samsung’s new watches want to catch problems before you do

Samsung Electronics used its Galaxy Unpacked event in London on July 22 to introduce the Galaxy Watch Ultra2 and the Galaxy Watch9, two smartwatches built around the same idea: that the most useful health data is the kind you never had to ask for. Both models lean on the same new processor and the same set of AI health features, but they are aimed at different routines, one built for endurance and extreme conditions, the other for everyday comfort.

Ultra2 goes further outdoors

The Watch Ultra2 is Samsung’s most rugged watch to date, and the numbers behind it are substantial. Its battery grows to 800 mAh, a 35 percent increase over the previous Ultra, which Samsung says translates into just over 50 percent more real world battery life thanks to a new Snapdragon Wear Elite processor built for lower power draw. Despite the larger battery, the case is 12 percent thinner than before, according to Samsung, and pairs with lighter, softer straps. The display reaches 5,000 nits, which the company claims makes it the brightest smartwatch screen on the market, aimed less at showing off and more at staying legible in direct sunlight during long runs or hikes.

The watch also formally enters diving. With a rating of 10 ATM, an IP69K classification and EN13319 certification, the Ultra2 can log depth, dive time and water temperature automatically once submerged. Later this year, an exclusive Ultra2 Diving app developed with Mares, a diving equipment manufacturer, will add ascent and descent rate tracking and safe diving limit alerts, features Samsung says will remain exclusive to the Ultra2 among Wear OS watches for two years. A Samsung representative at a briefing ahead of the launch noted the watch can also work as a compact cycling computer when paired with a chest heart rate monitor, tracking cadence and speed on long rides, and can log where a car is parked or lay down a breadcrumb trail back through terrain with no GPS or satellite signal.

For trail running specifically, a new Trail Run mode tracks elevation gain and terrain impact in real time, while Nutrition Alert, an addition to the existing Sweat Loss feature, estimates fluid loss relative to body weight and prompts users on when and how much to drink.

Watch9 focuses on comfort worn around the clock

The Watch9 keeps a lighter aluminum case and Samsung’s familiar cushioned silhouette, refined for a closer fit, on the theory that a watch that is uncomfortable to wear overnight cannot collect the sleep data it is built to analyze. It shares the Snapdragon Wear Elite platform with the Ultra2, along with a 3,000 nit display, and comes in a 390 mAh 40mm version and a 445 mAh 44mm version. A wide range of interchangeable straps, from a thinner Sports Band to the soft dual tone Misty Band, is aimed at letting the watch move between workouts and everyday wear without feeling out of place in either setting.

What the sensors are actually for

Both watches run the same core set of AI health features on top of Samsung’s BioActive sensor. A sleep apnea detection feature, cleared by the FDA, screens for signs of moderate to severe sleep disordered breathing over a two night period and can export a report as a PDF to bring to a doctor. Vitals monitors overnight biometrics and flags meaningful changes rather than pushing constant updates, while Heart Health Score condenses cardiovascular signals into a single score out of 100. Daily Cardio Load and Fitness Index turn activity and recovery data into training guidance, and a Hearing feature tracks exposure to loud noise over time. None of these features are marketed as medical diagnosis tools, and Samsung is explicit that they are intended for personal awareness rather than as a substitute for a doctor.

Samsung’s Danish country manager, Søren Rinnov Østergaard, connected the watches to a broader shift he described in consumer behavior around health data, according to remarks translated from Danish:

“We are also seeing a sharper focus on health, in the sense of being able to work across devices. We have even picked up some frustration that people cannot gather their health data in one place, when the washing machine runs on one app, the lights on another, and a running watch has its own app entirely.”

He added that Samsung sees a matching trend toward wanting AI guidance built on top of that combined data, alongside a parallel desire among users to be able to opt out of sharing it.

A Samsung commissioned survey among 1,006 respondents in Denmark, carried out by Norstat between May 18 and June 1, found that 48 percent of Danes say they are motivated to some, a high, or a very high degree by tracking health data such as heart rate and step count through devices like a smartwatch.

Availability

The Galaxy Watch Ultra2 will be available in a single 47mm size in Titanium Silver and Titanium Gray. The Watch9 comes in 40mm, in Cream or Graphite, and 44mm, in Graphite or Silver. Both watches open for pre order in select markets on July 27, with general availability from August 5.

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