Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra review

Design and usability

The new Galaxy Watch Ultra features a brand new design and a chassis that borrows the highest quality materials. The design itself isn't a huge departure from the standard circular watch design, but it's also quite different. One could argue the looks are polarizing even.

We like that the watch retains the circular display design, but the chassis is now square-ish with oval corners, which may put off some users. We have some polarizing opinions of the design in the office due to that circle/square contrast.

It's nice to see the ring around the display still in place, as it protects the screen from unintended collisions with objects. The bezel around the screen is virtually non-existent, which is aesthetically pleasing.

The screen is once again protected by a sapphire glass sheet, the rest of the body is made of grade 4 titanium, while the back of the watch, where the BioActive sensor resides, features ceramic and again sapphire glass. The outer part of the body around the sides seems like plastic, though.

Interestingly enough, the new Watch Ultra tips the scale at 60 grams, just a gram over the Watch6 Classic. That's quite impressive, given the tougher design and the bigger battery cell inside.

Speaking of rugged design, the Ultra complies with the same MIL-STD 810H certification as the previous Galaxy Watches and has IP68 certification against water and dust. The only difference is that the Ultra can survive 100m deep in the water, while the Watch6 series was capped at 50m.

Samsung says the Watch Ultra can operate in temperatures ranging between -20°C and 55°C at an altitude of 9,000 meters above sea level.

The Galaxy Watch Ultra itself is available in three colors - Titanium Silver, Titanium Gray and Titanium White. Depending on the color you choose, you get a corresponding band. The Titanium Black model came with an Orange strap, while the other default options are Dark Grey, Green and White.

Samsung is offering somewhat overpriced fabric and metal bands in various colors. Keep in mind that the color names of the watches and the straps vary a lot by region. Samsung made this year's color selection a huge mess, so make sure you are getting the right color and a matching strap when ordering.

Speaking of the straps, the chassis has a dynamic lug system that seamlessly integrates the band into the chassis. With the press of a small button, you can release the strap and change it. It's an easy and convenient way to swap out straps, but it comes at a cost - standard straps won't fit here. The strap is 22mm in width but the attachment to the watch is entirely custom.

The default straps included in the retail package are pretty nice. The soft-touch silicone feels nice on the hand and the design is breathable. It's one of the better strap designs from Samsung.

Still, the default straps are pretty bulky, can often get in the way and can be hard to put on sometimes.

Now when it comes to controls, we consider the Galaxy Watch Ultra a slight step back from the previous generation. The most obvious reason is the absence of the rotating bezel.

Once you get used to that bezel, it's hard to get used to just swiping. The device does offer a "virtual bezel" or "touch bezel" as Samsung calls it, which is a compromise solution, but not the real thing. You still need to touch the inner side of the display and your finger gets in the way. The whole purpose of the hardware bezel is to avoid touching the display. The hardware bezel also serves as a way to wake up the display.

Admittedly, the new haptic motor provides excellent feedback and it's almost as if you are rotating a real wheel around the screen. It's just not as precise and you can easily overcompensate sometimes when navigating. The hardware "click" provides better precision and feedback.

The Galaxy Watch Ultra tries to make up for the lack of hardware bezel with another button called Quick Button. It's designed to make a quick action or start a workout without having to touch the display at all. Switching between activities is also made easier.

The Quick Button is flanked by the standard Home and Back buttons, but we feel they are crammed up too close to the Quick Button. You might notice that your finger naturally reaches for the corner of the frame, missing the Home or the Back buttons, which are directly placed on the side.

All in all, we feel like the design, although polarizing, is a step up from previous generations thanks to the chassis's high-quality materials and lightweight nature.

However, usability-wise, there is an arguable downgrade. None of your favorite older watch straps would fit here and the omission of the rotating bezel and the placement of the other two keys are suboptimal. We really don't get why Samsung keeps removing and returning the iconic rotatable ring. It makes navigation much easier and more convenient than Apple Watch's crown even.