The first was Apple, with its Ultra, then came Huawei with its Fit 3… Smart watches that not only use high-end materials, they also offer great durability, numerous sports-related features and great resistance to shocks, diving and heights. These two smartwatches are now joined by Samsung with its Galaxy Watch Ultra.
The first thing that catches your attention about this Samsung watch (and what separates it from the aforementioned examples) is its design. If the Huawei and Apple followed a very similar aesthetic, here we are Speaking of a watch that follows a more classic profileIn fact, if it weren’t for its orange rotating button (a constant in all Ultras), it would pass for an analog watch.
It is also slightly larger than the other two, with a 1.5-inch AMOLED display with 3,000 nits of resolution. This means that, in the brightest environments, visibility remains faithful and it is easy to find information without having to chase shadows. In this section, the screen is one of the best, both in terms of resolution, size and quality.
The Galaxy Watch Ultra does the basics that almost all high-end smartwatches do. It maintains an obvious connection to the mobile to record our routes, receive calls (well the speaker), answer with predetermined messages and control parameters of our health (electrocardiogram, blood oxygen volume…) and our sleep.
To this we must add the SD MIL-STD-810H Military Certification. Basically, this confirms (according to the main US military agencies) that it is resistant to altitudes of over 5,000 meters, extreme temperatures, falls of close to 3 meters… Much of the watch is made of titanium and part of it is made of polycarbonate, which makes it light and durable. The dial is protected with sapphire crystal and is noticeable in the most unfortunate encounters.
The watch is available in white, titanium and grey/black. And now we move on to the less fortunate details. On the side, The red button spins, but this spin has no effect, only if we press it does it give a result (which is programmable). It would have been nice to use it to navigate up and down the menu.
Another detail that frequently raises eyebrows is that Qi wireless charging only works in certain cases, basically only with a Samsung dock… Something that also affects the watch’s compatibility with other phones: If you have a phone that is not from the Korean manufacturer, there are features that you will not be able to use.Another problem is with the strap fitting systems: they are not universal, there are options from other brands, but not as many as they lose that universality.
On the positive side we add a dual GPS that provides great precision, a huge battery (although it takes at least an hour to charge it) and a durability of at least 4 full days… depending on use and whether we have the screen on 24 hours a day. In short, this is a watch that stands out from its peers in terms of design and performance, and meets (almost) all the requirements for the most demanding athletes.
Verdict:
In almost all technical sections it passes the 9, the only obstacle is its price: almost 700 euros. Is it worth it? If we compare it with the Apple Watch Ultra, without a doubt, if we compare it with the Huawei Fit 3, perhaps not so much.