Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra: First impression

Samsung's latest smart wearable Galaxy Watch Ultra on Thursday (August 29) hit stores in India.

It comes with solid build quality and state-of-the-art health tracking features and very few can match its capabilities. I spent a few hours with the Galaxy Watch Ultra and here are my thoughts on the latest offering from Samsung.

Design and build quality

Galaxy Watch Ultra is the top-tier model and comes in just one 47mm size. Soon after the launch earlier this month, some people and influencers on social media platforms complained that it is a clone of the Apple Watch Ultra series, but it is not.

Except for the orange-dark grey colour scheme, the Galaxy Watch Ultra has several unique design elements to stand apart from the crowded smartwatch market.

It flaunts a curvaceous square case and has a circular bezel with 12 well-marked spokes in orange colour. On the side, it has two physical buttons and a quick button in the middle.

The big 1.5-inch AMOLED display is super bright. It supports a peak brightness of 3,000 nits. It is more than enough to view notifications and most importantly read time with less hassle outdoors.

Our review unit is Titanium Grey. The device comes with bright orange-hued high-quality soft and sturdy wristbands. Overall, the build quality is very good and exudes premium not just in terms of hand feel on the wrist, but also visually to the eyes too.

Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra.

The company also offer the Galaxy Watch Ultra in two other colours-- titanium white and titanium silver.

The case is made of premium grade 4 titanium and the display is protected by sapphire in the back, it has a ceramic shield. And, the Watch Ultra comes with an IP68 rating, 10 ATM certification, meaning it can survive high pressure of water up to 100 meters (for 10 minutes).

Also, it comes with a MIL-STD 810H rating. It is capable of working in extreme weather conditions— up to -20-degrees Celsius and 55 degrees Celsius.

Key aspects of the Galaxy Watch Ultra

It runs on Google's custom WearOS for Galaxy Watch. Inside, it is a powered 3nm Exynos W1000 processor, which promises with three times faster CPU 32 per cent and 30 per cent improved power efficiency compared to the previous iteration.

Further, it features a dual-frequency GPS system, a first for the Galaxy Watch to date. It can precisely track the walking/jogging route even in dense urban environments.

Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra.

The Galaxy Ultra also boasts of De Novo FDA-authorised Sleep Apnea feature, to check potential signs of sleep apnea. It can offer real-time readings and alerts for abnormally high or low heart rates with Heart Rate monitoring, and detect irregular heart rhythms suggestive of atrial fibrillation (AFib) with IHRN (Irregular Heart Rhythm Notification). And, they can help users understand the status of their heart health with Electrocardiogram (ECG) and Blood Pressure (BP) readings.

It also comes with the all-new BioActive sensor. It can offer deeper insights into the body’s fitness and health condition than the previous iteration.

The BioActive sensor is capable of offering advanced glycation end products (AGEs) index. It provides deep insights into the body’s metabolic health and biological ageing, which are strongly influenced by the overall lifestyle and dietary habits of the user.

Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra.

As noted earlier, the Watch Ultra features a programmable Quick Button. It allows the owner to instantly initiate and control workouts and map other functions to suit his/her needs.

Also, it comes with new Energy Score. It is powered Artificial Intelligence tech--Galaxy AI. The Watch can analyse key indicators of the overall condition of the body and gives a daily score. Higher it is, the better and user can go for extra session of workouts.

It also has security feature. The user can activate an Emergency Siren for safety, by just tapping the quick button continuously five times. It can go as loud as 86 decibels and can be heard from up to 180 meters away. And, sends out emergency message with location to loved ones (mentioned in the contact list in the Watch settings).

It comes with 590 mAh battery capacity. Under normal usage, it can last for 48 hours. And, under low power mode, it can go for 100 hours.

It supports 10W wireless charging. And, the company offers the charger with a retail box.

The new Galaxy Watch Ultra.

Initial impression

The new premium smartwatch looks very promising. It can significantly help in understanding the body's health and improve fitness.

The Galaxy Watch Ultra (Bluetooth + 4G LTE) is available only in one variant for Rs 59,999.

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