Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 Adds 800-mAh Battery and Trail Tools at $700
Updated
Updated · CNET · Jul 22
Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 Adds 800-mAh Battery and Trail Tools at $700
3 articles · Updated · CNET · Jul 22
Summary
$700 Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 looks nearly unchanged, but CNET’s weeklong test found bigger internal upgrades — an 800-mAh battery, Snapdragon Wear Elite chip and brighter 5,000-nit display.
New outdoor features push Samsung closer to sports-watch territory, with trail-running tools such as offline maps, audio turn-by-turn directions and live climb tracking; a Mares-built diving app is coming later and was unavailable at launch.
Battery life remains the biggest open question: Samsung promises up to 60 hours, but a 5-mile trail run used nearly 30% and testing so far has landed closer to 48 hours.
Gemini’s raise-to-talk mode stood out as the most useful day-to-day upgrade, while new health metrics and recovery tools still need at least seven nights of data before they can be fully judged.
The early verdict is that Ultra 2 may justify its $50 premium over the original for buyers wanting Samsung’s most rugged watch, but standard Galaxy Watch 9 models offer core smartwatch features for far less.