Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra review: Blood sugar readings and navigation features
To test Galaxy Watch Ultra, I had to remove the Apple Watch Ultra 2 (8/10, WIRED recommends) only two days left to complete my preliminary 28 days Training load analysis. Training load is a new feature in Clock 11 uses cumulative data, measuring calories like heart rate, speed, effort, and age to assess whether your efforts are improving your fitness performance. It’s frustrating to get so close to the finish line and not finish. However, it’s not as frustrating as I expected since I’ve tried this feature before. Garmin has Training load features for many years.
In the race to create the most fully featured outdoor smartwatch that works well with your phone, Apple is clearly winning. Apple Watch SuperThe design is more visually distinctive. The software is better, with more sports like diving, better algorithms like Training Load, and a better user interface. It’s funny how the Galaxy Watch Ultra’s design mimics Apple’s, with the orange safety strap looking exactly like Apple’s. Ocean Band ($99) and a Quick Button on the side that you can assign a function to, much like Apple’s Action button. There’s even a gesture-based feature that’s very similar to Double Tap, called (still laughing) Double Pinch.
With all that said, Samsung has the resources to catch up quickly and I haven’t found any major flaws. If you’re pretty happy with it as a Android If you’re a user and want to experience wearing the Apple Watch Ultra, this is a good start. It can only get better.
Add it up
The Galaxy Watch Ultra is beautiful. It doesn’t have the distinctive look of the Apple Watch Ultra, but its design reflects the look of a premium watch. Garmin GPS or Coros watch. This is a 47mm smartwatch, which is a bit smaller than the 49mm case of the Watch Ultra, but it feel larger because it is square instead of rectangular.
It has a titanium case with a sapphire crystal that is rated at 10 ATM (meaning it can withstand the pressure created by 100 meters of water) and IP68and can withstand altitudes up to 9,000 meters and temperatures up to 131 degrees F. I haven’t had the chance to get one Colorado 14er during testing, but I was stupid enough to ride my bike out to run errands when the temperature was over 100 degrees F during a heat wave, and the watch worked fine (and I didn’t).
Photo: Adrienne So
Battery life is my main issue with smartwatches that have become fitness trackers. The Watch Ultra lasts a little over two days, which is great for a smartwatch but still far from what you’ll need for a typical weekend camping trip. It takes three hours to recharge the watch from 10 to 15 percent every other morning. With Power Saver mode turned on, it can last three to five days. I like being able to tweak the settings to find a mode that turns off or stays on to extend battery life.
Samsung notes that the watch has a new enhanced BioActive sensor, which should improve the accuracy of the heart rate sensor and other new health metrics. It’s pretty much in line with what I’ve been tracking on the Oura Ring—for example, if Oura says my heart rate is 69, the live result on the Galaxy Watch Ultra is 70.
Another new feature is the AGEs index. According to Samsung, the Galaxy Watch 7 and Watch Ultra can measure advanced glycation end products (AGEs). (Diagnoptics is the company that provides this tool, take reading through a light source that excites specific fluorescent components or molecular parts of your skin). Your AGEs score is important because it can help predict your risk of diabetes and stroke; the way most people do this today is through a test called the A1C, which is a more invasive blood test.
