Samsung silently released a refreshed model of the Galaxy Watch Ultra alongside the Galaxy Z Fold 7 last year, but it doesn't really differ to the 2024 model in any meaningful way. The Galaxy Watch Ultra 2025 has a new color option, and comes with 64GB of internal storage; other than that, it is identical to the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2024.
With Samsung choosing to not make any changes, the upgrades are coming with the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, which is slated to make its debut alongside the Galaxy Watch 9 later this year. New leaks point to the watch debuting sometime in July 2026, so let's take a look at what we might get this year.
Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2: Design
Samsung has a distinctive design with the Galaxy Watch Ultra that makes it stand out quite a bit from the regular Galaxy Watch, and that's set to continue in 2026. I don't see the brand making any considerable tweaks to the design next year, but I would like to see the rotating bezel make its way onto the device.
Article continues belowThe bezel makes interacting with a smartwatch that much more convenient, and it's a clear point of differentiation with Samsung. Another limiting factor is that the Galaxy Watch Ultra doesn't use standard lugs, and that needs to change; as it stands, there's a limited selection of bands you can use with the smartwatch.
The 47mm sizing makes the Galaxy Watch Ultra the ideal size, and I don't believe that will change. The few leaks of the device indicated that Samsung would retain the same size. Samsung does a good job with the chassis itself with the titanium casing clearly built to last, and it's a given that the brand will continue using the same material this time as well.
Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2: Features
The Galaxy Watch Ultra features the Exynos W1000 platform that's built on a 3nm node, and it delivers significant gains from previous years. I want slightly better efficiency with the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 that allows the smartwatch to last at least three days between charges.
Outside of that, the only other feature I want to see is tighter AI integration. Samsung will ideally need to use a new platform based on the foundation of the W1000 but with a powerful NPU to deliver this, and it's likely this could allow the brand to deliver even better health-monitoring features. To that effect, building on the antioxidant index that debuted last year would be a good starting point, and Samsung could even roll out glucose monitoring, but it's unclear if it'll actually debut this year.
Samsung could be looking to deliver better battery life with the smartwatch, and this again leads into the platform itself and the 3nm node. Anyway, the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 may last up to three days on a full charge, and that's exciting to see — my Huawei Watch Ultimate 2 is an absolute beast in this area, and it will be interesting to see if Samsung comes close to Huawei.
On that note, Samsung really needs to make ECG available to other devices — having this limited to Samsung phones is a huge drawback. I routinely switch between phones, and not having all features available with a smartwatch is a deal-breaker.
Similarly, I'd like to see better activity tracking with the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2; there are enough built-in workout modes, but the current iteration of the smartwatch just doesn't do as good a job as its Garmin rivals when it comes to accuracy.
Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2: Launch date
The latest leaks point to Samsung releasing the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 in July 2026. That lines up with when the brand is likely to roll out the regular Galaxy Watch 9 as well, and we should be getting the Galaxy Z Fold 8 at the same time.
With just a few months to go, we will know all about the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 and Samsung's other product launches pretty soon.
The Galaxy Watch Ultra 2024 continues to be just as good as the 2025 model, and it's a much better value now that it's on sale.
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