Offer price: 3399
Currency: MYR
Offer URL: https://pokde.la/7D4
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Appearance - 9/10
9/10
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Efficiency - 9/10
9/10
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Features - 8/10
8/10
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Materials - 9/10
9/10
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Performance - 8.5/10
8.5/10
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User Experience (UX) - 8/10
8/10
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Value - 7.5/10
7.5/10
Summary
The Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra is without a doubt the best smartwatch that the Korean giant has ever produced.
Overall
8.4/10Pros
+ Premium build with Grade 4 titanium, ceramic, and sapphire glass
+ MIL-STD 810H, IP68, and 10ATM
+ Upgraded 3nm Exynos W1000 SoC brings smoother, snappier response
+ Excellent battery life for Wear OS smartwatch
+ No more delayed / missing notifications
+ Full suite of sensors baked in
+ Health-centric features with Galaxy AI
+ L1+LG dual-frequency GPS brings it up to par with premium outdoor-focused wearables
Cons
– Proprietary straps mean you can’t use standard watch straps with it
– Number of key features (ECG, IHRN, blood pressure, etc.) are tied to the Samsung ecosystem
– No physical rotating bezel
– Automatic workout tracking can be wonky at times
– Pricey
Unboxing the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra
Kicking off our Samsung Galaxy Watch review with the unboxing, this one is a bit of a special case as it comes in the Adventure Pack, which is a large, black box filled with all sorts of accessories, including:
- Galaxy SmartTag2 (1 pack)
- 10,000mAh Samsung Wireless Battery Pack
- Samsung 15W PD Power Adapter
- Galaxy Watch Ultra Trail Band (orange for ours)
- Waterproof pouch with strap
As for the Galaxy Watch Ultra itself, the packaging is a simple black box with the brand logo on top, product name on the bottom, and an illustration of the smartwatch itself taking centerstage. Opening this box leads to two smaller, simpler white boxes. Opening both of them will yield the following items:
- Documentations
- Wireless charging puck
- Galaxy Watch Ultra Marine Band (white)
- The Galaxy Watch Ultra itself
Specifications
| Model | Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra |
| Display | Sapphire Crystal 1.5-inch 480 x 480 Super AMOLED, Full Color Always On Display, 327 ppi |
| Durability | 10ATM + IP68 / MIL-STD-810H Titanium case, Sapphire Crystal front, 3D Glass Dial |
| CPU | 5-core Samsung Exynos W1000, 3nm |
| Memory | 2GB RAM, 32GB storage |
| Features | Samsung BioActive Sensor (Optical Heart Rate + Electrical Heart Signal + Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis), Temperature Sensor, Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyro Sensor, Geomagnetic Sensor, Light Sensor, 3D Hall sensor, microphone and speaker, Bluetooth 5.3, LTE, dual-band Wi-Fi, NFC, GPS / Glonass / Beidou / Galileo |
| OS | Wear OS 5 Powered by Samsung One UI 6 |
| Battery | 590mAh 10W Fast Charging (WPC-based wireless charging) |
| Dimensions | 47.4 x 47.1 x 12.1 mm, 60.5g |
| Color | Dark Gray, Titanium, White |
The Good
There are a number of good reasons to consider getting the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra. For starters, you get a rugged and premium design unlike anything we’ve seen before in a Galaxy Watch, and is clearly a step ahead of most wearables out there. You get a sapphire glass display which is extremely scratch-resistant, a grade 4 titanium chassis, and a mixture of ceramic and sapphire glass encompassing the rear.
This results in a smartwatch that complies with the MIL-STD 810H certification, IP68 dust and water resistance, and 10ATM water rating so it can withstand depths of up to 100m, essentially doubling the most durable Galaxy Watch to date. To top it all off, Samsung says the Watch Ultra can operate in temperatures ranging between -20°C and 55°C at an altitude of 9,000m above sea level, which means you can easily take it with you even in extreme conditions, so long as you don’t purposely throw it into a fire pit or boiling water.
Arguably the biggest step up for the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra is the new 3nm Exynos W1000 chip. Together with 2GBs of RAM and 32GB storage, it consists of a 5 cores; a big 1.6GHz Cortex-A781 and four efficiency-focused 1.5GHz Cortex-A551. While the older Exynos W930 isn’t a weak SoC by any means, the Exynos W1000 is clearly superior as interfacing with the UI throughout feels smoother and snappier.
Furthermore, the new SoC also brought in notable improvements in battery life, which was further enhanced thanks to the beefier 590mAh, a notable step up from 425mAh from last year’s flagship wearable. From my own experience, you can easily get 2 full days with Always-On Display enabled, but it can be further boosted to 3 full days if you disable it. Both situations are without Power Saving mode and still have most other features enabled / used like Raise to Wake, health measurements twice a day, notifications, auto-brightness, step tracking, and more. Its endurance is the best we’ve seen thus far from the Korean giant.
One thing I noticed, especially coming from the Galaxy Watch6 Classic, is that the delayed / missing notifications issue has been fully rectified here. In fact, not only do I no longer miss out on any notifications coming from my phone, it comes at the exact same as well. I’m not sure if this is because the new SoC is able to handle it better or if it’s because of the new Wear OS 5 with Samsung One UI 6 but as someone who was frustrated by this issue for years, it’s worth pointing out that it’s no longer an issue.
And it’s not like Samsung is cutting corners here either as the Galaxy Watch Ultra comes with a full suite of sensors sans a hall sensor, including:
- Accelerometer
- Barometer
- Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis Sensor
- Electrical Heart Sensor
- Gyro Sensor
- Geomagnetic Sensor
- Infrared Temperature Sensor
- Light Sensor
- Optical Heart Rate Sensor
Just because it’s missing the hall sensor doesn’t mean its weak in terms of positioning as it now has L1+LG dual-frequency GPS, which improves tracking accuracy and puts the wearable up to par with premium outdoor-focused wearables. Having the full suite of health-centric sensors is always great, especially given how fast it works as it can give rather detailed readings in less than 20 seconds. However, do keep in mind that sensors in a consumer-grade gadget is not a substitute for a doctor’s appointment. At most, just think of it as an indicator on when to seek professional medical care.
The best smartphone to pair this with, to us at least, is the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra. Click right here to read a review about it.
The Bad
Of course, the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra has its share of drawbacks. For starters, it uses a proprietary strap attachment, which means those universal watch straps will not work with this. Personally for me, it’s a small issue since Samsung does technically give you two high quality straps to start off with but if you ever find yourself wanting more, you will need to take this into account. The safest bet is to stick to Samsung’s own offerings but given how popular it is, it won’t take long for 3rd parties to come up with their own.
Next up, a number of key features on the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra is tied to their own ecosystem, and it’s not a matter of using an iPhone or not as it wouldn’t work with Non-Samsung Android smartphones either. Some of those features include Electrocardiogram (ECG), Irregular Heart Rhythm Notification (IHRN), and blood pressure monitoring. This is pretty much standard practice for a lot of brands to keep users within their own ecosystem, and if you’re already using a smartphone from a different brand, you’re more likely to be attracted to their own wearable offering anyway.
Given that it has the Ultra moniker, the expectation of it being the crown jewel of wearables, at least for Samsung, would be natural. As such, the lack of the beloved rotating bezel might be a dealbreaker for some. At most, you get haptic feedback when doing the rotating motion on the outer circle of the touchscreen display, which is pleasing enough and works well to navigate through the UI.
One odd thing I noticed is that automatic workout tracking can be kind of wonky at times. While it can count your steps perfectly fine, if you’re doing specific activities like badminton for example, it will have trouble figuring out what it is. Funnily enough, there have been times where I’m driving around and it thinks that I’m riding a bicycle. It’s an issue that has been present in previous Galaxy Watches and I have a feeling it’s a Wear OS issue rather than the hardware itself so hopefully we’ll see a fix in a future firmware update. For now, you will need to manually set if you’re doing specific physical activities.
Lastly, the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra is quite a pricey wearable. It’s retailing for RM3,399, which is basically double the 44mm Galaxy Watch7 LTE at RM1,599. It it worth mentioning that the Adventure Pack we talked about in the unboxing section, worth RM806, is included as a free gift to sweeten the deal, and it includes a whole suite of premium and practical goodies along with an extra Trail Band, which is very comfortable to wear. If you’re looking for the best that Samsung has to offer, it comes with a hefty price tag but they are making it worth your while.
Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra is without a doubt the best smartwatch that the Korean giant has ever produced. Sure, it might not have the rotating bezel that I loved from but it potentially adds more bulk and it far exceeds any wearable they’ve launched thus far overall. Its durability and long battery life is that much needed icing on the cake that makes it worthwhile, though its asking price can be tough to swallow for a lot of consumers.
At the end of our Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra review, I award this premium smartwatch with our coveted Gold Pokdeward.
Big thanks to Samsung Malaysia for sending us this smartwatch for the purpose of this review.
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A digital smartwatch is a modern piece of technology that offers more than just timekeeping. Unlike traditional watches, it features a digital display that not only shows the time and date but also provides a range of other useful functionalities. These include fitness tracking, notification management, call and message alerts, and access to various applications. Many digital smartwatches also include health monitoring features such as heart rate tracking, sleep analysis, and calorie counting. Overall, a digital smartwatch is a versatile tool that enhances daily convenience and helps users better manage their health and fitness goals.