Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra announced with new sleep apnea sensor: Is Apple Watch Ultra in trouble?
Samsung released the new Galaxy Watch Ultra, a rival to the Apple Watch Ultra.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra got unveiled at the July Unpacked event, but the question is, can it beat the Apple Watch Ultra? One of the most premium smartwatches you can get is the Apple Watch Ultra 2, which is best for rugged adventurers who love off-the-beaten-path trails and deep-sea diving.
Similarly, Samsung is calling the Galaxy Watch Ultra its "toughest watch ever," built to handle challenging, harsh conditions, including rough waters, sand, and mud. Plus, like the Apple Watch Ultra, it delivers health insights and keeps you connected to your friends and family while you're on-the-go.
Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra announced at Unpacked
The new Galaxy Watch Ultra has a design that Samsung is calling stylish and durable. After all, it's made of aerospace grade 4 titanium. It can handle temperatures as hot as 131 degrees Fahrenheit and as cold as -4 degrees.
As far as altitude is concerned, you can climb as high as 29,500 feet with the Galaxy Watch Ultra. Plus, it has a IP68 dust and water resistance rating, which means it can sustain up to 330 feet of water.
Design and display
The Galaxy Watch Ultra builds upon the design of the Galaxy Watch series, superimposing the familiar circular display on top of a squircle frame. It also comes with new watch faces that can change based on the time of day, ensuring better battery life (and improved viewing experiences while being active in the dark).
Samsung boasts that the Galaxy Watch Ultra sports a "big and bright screen."
Similar to the Apple Watch Ultra's customizable Action Button, the Galaxy Watch Ultra features a new customizable "Quick Button." It can be used to stop, pause, and start activities. For example, after running, you can tap on it to indicate that your session has ended.
The Galaxy Watch Ultra comes in three colors: Titanium Gray, Titanium White, and Titanium Silver. There are also different band styles to choose from, including Marine (great for swimming), Trail (breathable and lightweight), and PeakForm (OK for all workouts).
Performance
The Korean-based tech giant claims that the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra operates faster and smoother than any other Samsung smartwatch due to its first-ever three-nanometer processor.
This advanced power helps the Galaxy Watch Ultra give you a comprehensive view of your health, which brings us to the next section.
Health tracking
The most striking feature on the Galaxy Watch Ultra is the sleep apnea sensor. The new watch can alert users when signs of moderate-to-severe sleep apnea are detected. (Sleep apnea is a condition in which one repeatedly stops breathing during sleep.) It's approved by the FDA, too.
The Galaxy Watch Ultra has three times the LED sensors as the Galaxy Watch 6 (i.e., 13 vs. 4), which improves accuracy for blood-oxygen monitoring and exercise. Samsung also claims that its heart-rate tracking has improved due to better noise reduction during high-intensity exercise.
The Galaxy Watch Ultra also features a new Galaxy AI-powered Energy Score utility. This utility gives you a score from 1 to 100 (100 being the best) based on your health data. You'll also get Wellness Tips, which offers suggestions and recommendations that improve your health.
Samsung also gushed about its enhanced AI sleep algorithm that reportedly delivers more accurate sleep analysis. And finally, Samsung revealed its new "aerobic threshold" and "anaerobic threshold" heart rate zones. Without getting too technical, these two key metrics can help users better understand their exercise performance, providing insight into how their body is using energy.
There's also a Race feature that lets you compete against your previous workout times (only for running and cycling).
Stay connected with Galaxy Watch Ultra
Samsung Galaxy Ultra, powered by a Samsung phone that supports Galaxy AI, you can get suggested replies on your notifications from Google Messenger, WhatsApp, and more, offering context-aware responses.
Safety
By clicking on the Quick Button, the Galaxy Watch Ultra will emit an sound that climbs to 85 decibels (and it can be heard within 590 feet), alerting others that you're in need of help.
There's also a new dual-frequency GPS system, which reportedly improves GPS performance during workouts, even in dense places like a city environment. (It supports L1 and L5 frequency bands, with the latter offering improved GPS performance and accuracy.)
Battery life
Samsung claims that the Galaxy Watch lasts up to 48 hours on a single charge. With the power saving feature, it can last up to 100 hours.
The Galaxy Watch Ultra costs $649.99. It's available for preorder on July 10.
