![\"Despite](\"https:\/\/platform.theverge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/samsung-galaxy-watch-ultra-2-08.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0,0,100,100\")
<\/a><\/p>\nDespite its 800mAh battery, the Ultra 2 is over a millimeter thinner than the original. Photo: Dominic Preston \/ The Verge<\/p>\n
The Ultra 2 is also getting a new trail run tracking feature, which seems like an attempt to compete with Garmin more so than the Apple Watch Ultra line. It allows you to download GPX files for GPS routes to enable real-time navigation and elevation guidance. You\u2019ll also get an estimated completion time and real-time hydration alerts. One note: The algorithm essentially predicts how much you\u2019ve sweat based on workout intensity and demographic data \u2014 the sensors themselves aren\u2019t measuring how many electrolytes or how much water you\u2019ve actually lost. Divers also get IP69K, 10 ATM, and EN 13319 dust- and water-resistance rating, plus a bespoke diving app from scuba equipment maker Mares. The app will arrive later this year and will monitor descent speed, record time at a given depth, plus give ascent guidance.<\/p>\n
The Galaxy Watch 9, which is seeing a $30 price bump to $379.99, is mostly the same as last year\u2019s Galaxy Watch 8. The most notable difference is that the Watch 9 (and the Ultra 2) ditch Samsung\u2019s proprietary Exynos chipset for Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear Elite. Presumably, this is to help with power efficiency and AI processing. (Qualcomm announced the chip earlier this year at Mobile World Congress as an \u201cAI-wearable first\u201d chipset<\/a>.) This could be to perhaps boost Gemini performance, and one new update with Wear OS 7 is you\u2019ll be able to raise to talk without using the Gemini wake word. Samsung says it\u2019s also tuned Gemini so it won\u2019t trigger when you lift your wrist to check the time. It\u2019s hard to gauge any performance boosts at a hands-on; some of my colleagues noticed a slight latency while scrolling through screens, but that could easily be due to demo models and wonky connectivity. We\u2019ll have to see how the watches fare under normal testing conditions.<\/p>\n The Ultra 2 (left) has a 5,000-nit display, while the Galaxy Watch 9 has a 3,000-nit display. The difference is harder to see indoors. Photo: David Imel \/ The Verge<\/p>\n Battery capacity gets a slight boost on both the 40mm and 44mm watches. The smaller watch gets a roughly 20 percent increase to a 390mAh battery, while the larger one gets a more modest bump from 435mAh to 445mAh. The straps are 17 percent lighter with a new \u201cair pocket structure,\u201d which allows for a gap between the fabric and wrist for what Samsung promises is a more comfy, breathable fit.<\/p>\n The bulk of the Galaxy Watch 9\u2019s updates come in the form of four new preventive health metrics, which are also coming to the Ultra 2. The first is a Vitals feature. After a week of consecutive wear during sleep, the Samsung Health app will generate a baseline for blood oxygen, heart rate, heart rate variability, skin temperature, and respiratory rate. In the morning, you\u2019ll get a proactive alert if any deviate from your baseline, alongside some tips on how to get back on track. This is basically a dupe of Apple\u2019s Vitals feature, which was released with watchOS 11<\/a> in 2024.<\/p>\n It\u2019s also adding a Heart Health Score and a Daily Cardio Load metric. The former generates a score out of 100 every day based on your eight-day sleep time average, moderate to vigorous activity level, BMI, and vascular load. The latter helps you balance training versus recovery based on workout intensity, maximum training load, and real-time heart rate data. The idea is to help you determine if you\u2019re overtraining, undertraining, or doing just the right amount. Again, these aren\u2019t new ideas. We\u2019ve seen similar features from Oura, Whoop, and Fitbit (now Google Health) over the past few years.<\/p>\n 1\/7Wear OS 7 should add some new improvements to power efficiency and battery life. Photo: Dominic Preston \/ The Verge<\/p>\n The most unique health metric is the new Fitness Index. It\u2019s a radar chart<\/a> that graphs how your strength, flexibility, endurance, cardio, and body composition compare to other Samsung users, based on factors like your VO2 Max, heart rate, step counts, activity time, and bioimpedance analysis results. You might be most familiar with radar charts if you play roleplaying games \u2014 it doesn\u2019t tell you whether your metrics are good or bad, but rather it\u2019s a method for visualizing your relative strengths and weaknesses.<\/p>\n This generation of Samsung watches feels like a mix of catching up to rivals\u2019 health features and refining what already works. That\u2019s not the worst combination, except for the fact that all the watches are more expensive. The company has been slowly increasing the prices of its wearables over time \u2014 though geopolitical factors probably play some role in this year\u2019s bumps, too. Even so, you never like to see prices go up.<\/p>\n The watches are available for preorder starting today and are expected to ship starting August 7th.<\/p>\n Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.Victoria SongClose Victoria Song<\/p>\n Senior Reviewer, Wearable Tech<\/p>\n Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.<\/p>\n FollowFollow<\/p>\n See All by Victoria Song<\/a><\/p>\n GadgetsClose<\/p>\n Gadgets<\/p>\n Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.<\/p>\n FollowFollow<\/p>\n See All Gadgets<\/a><\/p>\n Hands-onClose<\/p>\n Hands-on<\/p>\n Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.<\/p>\n FollowFollow<\/p>\n See All Hands-on<\/a><\/p>\n ReviewsClose<\/p>\n Reviews<\/p>\n Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.<\/p>\n FollowFollow<\/p>\n See All Reviews<\/a><\/p>\n SamsungClose<\/p>\n Samsung<\/p>\n Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.<\/p>\n FollowFollow<\/p>\n See All Samsung<\/a><\/p>\n SmartwatchClose<\/p>\n Smartwatch<\/p>\n Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.<\/p>\n FollowFollow<\/p>\n See All Smartwatch<\/a><\/p>\n TechClose<\/p>\n Tech<\/p>\n Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.<\/p>\n FollowFollow<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n