Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 Challenges Apple With Enhanced Battery and AI
Samsung's new Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 offers improved battery life, on-device AI capabilities with Google Gemini, and a brighter display, directly challenging Apple's premium smartwatch market. The device features enhanced performance and health tracking but maintains a large, robust design and a high price point.
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- Samsung's Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 enhances battery life and integrates on-device AI.
- The smartwatch features a significantly brighter display for outdoor visibility.
- Performance is boosted by a new Qualcomm Snapdragon processor.
- Health monitoring includes advanced features like sleep apnea detection.
- The device competes directly with Apple Watch Ultra at a lower price.
- Its robust design may be uncomfortable for users with smaller wrists.
Samsung has launched the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, a premium smartwatch aimed at extreme sports enthusiasts and users within the Samsung ecosystem, directly competing with Apple's offerings. The device boasts significant improvements, particularly in battery life, now featuring an 800 mAh capacity compared to the previous generation's 590 mAh. This allows for two and a half to three days of continuous use for intensive users, with AI optimizing power consumption for longer periods in moderate use. This battery performance positions it favorably against the Apple Watch Ultra but still falls short of Garmin's multi-week battery life.
A key technological upgrade is Samsung's switch from Exynos chips to Qualcomm's Snapdragon Wear Elite processor. This enhances overall performance, providing a smoother interface and better energy efficiency for complex tasks. Crucially, the new chip enables advanced AI features, including seamless, on-device interaction with Google's Gemini AI model, eliminating the need to use a smartphone for AI conversations.
The health monitoring suite is comprehensive, tracking heart rate, sleep quality, blood oxygen levels, and even detecting sleep apnea, though it is not a substitute for professional medical advice. New features include temperature monitoring and analysis of aerobic load and training intensity. However, the automatic workout detection can be overly sensitive, sometimes misidentifying routine activities like walking during calls as exercises.
The watch features a bright 1.52-inch Super AMOLED display with a peak brightness of 5,000 nits, a significant increase from the previous 3,000 nits, ensuring excellent readability even in direct sunlight. The design remains largely unchanged from its predecessor, featuring a robust titanium casing and scratch-resistant sapphire glass. Despite its premium look, the watch's substantial size may be uncomfortable for those with smaller wrists, especially during sleep.
Priced at 2,199 NIS in Israel, the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 is competitively positioned against the Apple Watch Ultra, which starts at 2,999 NIS. However, at this price point, it also competes with Garmin's specialized sports watches. Samsung also offers the standard Galaxy Watch 9 series as a more affordable alternative for users who do not require extreme durability.