Samsung has two new wearables to play with in 2026, the Galaxy Watch 9 and Galaxy Watch Ultra 2.
Galaxy Watch 9: Available in two sizes, 40mm and 44mm, Watch 9 decently advances what Samsung did with the Galaxy Watch 8 in 2025. It still essentially looks the same, with its cushion silhouette, but Samsung has included the new Snapdragon Wear Elite chipset for a “massive” boost in speed and efficiency, 390mAh battery (445mAh on the 44mm model), and a 3,000-nit display. Software enhancements for this watch are listed below, as they are the same for the Watch Ultra 2.
Galaxy Watch Ultra 2: This model, with the year gap between releases, has major changes. The big notes are the massive 800mAh battery (35% increase), Snapdragon Wear Elite chipset, a world’s first 5,000-nit display for crazy high brightness, the retainment of its shock-resistant titanium casing, but overall a much improved design (12% thinner) along with softer bands for improved wearability.
Samsung also has a new and improved Trail Run tracking feature, perfect for anyone looking to get into that. Sadly, there is still no pickleball tracking on either of these new Galaxy wearables. Sad.
New Galaxy Watch Capabilities
- Sleep Apnea: Backed by FDA clearance and AI algorithms, delivers insights into breathing disruptions during sleep.
- Vitals: Proactively monitors a user’s personal health baseline during sleep and provides seamless alerts for significant deviations.
- Heart Health Score: Provides an effortless understanding of cardiovascular wellness through a simple, actionable score and personalized lifestyle recommendations.
- Daily Cardio Load: Optimizes training through tailored guidance on workout volume and estimated recovery needs.
- Fitness Index: Delivers a holistic view of physical fitness with personalized goals to improve everyday performance.
- Hearing: Helps protect long-term hearing health with alerts for unsafe noise levels and detailed reports.
Below you will find the complete spec table for each of the new Galaxy Watch devices.
Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, Watch 9 Specs
| Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 | Galaxy Watch 9 | |
| Color | 47mm: Titanium Silver, Titanium Gray | 44mm: Graphite, Silver 40mm: Graphite, Cream |
| Dimensions & Weight | 47mm: 47.4 x 47.1 x 10mm (61.5g) | 44mm: 46.0 x 43.7x 8.6mm (34.0g) 40mm: 42.7 x 40.4x 8.6mm (31.5g) |
| Display | 47mm: 1.52″-inch (38.5 mm), 498×498 Super AMOLED, Full Color Always On Display, up to 5,000 nits | 44mm: 1.47-inch (480×480) Super AMOLED, Full Color Always On Display, Up to 3,000 nits 40mm: 1.34-inch (438×438) Super AMOLED, Full Color Always On Display, up to 3000 nits |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear Elite (3nm Processor, 5 Core) | |
| Memory & Storage | 2GB memory + 64GB storage | 2GB memory + 32GB storage |
| Battery | 800mAh Up to 60 hrs (AOD On) | 44mm: 445mAh 40mm: 390mAh Up to 30 hrs (AOD On) |
| Charging | 100% in 90 min (40% in 30 min) | 44mm: 100% in 90 min (45% in 30 min) 40mm: 100% in 80 min (50% in 30 min) |
| OS | Wear OS Powered by Samsung (Wear OS 7) | |
| UI | One UI 9 Watch | |
| Sensors | Samsung BioActive Sensor (Optical Bio-signal Sensor + Electrical Heart Signal + Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis), Temperature Sensor, Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyro Sensor, Geomagnetic Sensor, Light Sensor, | Samsung BioActive Sensor (Optical Bio-signal Sensor + Electrical Heart Signal + Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis), Temperature Sensor, Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyro Sensor, Geomagnetic Sensor, Light Sensor |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth / Bluetooth + LTE, Wifi, NFC, GPS (L1+L5 Dual Frequency GPS) | Bluetooth / Bluetooth + LTE, Wifi, NFC, GPS (L1+L5 Dual Frequency GPS) |
| Durability & Water Resistance | 10ATM / IP69K / MIL-STD-810H / EN13319 | 5ATM / IP68 / MIL-STD-810H |
| Compatibility | Android 13.0 or higher and with more than 1.5GB of memory | |
Pricing and Availability: Galaxy Watch 9 starts at $379 for Bluetooth only and $429 for the LTE model. It comes in either Cream or Graphite for the 40mm model, while the 44mm option gets Graphite and Silver. Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 is priced at $699, available in either Titanium Silver or Titanium Gray.
Both watches are now up for pre-order, with general availability starting August 7.
Having worn the new Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, it feels so much more comfortable on the wrist. Big improvements were made on the band that the watch comes with, but I still can’t help but be frustrated by the lack of pickleball tracking. Yes, I’m a nerd, but it still is maddening.
