If you want better battery life
Choose Ticwatch Atlas. It scores 4.6 vs 4.2 for battery life, with a 3.6 overall score.
Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra (2025) Review
Bottom Line
Choose the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2025 if you want Samsung’s largest rugged watch, strong battery life, LTE, bright display, and outdoor-leaning fitness features. Skip it if you already own the 2024 Ultra, want a smaller watch, or expect best-in-class health accuracy.
Best for
Best for Samsung or Android users who want a rugged, large-screen watch with LTE, strong battery life for a Galaxy Watch, offline-friendly storage, and broad workout support. It especially suits outdoor users who value durability and visibility over a slim design.
Not for
Not for iPhone users, small-watch fans, or buyers who already own the 2024 Ultra unless the extra storage or immediate One UI 8 access matters. It is also not ideal for users who need best-in-class scientific health tracking.
Verdict
The Galaxy Watch Ultra 2025 is more refresh than reinvention. Reviewers consistently like its rugged titanium build, excellent bright display, LTE convenience, strong Samsung battery life, broad workout support, and useful Running Coach and Gemini additions. The tradeoff is that much of this strength already existed in the 2024 Ultra, while the 2025 update mainly adds color, storage, and immediate software access. Health and fitness accuracy are good enough for many users, especially runners, but not class-leading in tougher scientific testing, and the antioxidant index draws repeated skepticism. Its large, bulky design also divides reviewers, making the watch feel more like a specialized outdoor Samsung flagship than a universal smartwatch.
Feature Scorecards
Summary
49 reviewed features-
Very positive 4.5-5.021 (43%)
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Positive 3.5-4.416 (33%)
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Neutral 2.5-3.47 (14%)
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Negative 1.5-2.45 (10%)
Pros
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LTE is a meaningful advantage for users who want to run or stay reachable without carrying a phone.
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Pairing reliability is excellent in the Notebookcheck test, where the watch was recognized and set up without issues.
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Outdoor visibility is excellent, with multiple reviewers saying the display remains readable in direct sunlight.
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Brightness is one of the clearest strengths, with reviewers repeatedly noting bright output and easy readability.
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Durability is excellent across reviews, from chassis feel to military-standard claims and real-world wear with little damage.
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Materials quality is excellent, with praise for titanium, ruggedness, and corrosion-resistant construction.
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Watch faces are a major strength, with reviewers praising Samsung’s selection, visual quality, and customization.
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Gemini makes the voice assistant experience notably useful and convenient, especially because the watch screen is small.
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Water resistance is treated positively for pool, rain, snow, and diving-oriented use.
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Display quality is consistently praised as vibrant, large, detailed, scratch-resistant, and excellent overall.
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Build quality is a major strength thanks to the rugged titanium case, robust design, and adventure-ready construction.
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Coaching features are a standout, especially Running Coach, which reviewers found useful, personalized, or exceptionally effective.
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Workout variety is a strength, with reviewers praising broad activity support, multisport-style capabilities, and Samsung’s wide exercise list.
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The app ecosystem is strong, with reviewers citing many apps and plenty of smartwatch functionality.
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Onboard music and storage are valuable for Spotify, podcasts, media, and offline use, especially now that storage is doubled.
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ECG is treated positively as part of Samsung Health Monitor’s useful health-tool set rather than as a deeply tested medical feature.
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Mapping and navigation benefit from larger storage for offline maps and route-related use, especially for outdoor users.
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Safety features are helped by LTE, which one reviewer valued for safer phone-free running.
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Notification handling is positive, with one reviewer noting detailed, useful notifications from the watch.
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Software smoothness is strong in direct testing, with smooth operation and quick app launches.
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Third-party app support benefits from extra storage and useful fitness/media apps, giving users more room for services beyond Samsung’s own tools.
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Fitness tracking is broadly positive for running and general activity, though scientific testing framed performance as good enough rather than best-in-class.
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The operating system experience is improved by One UI 8, with more functional UI elements and praised new software features.
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Battery life is a strength relative to other Galaxy Watches, but real-world results vary widely with always-on display, GPS, and travel use.
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GPS accuracy is praised by several mainstream reviewers, but scientific testing found visible deviations and placed it behind stronger sports watches.
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Core smartwatch features are strong, but some reviews temper praise by noting the 2025 model adds few meaningful upgrades.
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Heart-rate accuracy is generally good for running and daily fitness, though scientific testing still found better wrist options and exercise-dependent limits.
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Customization is strong for widgets, dashboards, watch faces, and tiles, but workout data-screen customization drew a complaint.
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Auto-detection works very well for walking and running, but one reviewer found it less reliable for cycling and strength training.
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The user interface is functional and approachable, though at least one reviewer found parts of the visual design odd.
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Step counting is strong during normal arm-swinging walks, with a caveat that carts or strollers reduce accuracy.
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Band quality is mixed to positive, with easy swaps and a robust strap system offset by dirt buildup and a hit-or-miss release mechanism.
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Wellness insights are useful when they explain metrics or provide coaching, though some newer metrics remain questionable.
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Button controls are polarized: reviewers like the programmable/quick button, but one long-term reviewer had repeated accidental presses and wanted better workout shortcuts.
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Style is subjective: one reviewer loved the stylish look, while another disliked the rugged, masculine aesthetic.
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Comfort varies by reviewer: some found it comfortable, including for sleep, while others felt the weight and bulk.
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Fit is context-dependent: one reviewer liked the big watch on their wrist, while another found it too large.
Cons
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Menu navigation is mixed: the digital bezel and haptics help, but reviewers miss a rotating bezel/crown and find usability reduced.
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Sleep tracking earns mixed marks: reviewers liked the score and some stage consistency, but noted low awake detection and second-tier sleep-stage performance.
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Companion app quality is mixed because Samsung still splits settings and health data across separate apps.
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Reliability is mostly good, but Notebookcheck reported brief display interruptions during always-on display use.
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Value for money is the most contested attribute: reviewers like the watch itself but often question the 2025 refresh and launch price.
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Health-tracking accuracy is mixed: reviewers praised some running-related readings, but questioned HRV, blood oxygen, antioxidant-style metrics, and scientific testing placed Samsung below top-tier rivals.
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Size options are limited by the single large case, and multiple reviewers describe the Ultra as very big.
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Cross-platform compatibility is limited: reviewers note Android support but no current iPhone compatibility.
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Blood oxygen tracking drew a clear caveat, with one reviewer repeatedly seeing lower SPO2 results than expected from other sensors.
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Charging convenience is hurt by Samsung omitting the wall charger, which one reviewer called stingy.
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Recovery-style guidance is a weak spot in one long-term review, where the energy score felt redundant and unhelpful.
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The antioxidant index is consistently weak, with several reviewers calling it low-value, inaccurate, gimmicky, or only marginally responsive.
Compared With Category Average
Compared with other Smartwatches, this product is above average in LTE connectivity, ECG functionality, voice assistant quality, near average in heart rate accuracy, activity auto-detection, below average in recovery insights, blood oxygen tracking, cross-platform compatibility.
Summary
49 compared features-
Above average 0.4+ pts higher23 (47%)
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Same as average within 0.3 pts11 (22%)
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Below average 0.4+ pts lower15 (31%)
Largest category differences
| Attribute | This product | Category average | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| LTE connectivity | 5.0 | 2.3 | +2.7 |
| ECG functionality | 4.5 | 2.5 | +2.0 |
| recovery insights | 2.0 | 3.9 | -1.9 |
| voice assistant quality | 4.8 | 3.0 | +1.8 |
| onboard music storage | 4.5 | 2.8 | +1.7 |
| blood oxygen tracking | 2.0 | 3.4 | -1.4 |
| cross-platform compatibility | 2.3 | 3.6 | -1.3 |
| charging convenience | 2.0 | 3.3 | -1.3 |
Consider This Instead
If you want better comfort
Choose Garmin Vivoactive 6. It scores 4.7 vs 3.7 for comfort, with a 3.9 overall score.
If you want better recovery insights
Choose Garmin Forerunner 265. It scores 4.9 vs 2.0 for recovery insights, with a 3.8 overall score.
If you want better menu navigation
Choose Apple Watch Series 11. It scores 4.7 vs 3.2 for menu navigation, with a 4.3 overall score.
Compared in Reviews
Products reviewers directly compared with this model, grouped into quick takeaways.
- More expensive: price The reviewer says the Galaxy Watch Ultra costs less than the Apple Watch Ultra 2.
- Worse: battery life The Galaxy Watch Ultra is said to have better battery life than the Apple Watch Ultra.
- Better: GPS tracking The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is said to perform better in the GPS test area.
- Older model: storage and immediate software access Upgrading from the 2024 Ultra is only considered worthwhile for storage or immediate software.
FAQ
Is the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2025 a big upgrade over the 2024 model?
No. Reviewers repeatedly describe it as a minimal refresh, mainly adding a new color, doubled storage, and newer software out of the box.
How good is the battery life?
Battery life is one of its stronger points among Samsung watches, with reviews ranging from roughly one to five days depending on always-on display, GPS, LTE, and usage. Sports watches still last longer.
Is it accurate for workouts?
Mainstream reviewers praised GPS, heart rate, and running metrics, especially for runs. Scientific testing was more cautious, calling heart rate and GPS good enough for many users but not top-tier.
Are the new health metrics useful?
Running Coach and some wellness explanations were well received. The antioxidant index was the weakest new metric, with multiple reviewers questioning its accuracy or value.
Is it comfortable to wear?
Comfort depends heavily on wrist size and tolerance for large watches. Some reviewers found the straps comfortable, while others said the watch felt too big or noticeable.
Does it work with iPhone?
No. The reviewed Samsung lineup is described as Android-focused, with the best experience coming from pairing with a Samsung phone.
Who should consider this instead of the Galaxy Watch 8?
The Ultra makes the most sense for buyers who want the larger display, better Samsung battery life, LTE, titanium build, rugged design, and outdoor-focused extras.
Sample Expert Reviews We Analyzed
These are a few of the reviews included in our analysis.
Video Reviews
YouTube - The Quantified Scientist
- Review score
- 3.1
YouTube - Shane Symonds
- Review score
- 4.2
Article Reviews
wareable.com
- Review score
- 4.2
zdnet.com
- Review score
- 4.0
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