Trying to capitalize on the “Ultra” name from its competitor aside, the Galaxy Watch ‘Ultra’ is taking the place of the ‘Classic’ from previous generations. Sadly this does not also take the amazing rotating bezel from the classic series. But that would be my only complaint. The screen is amazingly bright and crisp. I’ve had a galaxy watch of one form or another since the Galaxy watch 3. And my favorites have been the classic with its nice large diving watch kind of style and the nice rotating bezel making for easy use when wearing gloves. Sadly that feature as I said isn’t here but we get an even larger screen here and a larger battery as well for longer time between needing to drop it on the charging puck.

As pictured I received the Titanium Silver model with its slate gray/blue body and marine band, it really looks amazing. If you’ve owned any Samsung watch from the last couple of years feature wise it’s not all that different here, you still have all the same sports and exercise features, maps and media playback, but with the larger screen replying to messages on device is much easier with its full keyboard and swipe typing capabilities. A 3rd button joins the 2 familiar buttons from before with this new one being partially programmable for different features, from exercise selection, a flashlight (turns the face white and ramps the brightness to max, kind of handy with how bright the ultra can get, an instant water lock button if you swim often, or a stop watch for those that run laps, or do other competitive timed events.

I myself am not a big fitness freak, one look at me could tell you that, but I appreciate the reminders to get up and move around because my job has me at a desk for most of my day, and the little buzz is a good reminder to go stretch my legs and move for a bit. Keeps you from getting sore when stuck in an office.

My favorite feature of all however is GPS and navigation. I ride motorcycle and don’t really care to have my phone on a mount on the bike because If something goes bad on a ride, I rather not also have to replace a $1000+ phone on top of medical bills and bike repairs, so I use my watch for gps navigation. Also it keeps the oled screen of the phone safe in a pocket from direct sunlight. I can just wear the watch face on the inside of my wrist so it’s facing down while I ride, but I can quickly turn my wrist to check the map, and the turn by turn instructions can go to my earbud via Bluetooth. And since the whole watch is cellular connected I can easily just leave my phone behind altogether if I don’t need to for wherever I am going because I am still connected and reachable.

I’d dock points for copying the name, but honestly the moment the competitor chose that name I knew Samsung would do it too, they both keep taking each others ideas year after year. This is no different, but with Samsung even if you don’t decide to fork over the extra money for this model you get most of the features aside from the action button in the others this year. Just a little smaller screen and less battery. If your using an android, and want a watch for fitness or fun, or just to be able to leave the phone behind to keep yourself from doomscrolling TikTok the Samsung watch is a great choice.

I was intrigued by the Samsung Galaxy Ultra Titanium Smartwatch primarily because I found my Pixel watch, while a great watch too, a bit "boring" stylistically. The Galaxy Ultra watch has a bit of pizzazz and features a nice, large 47mm screen (41mm on the Pixel 2). It is also a thicker, heavier watch but the weight feels balanced on your wrist.

The "BioActive sensor" on this watch is top notch. Per Samsung, the BioActive sensor "more accurately measures health metrics such as heart rate, sleep quality, blood pressure, blood oxygen levels and stress levels. Even the measurement of heart rate during intensive workouts is 30% more accurate compared to its predecessor." Given this Ultra watch is marketed toward those with active or outdoor lifestyles, improvements to accuracy are important for those who track their heartrate, O2, sleep, etc. I did find that my watch wanted me to slide the watch slightly UP my arm to get the most accurate readings, however. Given the weight and size of this watch, it is only natural, then for the watch to slide back down the wrist away from the optimal touchpoint for sensor readings. However, the watchband is very adjustable and comfortable so finding the right "tightness" on the proper spot on your arm for the watch shouldn't be too difficult unless you have fairly thin wrists. Nonetheless, this watch is bonkers if you want a device to help monitor your health and activities!

The higher-end materials help push this watch up in price. The storage, processor, and display resolution on the Ultra are the same as the Galaxy 7 watch (44mm version) so the main upgrade over the 7 is the larger capacity battery (590mAh vs. 425mAh) and the higher durability rating (to which I cannot speak to as I am not willing to test "breaking" this watch!)...in addition to the superior materials.

The battery has the ability to last well over 24 hours but a lot of that depends on how you set up the watch services--starting with whether or not you "always on" the display. Out of the box, with no real configuration other than to make the watch pair with my phone and my Google account, I drained the battery faster than expected and was caught off guard. Changing the display to "adaptive" and "always on" to off, coupled with Bluetooth ON and wi-fi OFF significantly improved the battery life and gets me well beyond 24 hours. 0%-100% charging seems to take about 2 hours.

The "fitness" tools are front and center on this watch and record tons of data. I don't have the means to speak to their accuracy (especially while tracking sleep habits) but the bottom line is you can quickly identify trends and baselines to help improve your workouts and routines. The GPS seems accurate, and I really like the default watchface which includes an always accessible compass. Speaking of faces, there is a fairly decent selection of watchfaces included in the Samsung Wear app. I will admit that I wish this watch would integrate with an Android phone w/o the need to use the Samsung app, but that's just how it is.

Setup was easy, although I did have to run through the process twice simply because I screwed up and tried to recover settings from another Samsung watch account unintentionally. I did bump the font size up a notch during setup to help me read the screen with a little less effort. Once I had the watch properly connected to my phone and configured in the Wear app, though, I have not had to touch the app on my phone.

One other random thought, the actual screen is slightly recessed. If the watch ever falls and lands face down on a flat, smooth surface, that little bit of a recess should help prevent scratches or cracks. Another nice feature is a "siren" alarm (that I did not test) that will apparently make a VERY LOUD alert to help find you if you need help. It is worth nothing, however, that the siren is not automatically linked to any SOS/911 features.

Although bulky, I like the styling of the watch--as well as its features--enough to think that I will make this my daily watch moving forward. If the pricepoint doesn't scare you away, the only real concern you should have is will this bulkier watch feel comfortable all day long on your wrist. Assuming you don't struggle with "normal" watches slipping or fitting correctly, the Samsung Ultra Titanium Watch should make you very happy especially if you had battery issues with previous watches and if you enjoy tracking your health and exercise activities.

I have had many different generations of samsung smartwatches since the first samsung smartwatch. I usually will skip a gen or two in-between to ensure there's a significant upgrade worthy of spending the extra money. My past two watches by samsung was the galaxy watch 3 titanium and the watch 5 pro. The software os and how it responds on the watch ultra is night and day different compared to the previous generation watches. It finally works effortlessly when scrolling through settings or opening apps, there's no longer a lagg or hesitation. It feels more like a finalized product for the software vs the previous models which had much room for improvement. It's nice to see that Samsung didn't just focus on a redesign and actually put the effort in enhancing the user experience. The design from the pictures and video reviews, it made me skeptical of buying it. But in person and with the help of a few accessories, the watch is actually really nice and feels more like a premium watch rather than a toy like the watch 5 pro felt like. My only complaint really is that they didn't fully wrap the watch housing in the glossy titanium dark gray, the dull, non shiny dark gray along the edges, feels more like plastic than metal and makes it feel cheap at first. I would have preferred if they made that part optional, so you could choose to have a full titanium watch or have one thats part dull plastic look like this one has. That was one of my favorite parts of the watch 3 titanium, is the whole watch was titanium so it made it feel like a very expensive watch. Opposed to this watch. Which feels more like a watch to wear while working out, and not something you would wear when going out to a nice dinner or the clubs. The battery life is really good when running in battery saving mode, you can even configure to keep the health tracking/fitness sensors active or have them off during the battery saving mode. I wear the watch all day and when I'm sleeping, I just top the battery off with a small charge when showering and getting ready for the day in the am, and it charges fast so it's always full everytime I start my day. I would recommend seeing the watch in person, because the colors are slightly different in the photos than in real life. I think they've definitely improved the watch significantly, I just wish they had kept the rotating bezel, this watch has a bezel look alike but it's not functional. If you are thinking about upgrading your watch or switching over from a different watch brand, I would highly recommend it. And there are many ways you can personalize the watch like I did with 3rd party or even samsung accessories.

The Samsung Galaxy Ultra Watch is a fantastic upgrade to my Samsung Galaxy Watch. The Ultra has such a smart design and super functionality. One of the standout features is the activity tracking. I’m impressed at the way it automatically detects my walking, running, and work-out activities. One of the main reasons I love the Galaxy Ultra Watch is the heart rate, calories burned, distance covered, and pace, monitoring features which allow me to keep track of my progress and set new goals. The health monitoring are my favourite features. I enjoy monitoring my sleep tracking, and stress management data. The sleep tracking feature provides detailed insights into your sleep patterns, helping you understand the quality of your rest. The stress management tool uses heart rate information to gauge your stress levels and offers guided breathing exercises to help you relax. The Ultra’s integration with Samsung Health allows you to analyze your performance, track your progress over time, and even participate in fitness challenges with friends. The connectivity with the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and BudsPro 3 lets you listen to your music, receive notifications, and stay connected all whilst continuing your workout. One of the major differences between the Samsung Galaxy Ultra Watch and the Watch 5, is the enhanced display. The screen is sharper and brighter, with a higher res, which makes it much easier to read notifications on the screen, and track my fitness data. The Ultra Watch has an improved battery life from the Watch 5, I notice it lasts for several days on one charge which I am so grateful for particularly given my usage throughout the day and all through the night for my sleep activity tracking. Overall, the Samsung Galaxy Ultra Watch is a significant upgrade from the Watch 5, with a better display, battery life, and connectivity features. The connectivity of the Ultra Watch with the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and BudsPro 3 makes it fantastic for staying connected and productive on the go….I would not hesitate to recommend the Samsung Galaxy Ultra Watch to family and friends.