Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra2 Review — Meaningful Improvements

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Currency: MYR

• Appearance - 9/10
  9/10
• Efficiency - 9/10
  9/10
• Features - 8.2/10
  8.2/10
• Materials - 9/10
  9/10
• Performance - 8.5/10
  8.5/10
• User Experience (UX) - 8/10
  8/10
• Value - 7.5/10
  7.5/10

Summary

The Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra2 is the most capable Galaxy Watch Samsung has produced thus far. The hardware refinements over the original are genuine and meaningful.

Overall

8.5/10

8.5/10

Pros

• Meaningful Size and Weight Reduction Over the Original
• Battery Life That Holds Up to the Claim
• Stacked Feature Set for Serious Athletes
• Brightest Smartwatch Display Currently Available
• Gemini Integration and Raise-to-Talk
• New Health Metrics Add Real Depth
• Accurate Sleep and GPS Tracking

Cons

• Heart Rate Accuracy Takes Time to Settle
• Body Composition Results Require Careful Technique
• Still a Large Watch That Will Not Suit Every Wrist
• Trail Running Cannot Create Custom Routes In-App
• Diving App Not Available at Launch
• Premium Pricing Faces Strong Competition
• Wireless Charging Speed

• Shopee

Unboxing the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra2

The Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra2 arrives in packaging consistent with its predecessor, a black box with the Samsung logo at the top, the model name along the bottom, and an illustration of the watch centred on the front. Inside the box ,you get the watch itself, a black marine band, a magnetic charging puck, and documentation including a warranty guide and quick start guide.

It’s worth noting that it’s available only in a 47mm case size, but you do get the choice of these two colorways; Titanium Silver and Titanium Gray. It’s named that way because the watch’s case itself is obviously made out of aluminum…just kidding, it’s titanium.

Walkaround

The Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra2 does not reinvent the design language established by its predecessor so if you feel like it looks the same, I don’t blame you, but they did refine it in meaningful ways. The signature titanium squircle cushion shape, which Samsung calls the cushion, returns with a chassis that is 12% slimmer than the original Watch Ultra. That reduction in thickness is immediately noticeable when you put it on. The original was a genuinely large and somewhat imposing watch to wear, and while the Ultra2 is still a big piece of hardware that will not suit every wrist, it is more liveable in everyday contexts than before.

The titanium case is solid and confidence-inspiring, and the circular display sits within the cushion with minimal visual intrusion from the surrounding bezel. The case and band combination is also 25% lighter than last year’s offering, which contributes significantly to how the watch sits on the wrist during movement. The previous model had a tendency to shift around during strenuous exercise, and the lighter, slimmer combination addresses that directly. Over 5 days of continuous wear, I found it to be noticeably more comfortable than I expected given its size.

The side button layout carries over from the Galaxy Watch series, with the standard pair of controls plus the programmable Quick Button exclusive to Samsung’s premium watches. Out of the box, a single press opens the exercise menu and a long press activates the emergency siren, but both functions are reassignable through the app. The buttons have a precise, satisfying feel and are easy to locate without looking.

The watch is rated WR100, making it genuinely diveproof rather than simply water-resistant, which aligns with its positioning as an adventure-capable smartwatch. The display is a 498 x 498 Super AMOLED panel that is the brightest of any smartwatch currently available, and it shows. Visibility in direct sunlight is excellent without needing to shield the screen or squint.

One design note worth stating plainly is that the cushion shape remains bulbous and polarising. On larger wrists it looks purposeful and athletic. On smaller wrists it may still look and feel disproportionate. This is a watch built for a specific kind of user, and the design makes no attempt to hide that.

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Specifications

The Good

Meaningful Size and Weight Reduction Over the Original

The 12% slimmer chassis and 25% lighter band are not just spec sheet numbers. They translate directly into a more comfortable wearing experience, particularly during prolonged use and sleep tracking. The watch stays better positioned on the wrist during workouts, which was a genuine issue with the original Ultra, and the overall package feels more refined without sacrificing the rugged presence that defines the Ultra line.

Battery Life That Holds Up to the Claim

The rated 60 hours with always-on display enabled held up in testing. With regular usage, I find myself charging this once every 3 days but for particularly heavy usage like extensive GPS use and using LTE on it directly via an eSIM, then expect to charge once every 2 days instead. Both instances would be with Always-On Display enabled, so you can get a bit more if you choose to disable it but personally, the battery life is already great so you don’t need to do that.

For a smartwatch that is intended to be worn through extended outdoor activities and sleep tracking simultaneously, reaching the 60-hour mark without anxiety is a meaningful practical advantage. Charging via the magnetic puck is straightforward and reliable, but that shouldn’t be news to anyone familiar with recent Galaxy Watch wearables.

Stacked Feature Set for Serious Athletes

The Galaxy Watch Ultra2 covers an exceptional breadth of health and fitness functionality. Heart rate monitoring, ECG, blood pressure tracking with baseline calibration, body composition estimation, sleep tracking with wake event detection, Running Coach, Daily Cardio Load, Vascular Load, Vitals sleep monitoring, trail running with GPX route following, and an upcoming professional diving app in partnership with Mares collectively make this one of the most comprehensively equipped smartwatches available. The trail running GPX feature in particular, allowing turn-by-turn navigation directly on the watch face, adds genuine utility for outdoor athletes.

Brightest Smartwatch Display Currently Available

The Super AMOLED panel at 498 x 498 resolution is sharp, vivid, and reaches the highest peak brightness of any smartwatch on the market. Outdoor visibility in direct sunlight is genuinely excellent, and the display makes health data, maps, and notifications easy to read at a glance regardless of lighting conditions.

Gemini Integration and Raise-to-Talk

On-device Gemini access via the Raise-to-Talk feature is one of the more practically useful AI additions to a smartwatch in recent memory. The ability to make a quick voice note during a run, have it transcribed, and access it later from Samsung Notes or Google Keep without pulling out your phone removes a meaningful friction point for anyone who uses voice notes regularly during activity.

New Health Metrics Add Real Depth

Vitals, which monitors five heart-related metrics during sleep and flags deviations from baseline, Daily Cardio Load, and Vascular Load are not gimmick additions. They address specific questions that dedicated athletes and health-conscious users actually want answered about training stress, recovery, and arterial health. The Samsung Health app redesign makes these metrics accessible and readable without requiring deep navigation.

Accurate Sleep and GPS Tracking

Sleep tracking correctly identified wake events during the night and generated data consistent with subjective experience over multiple days. GPS tracking during outdoor runs produced route data consistent with reference devices, and the dual-frequency L1+L5 GPS implementation provides stronger signal reliability in challenging environments like dense tree cover or urban canyons.

The Bad

Heart Rate Accuracy Takes Time to Settle

During the opening minutes of a workout, the optical heart rate sensor showed readings noticeably lower than reference devices, sometimes by a significant margin. After approximately 10 to 15 minutes of sustained activity, the readings converged with reference measurements and remained accurate for the duration. This initial drift is a known characteristic of optical sensors compared to electrical ones, but it is worth knowing about if you rely on early-workout heart rate data for pacing or zone training.

Body Composition Results Require Careful Technique

Body composition testing produced significantly inaccurate results on the first attempt, deviating considerably from a reference measurement taken on the same day. A second attempt later in the day, after hydrating and adjusting arm positioning, produced a result much closer to the reference figure. The feature works, but it is sensitive to technique and conditions in a way that the setup process does not adequately communicate upfront.

Still a Large Watch That Will Not Suit Every Wrist

Despite the slimmer chassis and lighter band, the Galaxy Watch Ultra2 remains a physically large piece of hardware. The cushion shape and squircle case work well on larger wrists but may feel disproportionate on smaller ones. If you have had sizing concerns with the original Ultra, the improvements here are real but may not be sufficient to change your assessment.

Trail Running Cannot Create Custom Routes In-App

The GPX route following feature for trail running is well implemented, but the ability to create your own routes within the Samsung ecosystem is absent. You can follow downloaded routes or save previous runs as routes to race against, but the route creation tools available in competing platforms represent a meaningful gap for users who plan their own trail routes regularly.

Diving App Not Available at Launch

The diving computer functionality, one of the headline new features, requires a companion app developed in partnership with Mares that is not available at the time of launch. The watch hardware supports it and the app is confirmed as coming, but buyers purchasing the Ultra2 specifically for diving use should be aware that this functionality is not yet accessible. While there is no hard release date, we do expect it to see it pop up sometime before the year ends.

Premium Pricing Faces Strong Competition

At RM3,399, the Galaxy Watch Ultra2 competes in a crowded segment of capable and well-regarded alternatives. For Samsung ecosystem users who want the deepest native integration, it is the clear choice. For users whose primary needs are trail navigation and extended battery endurance, dedicated fitness watch platforms offer comparable or superior functionality in those specific areas at similar or lower price points. The value proposition is strong within the Samsung ecosystem but requires more justification outside of it.

Wireless Charging Speed

The magnetic puck charging is convenient and reliable, but charging speed is not class-leading for a watch at this price point. For a device designed to be used continuously through demanding activities, faster charging would reduce the window during which the watch needs to be off the wrist. It’s a good thing you don’t have to charge this often given its excellent battery life but when you do need to, you will need to give it some time. As you can see from the picture at 31% battery life, I still have over an hour left until it’s fully charged.

Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra2 Verdict

The Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra2 is the most capable Galaxy Watch Samsung has produced. The hardware refinements over the original are genuine and meaningful; the slimmer chassis and lighter band make it more comfortable to wear across all-day and overnight scenarios, the Snapdragon Wear Elite chip keeps the interface fast and responsive, and the feature set is among the most comprehensive available in a consumer smartwatch. For Samsung ecosystem users who want advanced health tracking, fitness monitoring, and AI integration in a single device, this is the definitive choice.

The caveats are real but specific. The initial heart rate drift during workouts requires patience, the body composition feature demands careful technique to produce reliable results, the diving app is not yet available, and custom trail route creation is absent. At RM3,399, it also asks you to accept that some of its specialised capabilities, particularly in trail navigation and diving, are handled with greater depth by dedicated platforms designed exclusively around those use cases.

For the serious athlete who lives within the Samsung ecosystem and wants a single device that covers fitness, health, adventure activities, and daily smartwatch functionality without compromise, the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra2 earns our coveted Gold Pokdeward. For the more casual folk, it’s still great but the value aspect would be something in mind more as it would be tough to swallow that price tag.

Big thanks to Samsung Malaysia for sending us this wearable for the purpose of this review.