Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra In-Depth Review: Finally Accurate?

It appears Samsung has finally delivered a mostly accurate smartwatch. Sure, it took a decade, but the eagle has probably landed. Mostly. The catch on ‘mostly’ is of course where I’ll spend the most time in this sports and fitness-focused review. Because, as always, there’s nuance to which parts are improved, and which parts are not so hot. All of which will get to the question of whether or not it’s a viable sports watch, and worth the extra cost over the much cheaper Galaxy Watch 7.

For those unfamiliar, the Galaxy Watch Ultra aims to take Samsung’s existing watch, and make it more ‘everything’. More battery, bigger size, more buttons, and more features. It added multiband/dual-frequency GNSS, an improved optical heart rate sensor, an emergency siren, and more

Of course, before we get too into the weeds, there are countless comparisons to be drawn to the also-orange-tinged Apple Watch Ultra series. Be it name, looks, band, buttons, siren, or more. However, in most ways, these two watches don’t actually compete against each other. They’re both effectively locked into their own phone-based ecosystems (even Samsung now, more so than ever). In most ways, both are directly competent more with Garmin than each other. Yet, it’s still fascinating to see the directions these two massive companies take.

With that, note that I bought all these units myself, both the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra as well as Samsung Galaxy Watch 7, and also the Samsung Galaxy Ring.

0:00 Quick Intro
1:05 Battery Life Test Results
3:14 Activity Tracking, Sleep Testing, Energy Score
8:05 Workout Modes & Sport Features
11:47 The Emergency Siren
12:29 Heart Rate Accuracy
15:30 GPS Accuracy
19:20 Final Thoughts/Recommendations

#SamsungGalaxyWatchUltra #WatchUltra #SamsungWatch

[lilmario]

Jez this is the type of review I was looking for not tech youtubers getting coffee with it on and yapping. Good review

[khalidhashmi]

Ok I subscribed. But just because I'm impressed how thoroughly you tested this watch. Cool that you push yourself so much.

[HoseinSalarkia]

Finally 😍 DC Rainmaker review we've been waiting for

[JSmith]

Great review. I find the blood pressure sensor on the Ultra a HUGE upgrade from the old 6 Classic. It's really a night and day difference with hardly any failed tests, of which the 6 Classic has plenty. Also, I find the watch absolutely gorgeous.

[hilmarkoerner]

Note that I realize this is not a watch Ultra feature, but a Samsung Health feature. I was able to pair a Garmin cadence and speed sensor 2 to the Samsung health app on the phone and it tracks cadence and speed. Although it does drop out in short intervals (but sill calculates the correct distance and average, guess it's simply ignoring the 0s). For outdoor cycling it would get both speed and cadence, for indoor cycling it only gets cadence (guess Samsung thinks you don't need that since you bike isn't moving) - YMMV.

[IronMan-zktk]

Subscribed for at least 4 years 💪💪 You, Desfit and Chase the summit my guys!!👍👍

[idontwantacallsign]

Thank you for a great review. Compare with my findings. GPS fine, battery fine. I had a very off HR on 2 outside bikerides (up to 30 BPM to much and down to 10 BPM to low), but on two other rides it was much better. Main difference was the tightness of the wrist strap. It has to be quite tight. So it corospond with your findings that I door cycling is better. Once again thanks. BTW I am subscribed 😁🥳

[skillforce]

Damn you push your self really thru all workouts to test all the watches !thank you for your work man!

[AinzOoalGwn]

79.9% not subscribed? thats crazy mang 😢

I saw you on this youtube running, swimming and all that fun exciting stuff. People are missing out. Thx for content 😊

[dons]

Very nice real world review... You actually go out and use the watch and compare against others... Thanks for your work!

[Draconis]

Appreciate the depth and comparisons you make. Thanks!

[paulovlobato]

Grabbing the popcorn, I've waited a while for this review! 🍿

[kevint]

Subscribed. It feels like you're one of the few people who do really in-depth reviews. Great video!

[rahulsuryavanshi]

I watching your video after buying the Ultra. I have been loyal to Samsung ecosystem.

[corneliusjermainehightower]

I got apologize I am sorry. I am one of those not subscribed, but am I defense I thought I was. I have never heard DC Raymaker or DesFit say anything remotely positive about Samsung and their horrible watches(and they were.) That’s until today. I am surprised and I don’t know what to do with myself(other then subscribing) I can say your review determines if I upgrade to a Samsung watch or keep this Samsung trash on my wrist. Great video and I know it’s honest because like I said before I do not recall any time where there was anything said positive about a Samsung smart watch. Yes! I did watch this video twice to be sure I heard right! I’ll wait for that update for the power meter and cycling to be fixed before I buy, but it is good to hear they improved.

[charlesoutthere]

Without HR monitor pairing, it's kind of a no-go for many road / trail runners as well. That and the cumbersome GPX sync. Too bad, looked like a good watch! Particularly like the screen, and body construction (sapphire crystal, titanium). It would be great for Garmin to up it's Forerunner materials, it's the only issue I have with my 965.

And thanks for the review, was looking forwards to it from the Samsung announcement to know what those watches were worth!

[mitchcm]

Another Samsung Watch without the most basic feature, external hrm support. Apple was smart to Bluetooth hrm pairing. People have been asking for this ability for years. To me, this isn’t a sports watch without that. It’s something that should not be recommended for working out.

[OhShunz]

Subscribing and purchasing the Galaxy Watch Ultra. Great review!!

[paulkline]

This is the review we've all been waiting for.

[jpaf]

Thank you very much for the exhaustive and competent work!