At Unpacked 2024 in Paris, Samsung officially launched the Galaxy Watch Ultra and Galaxy Watch7 smartwatches. So far, all the design, specs, upgrades and features that have been leaked before has proven true. You can also read our own exclusive hands-on with the Galaxy Watch Ultra and Watch7 here.
There’s no Watch7 Classic with the rotating bezel this time around, which isn’t a bad thing really since we actually liked the Watch6 more than the Watch6 Classic, and even awarded it our Editor’s Choice Best Smartwatch in our recent Tech Awards 2024.
There’s also no Pro version, the last being the Watch5 Pro. Instead, Samsung is taking a page from Apple and spinning off the “Pro” watch into its own series called the Galaxy Watch Ultra, which makes things a little more confusing because “Watch Ultra” can now mean Apple Watch Ultra or Galaxy Watch Ultra.
Galaxy Watch Ultra
The Galaxy Watch Ultra (and Watch7) will be the first devices to be shipped with Wear OS 5.
The new Galaxy Watch Ultra features a 47mm square titanium case, and comes in Titanium White, Titanium Gray or Titanium Silver. The square case isn’t just for show though, it is designed as shock bumpers as the Galaxy Watch Ultra is meant for rugged sports and environments. While both Galaxy Watch Ultra and Watch7 carry the same MIL-STD-810H rating, the Ultra takes it further with 10ATM water resistance, withstand extreme temperatures from -20 degrees Celsius to 55 degrees Celsius. It’s also designed to work at altitudes ranging from -500m below sea level to 9,000m above sea level.
Besides ruggedness, the Galaxy Watch Ultra features a longer battery life with a large 590mAh battery. Now, if this number looks familiar, that’s because it’s the same battery capacity of the Galaxy Watch5 Pro.
The Galaxy Watch Ultra will come with some exclusive sports functions such as a Multi-Sport mode that allows you to track things like Triathlons or even your own custom selection. There's also love for cyclists, with tha ability to calculate cycling FTP (Functional Threshold Power) in just 4 minutes of cycling.
Galaxy Watch7
The Galaxy Watch7 on the other hand, is basically a drop-in replacement of the Galaxy Watch6 with updated chipset, sensor and software. Everything else remains the same, which is probably why Samsung didn’t even bother to talk about it at the Unpacked 2024 keynote besides this single slide.
New BioActive Sensor and Samsung Health updates
The new BioActive sensor package isn't just more accurate, it enables more data to be captured. Besides body composition, blood pressure, and ECG readings, the new watches will be able to track AGEs (Advanced Glycation End products). I'm not going to pretend that I have the medical knowledge to know what this means, but AGEs are harmful compounts in the bloodstream that are the result of protien and lipids combining with sugars (glycation), and are a bio-marker for aging and some degenerative diseases. According to Samsung, the Galaxy Watch Ultra will also be the first smartwatch to be certified in the US to detect sleep apnea.
A new feature enabled by the updated BioActive sensor is AGEs marker tracking. Photo: HWZ
Sleep Apnea tracking from Galaxy Unpacked Paris 2024 keynote.
Besides hardware, Samsung Health is getting an AI boost as well, and will now take all the various data points like sleep and heart rate to generate an Energy Score, which is a snapshot of your current health status. This is similar to Fitbit's Readiness Score, and more recently, the Wellness Balance from the RingConn smart ring.
Samsung Health holistic Wellness Score. Photo: HWZ
Detailed specifications
Both Galaxy Watch Ultra and Galaxy Watch7 actually have the same main hardware specifications, which includes the new chipset and BioActive sensor updates. If you look at the specification table below, both watches also have the same display size and resolution, same memory, same storage, and same GPS capabilities.
Pricing and availability
Local pre-orders for the Galaxy Watch Ultra and Watch7 will start from 10 July 2024, Wednesday, 9pm, and those who pre-ordered the devices will be able to collect them from 19 July 2024, ahead of retail availability. For everyone else, the devices will officially go on sale on 24 July 2024.
The Galaxy Watch Ultra is priced at S$988. Pre-order the Galaxy Watch Ultra here
Galaxy Watch 7 is priced at S$448 (40mm) / S$498 (44mm) for the Bluetooth model, and S$548 (40mm) / S$598 (44mm) for the LTE model. Pre-order the Galaxy Watch 7 here:
- Galaxy Watch7 (Bluetooth, 40mm)
- Galaxy Watch7 (Bluetooth, 44mm)
- Galaxy Watch7 (LTE, 40mm)
- Galaxy Watch7 (LTE, 44mm)
For more detailed pricing and promotional details, head over here.
Announced alongside the Unpacked event today includes the all-new Samsung Galaxy Ring, the Z Fold6, the Z Flip6, and the new Buds3 series. Check out our coverage of everything launched at the July 2024 Samsung Unpacked Event in Paris.
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