Galaxy Watch Ultra2: Samsung makes its toughest watch thinner and boosts the battery

Samsung unveiled its flagship Galaxy Watch Ultra2 smartwatch at Galaxy Unpacked on July 22. The model retains its titanium case and three physical buttons, but the case is 12% thinner than the original Galaxy Watch Ultra, while the redesigned strap is 26% lighter. It is also softer, making the watch more comfortable to wear throughout the day.

The round 1.52-inch Super AMOLED display has a resolution of 498 × 498 pixels and reaches up to 5,000 nits of peak brightness. That is roughly 66% brighter than the previous model and should make the screen easier to read in direct sunlight. Performance comes from the 3nm Snapdragon Wear Elite platform. The watch includes 2GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, LTE, dual-band GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 6.0 and NFC.

Battery capacity has increased to 800 mAh, 35% more than the first-generation Galaxy Watch Ultra. The case carries an IP69K rating, withstands pressure up to 10 ATM and is certified to EN13319 for diving. Samsung is also developing the Ultra2 Diving app with equipment maker Mares, although it will launch later.

Galaxy Watch Ultra2 runs One UI 9 Watch based on Wear OS 7 and adds new health-analysis features. Gemini can be activated with the Raise to Talk gesture by bringing the watch close to the mouth. In the US, the LTE version costs $699.99. Pre-orders are open, with shipments starting on August 7.