Galaxy Watch Ultra 2: Is Samsung's Rugged Watch Worth It?
Rugged smartwatches used to force an ugly trade-off: adventure-proof durability or everyday polish, pick one. Samsung’s Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 is the latest attempt to have both — and based on early hands-on impressions, it largely succeeds, with one familiar catch: the price went up.
What’s new in the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2
According to CNET, which tested the watch for a week, the Ultra 2 brings:
- A larger battery for meaningfully better multi-day endurance
- A faster Qualcomm processor for snappier apps and navigation
- Hands-free Gemini — Google’s AI assistant without touching the screen
- New trail features aimed at hikers and outdoor athletes
- A higher price than the outgoing model
My take: the AI angle is quietly the big deal
Everyone will fixate on battery life (fair — it’s the number one smartwatch complaint), but I think hands-free Gemini is the sleeper feature. A voice assistant you can use mid-run or mid-climb without breaking stride is exactly the kind of thing a rugged watch should do. Wrist-based AI has been mostly a gimmick until now; on a device designed for situations where your hands are busy, it finally has a genuine use case.
The price increase stings, though it’s worth noting the whole industry is riding a wave of component cost hikes right now — Samsung isn’t alone here.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Bigger battery tackles the top smartwatch pain point
- Faster chip should keep it feeling fresh for years
- Trail features make it a legitimate Garmin alternative for casual hikers
- Hands-free AI is genuinely useful outdoors
Cons:
- Costs more than its predecessor
- Full feature set works best if you’re already in the Samsung phone ecosystem
- If you own the original Ultra, this is an iteration, not a revolution
Verdict: who should buy the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2
- Buy it if you’re an Android user upgrading from a two-plus-year-old watch or a basic fitness band — this is a big leap.
- Wait if you own the first Galaxy Watch Ultra; the upgrades are nice but not essential, and last-gen models typically see steep discounts once the new one ships.
- Look elsewhere if you’re an iPhone user — Samsung’s watches still pair best with Galaxy phones.
Related: All Samsung coverage · Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 hands-on · More hands-on reviews
Source: CNET