ZDNET’s key takeaways
- The 47mm Samsung Galaxy Watch Extremely usually retails for $650 on Amazon, though it often goes on sale.
- It is a stylish-looking smartwatch with a slew of security options and a long-lasting battery.
- Nevertheless, it is solely accessible in a single measurement (47mm, to be precise), that means it might not be a superb match for people with smaller wrists.
At Amazon, the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra obtained a $250 low cost, bringing it considerably down from its retail worth of $650.
Samsung’s Galaxy Watch Extremely is the corporate’s top-of-the-line wearable, sporting a troublesome exterior, an attention grabbing design, and a metric ton of options.
A number of years in the past, I bought the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro for its longer-than-average battery life and rugged design options. Whereas I handed on the Watch 6 sequence because of the lack of comparable capabilities, this yr Samsung lastly made a watch match for my wants, lively life-style, and subsequent improve.
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After testing the Galaxy Watch Ultra for the previous few months, it has grow to be my favourite Android smartwatch this yr. This is why.
To begin, I paired my orange Galaxy Watch Extremely with my Galaxy S24 Extremely, a duo that Samsung most likely desires everybody to be sporting. Because it had been some time since I used a Galaxy Watch, I did not notably miss having to put in and sync a number of apps, reminiscent of Samsung Well being, Well being Monitor, and Galaxy Wearables, for issues to operate adequately.
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To be clear, Apple requires an analogous multi-app sync for its phone-watch combo to work greatest, so each ecosystems generally is a bit burdensome in comparison with conventional sports activities watches that solely require one devoted app to operate.
Nonetheless, the Galaxy Wearables app was particularly helpful to have. On it, you’ll be able to alter watch face issues, app display screen group, tile ordering, and even Fast Panel settings. It’s nice to have the ability to effortlessly customise the watch face from a bigger telephone show and have issues synced virtually instantly.
Samsung Galaxy Watch Extremely (left and center) and the Galaxy Watch 5 Professional.
Matthew Miller/ZDNET
So far as design goes, the squarish outer case with the spherical show has been polarizing to take a look at and use, however in one of the best ways. I discover the shape issue extra interesting than the Apple Watch Ultra 2 or normal Galaxy Watch 7, even with this mannequin now not having the bodily rotating bezel.
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I am going to admit: I not often used the rotating bezel on older Galaxy Watches, so I do not essentially miss the characteristic. I am additionally happy with the digital rotating bezel that works by swiping your finger across the fringe of the watch face. The large, lovely Watch Extremely seems extra like a standard analog watch, and it suits me completely.
The brand new watchband system makes it simpler to swap them out and in.
Matthew Miller/ZDNET
For testing, the GPS positioning on the Galaxy Watch Extremely has been very spectacular, matching the accuracy of my different GPS sports watches. I additionally ran a sequence of customized exercises with the wearable and located the center fee monitoring and operating dynamics measurements to be correct. That is to be anticipated, by the best way, with Samsung embedding extra sensors than ever on the Extremely mannequin.
I am additionally a fan of how simply customizable the exercise screens are and how one can race your self by way of timed laps. In case you’re feeling daring, you’ll be able to even take pleasure in music taking part in from the watch’s speaker.
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Sadly, you can’t join exterior sensors reminiscent of coronary heart fee straps, bike velocity/cadence sensors, and different third-party gadgets to the Galaxy Watch Extremely, which is a major limitation for severe athletes in search of essentially the most correct knowledge sources. This can be a misstep that Samsung may simply repair over time.
A number of utilities and options I have been utilizing on the Apple Watch Extremely — such because the built-in calculator for fast math and siren performance for security throughout late-night runs — are actually current on the Galaxy Watch, and that is made my life extra environment friendly.
With the most recent Galaxy Watch Extremely and Galaxy Ring, Samsung is pitching an Power Rating characteristic that charges your sleep time, day by day actions, sleeping coronary heart fee, HRV, and extra. This summarization of my well being has been extra useful and helpful to me than competing consolidated figures reminiscent of Garmin’s Physique Battery.
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I like which you can view the precise measurement for every metric and see the place to enhance to boost your Power Rating. Two methods to verify that metrics like Power Rating match actuality are to verify your efficiency and examine it to what different wearables detect. From what I’ve seen, Samsung’s Power Rating has given me dependable measures of my readiness.
The Samsung Well being app additionally shows drills to assist enhance your operating dynamics.
Matthew Miller/ZDNET
Whereas I would not categorize the Galaxy Watch Extremely’s battery life with that of Garmin, Suunto, or Coros sports activities watches, I’ve been in a position to get nearly the identical two-day endurance because the Apple Watch Extremely. That is a win in my e book, even when it will probably solely be achieved with the always-on show turned off.
ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation
After years of utilizing Samsung watches, the Galaxy Watch Ultra is the closest the corporate has come to producing a wearable match for my wants and life-style. There are, nonetheless, a few shortcomings that Samsung wants to handle earlier than the Galaxy Watch Extremely can really change a GPS sports activities watch, together with exterior sensor help and longer battery life.
Nonetheless, as a smartwatch with extra capabilities than regular, Samsung’s Extremely wearable is a implausible possibility for energy customers and lovers like myself, with simply sufficient new options like gesture controls, loads of watch faces and helpful issues, and the flexibility to dive deeper into all the small print synced to Samsung Well being.
This text was initially revealed on July 30, 2024, and was up to date on June 13, 2025
