Update: Samsung has officially announced the new generation of Galaxy Watch wearables.
The information below is based on pre-launch leaks, so jump over to our Galaxy Watch 7 review and Galaxy Watch Ultra review for our full impressions.
Samsung is tipped to introduce a separate, premium smartwatch alongside the standard version of the Galaxy Watch 7.
It’s said that part of the motivation to mix up the traditional launch, which would typically see a ‘Classic’ or ‘Pro’ model arrive, is to compete with Apple’s Watch Ultra more directly.
Yet, despite plenty of talk about the so-called Galaxy Watch Ultra, there’s still plenty we’re yet to discover about the upcoming watch.
That’s where this guide comes in. Below, we’ve compiled all the key rumors and info related to the Ultra – including announcement and release date suggestions, design and specs leaks, and more.
When will Samsung announce the Galaxy Watch Ultra?
- Official announcement expected on Wednesday, 10 July
- Availability likely to begin on Friday, 26 July
Samsung has routinely launched new Galaxy Watch devices each summer for the last few years, and this, along with an avalanche of recent leaks, means we’re effectively guaranteed some new wearables over the next couple of months.
The timing is crucial, of course. Though Samsung has been consistent in recent times, it’s still unlike Apple, which has kept to the same schedule each September for the last 15-20 years.
We do know, however, that Samsung typically announces on a Wednesday before shipping begins over two weeks later on the Friday.
The most reliable rumors indicate the company’s next Galaxy Unpacked event will take place on Wednesday, 10 July in Paris, with the Galaxy Watch Ultra (if it is to be called this) set to be included as part of a revamp that should also see full reveals for the Galaxy Watch FE and Galaxy Ring.
According to reports, this is to ensure that the new products enjoy that usual two-week gap before availability begins in line with a major event Samsung is sponsoring – the Olympics Games Paris 2024 – on Friday, 26 July.
This feels about right, considering what we’ve seen in previous years, but we’ll update this section as and when more info becomes available. After all, we shouldn’t have too long to wait now before Samsung confirms the date via media invite.
Will it actually be called the Galaxy Watch Ultra?
It feels a little incongruous that Samsung’s all-new premium smartwatch could follow the same naming convention as the Apple alternative – until you remember that the company’s premium smartphones are already operating under that Ultra banner.
Currently, the official name is still unclear. One rumor has suggested it will be known as the Galaxy Watch X, while others have stated it will be the Galaxy Watch Ultra. There have also been reliable indications that it could be known as the Galaxy Watch 7 Ultra.
We won’t know for sure until Samsung pulls back the curtain in July, but it is possible that the name is reliably uncovered via database files in the build-up to the announcement. We’ll update this section if that happens.
How much will the Galaxy Watch Ultra cost?
- No reliable price leaks have emerged
- Likely to be the most expensive Galaxy Watch ever
There have been no firm or reliable leaks that hint at what price tag we can expect to come attached to the Galaxy Watch Ultra.
From everything that’s been suggested regarding specs and features, however – and the simple fact Samsung is changing its tactic from the usual Classic/Pro launch – we think it’s fairly likely to be the most expensive watch we’ve ever seen released by the company.
The Galaxy Watch 6 Classic arrived at $400 / £400 when it launched in 2023, too, which means we’re likely see a starting price of at least $500 / £500 for the Ultra.
It could be higher than this, as well – especially when you consider the Apple Watch Ultra 2 sits at $800 / £800.
Galaxy Watch Ultra: 5 things we know so far
Even though we could be closing in on an official announcement, what we ‘know’ about the Galaxy Watch Ultra is still pretty limited. In fact, it’s confined to unofficial renders, patents, rumors, or things that are just totally obvious (like which software it will run on).
Still, the picture here will fill out as we get closer to the full reveal, so stay tuned.
1. An old design could be reborn
One of the most interesting suggestions from the last few weeks is Samsung using the Ultra to rediscover the ‘squircle’ case design.
Wearable tech OGs will remember that a similar case last appeared on the Samsung Gear Sport way back in 2017 – and trustworthy leaker @OnLeaks shows through a set of renders that the Ultra could take this style to the next level.
As shown above, it looks as though the display and rotating bezel will remain circular, but instead sit on a square-ish case featuring three buttons, a microphone, and a speaker.
In terms of size specifics, the report also suggests the Ultra will measure in at 47 x 47.4 x 16.4mm.
2. Blood pressure/glucose look increasingly likely
As spied by the team here at Wareable, it looks increasingly likely that Samsung will use this year’s wearables – and, likely, the Galaxy Watch Ultra – to debut some form of blood pressure or blood glucose monitoring.
In an interview in January, Samsung’s mobile digital health chief Hon Pak said: “If we can do continuous blood pressure and glucose, we’re in a whole different ballgame.”
Now, as revealed in a new patent, Samsung explains how it could estimate blood pressure via PPG sensors. Non-invasive blood glucose monitoring is mentioned in a second patent published on the same day, too.
This patent more broadly refers to the continuous measurement of blood flow velocity, based on the variances in blood temperature measured by sensors and induced by a heat source within the wearable device.
Of course, neither of these patents explicitly tells us these features are being prepared for the upcoming Galaxy Watch Ultra, but we do appear to be edging ever closer to this reality.
3. The battery looks to be mammoth
An April 2024 leak suggests the Galaxy Watch Ultra could feature one of the biggest batteries ever seen in a Wear OS watch.
According to the leaked battery safety filing, a 578mAh battery unit is being prepared for the larger case sizes of the Galaxy Watch 7 – one slightly larger than the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro’s 573mAh battery.
Given the Galaxy Watch 6 models were only capable of around 40 hours of battery life, the Ultra appears set to provide a return to true multi-day battery life.
4. New Samsung Health features will debut
After first teasing them back in January, we already know Samsung is planning plenty of new features for the Health app for later this year, with many of them seemingly powered by the upcoming ‘Galaxy AI’.
We’ve detailed some of those upcoming Samsung Health features in 2024 in a separate piece, but, in short, the Galaxy Watch Ultra looks ready to provide daily readiness insights (My Vitality Score), new sleep insights (like high heart rate alerts during sleep), and contextualized coaching through the all-new Galaxy AI.
5. It will run on Wear OS 5/One UI 6 Watch
As we saw with the Galaxy Watch 4/Wear OS 3 and Galaxy Watch 6/Wear OS 4, Samsung’s latest smartwatches appear set to get first dibs on Google’s latest smartwatch software.
According to a report, a Wear OS 5 build is being prepared for the next Galaxy Watch devices (and Pixel Watch 3), and we’ve already seen Samsung share what we can expect from the One UI 6 Watch update in a blog post following Google’s Wear OS 5 announcement.
We already know Wear OS 5 is providing OEM developers with more tools to help the platform fit different case sizes, so it would appear everything is aligning for a Galaxy Watch Ultra release.
