also don’t need my Samsung Galaxy Watch to monitor my antioxidant levels and tell me I don’t eat enough vegetables. My mirror tells me that.<\/p>\n

Still, I’ve managed to carve out a way to use my Galaxy Watch Ultra that feels less intrusive \u2014 here’s how I put it to work.<\/p>\n

\"Black<\/p>\n

Related<\/p>\n

\t\t
\n\t\t\tDon’t skip the One UI 8 update on your Galaxy Watch Ultra \u2014 here’s why
\n\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

Needed improvements to the Galaxy Watch Ultra<\/p>\n

Google Maps works on the move<\/p>\n

I’m a less distracted driver<\/p>\n

\"Google<\/p>\n

The Galaxy Watch Ultra’s large display makes it ideal for Google Maps on the go.<\/p>\n

I’m used to looking down to check my phone for upcoming turns or relying on turn-by-turn navigation audio cues.<\/p>\n

However, if I’m navigating a particularly tricky set of turns, I want to be staring at my phone, which means my attention is split from the road.<\/p>\n

Wearing a Galaxy Watch Ultra alleviates that. I can have Google Maps<\/a> up, see my upcoming turns and directions, keep my wrist on the top of the steering wheel, and keep my eyes forward. <\/p>\n

I don’t even have to be driving. It’s fantastic for walking around town if I’m trying to navigate to a spot in a dense city. I don’t want to have my phone out constantly, but a glance at my wrist every so often is perfect.<\/p>\n

Using Google Maps on my Galaxy Watch Ultra is a better experience than I imagined, and it’s made using my smartwatch more enjoyable.<\/p>\n

Samsung Wallet integration is much easier<\/p>\n

Tap to pay is the way to go on a smartwatch<\/p>\n

\"Samsung<\/p>\n

I’m late to the party in discovering the wonders of tap to pay.<\/p>\n

I haven’t used Samsung Wallet in years, even though I used to love my old Samsung smartphone’s MST capabilities, which let me make contactless payments on legacy card readers.<\/p>\n

NFC payments on my Galaxy Watch Ultra through Samsung Wallet<\/a> brought back some of that charm. I simply added my debit card to Samsung Wallet on my smartphone, then again on my Galaxy Watch. <\/p>\n

I didn’t mind that it took two steps, as I’d rather have an added level of security when dealing with spreading my debit card information across several devices. Still, I set it up in minutes, and it’s easy to use.<\/p>\n

Instead of fumbling for my wallet or even getting my smartphone out of my pocket, I simply tap with my wrist, and it’s done. Absolutely fantastic when my hands are full when shopping.<\/p>\n

A Galaxy Watch delivers timely notifications when I’m busy<\/p>\n

I can better triage what needs a response<\/p>\n

\"Voicemail<\/p>\n

Wearing a smartwatch is helpful when I’m busy.<\/p>\n

Over the weekend, I was cleaning out my office, and the last thing I wanted to do was check my phone every time I got a notification. I could quickly triage which messages and emails were important, saving myself a ton of time.<\/p>\n

About 80% of what I’m pinged about is nonsense or can wait, so I was able to stay on task without missing the messages I needed.<\/p>\n

I’m also more prone to reaching for my Galaxy Watch Ultra than other smartwatches thanks to its battery life.<\/p>\n

The best ability is availability, and I don’t have to worry if I’m six feet from a charger \u2014 even when wearing it for two or three days.<\/p>\n

Samsung’s software updates have done an excellent job, and I’m enjoying the outstanding battery life we were promised on release.<\/p>\n

Whether you’re working hard at the gym or in the office, a smartwatch will keep you in the moment without being uninformed.<\/p>\n

Smartwatches are more than just health and fitness monitors<\/p>\n

I don’t want to downplay the importance of health monitoring on smartwatches. I’ve known people who had heart problems that were discovered because their smartwatch thought something was up.<\/p>\n

It’s undoubtedly life-saving technology, but that’s not the only reason I want to wear them. I’m not someone who needs fitness tracking, and I find sleep tracking more annoying than helpful.<\/p>\n

Still, there are plenty of reasons to get yourself a good smartwatch<\/a>, even if it’s a compliment to your analog watch collection and not a full-on replacement.<\/p>\n

\"Samsung<\/p>\n

\"Android<\/p>\n

8\/10<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\tCase Material \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTitanium<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\tCase size \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t47mm<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\tColors \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTitanium Silver; Titanium Gray; Titanium White<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\tDisplay \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t1.5″ AMOLED<\/p>\n

At a starting price of $650, the Galaxy Watch Ultra is Samsung’s most premium wearable to date. It’s made for outdoor athletes, offering a huge battery, durable materials, and quick access to exercise tracking.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"I have a love\/hate relationship with smartwatches. Growing up in the ’80s and early ’90s, I loved the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":453706,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[49,48,195,61],"class_list":{"0":"post-453705","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-gadgets","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-gadgets","11":"tag-technology"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/453705","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=453705"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/453705\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/453706"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=453705"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=453705"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=453705"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}