Let me get this straight: I didn’t use smartwatches until I got my hands on this one, the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra2. Being an ardent lover of all things mechanical, I prefer wearing my analogue watches on rotation. But I had to try this one, and since then, I’ve had trouble taking it off. The shift looks radical, doesn’t it? Well, I will tell you exactly why.
I rarely move up beyond 40mm watches as my wrist size of 6.5 inches looks quite small with bigger dials. However, the Ultra2 is 47mm, and I had my doubts. Paired with the supplied silicon strap, it sits perfectly on my wrist and does not look out of place, with no overhangs. Next thing is the solid build quality – grade 4 titanium, sapphire crystal, and a ceramic/sapphire back. Me being a hyperactive and somewhat clumsy person, I ended up bumping and scraping the watch so many times that I have lost count. However, it always emerges unscathed, like a Spartan warrior with an unbroken spirit. The bezel has hour markings and an orange marker at 12 o’clock. On the side, you have the button layout: two directional and one in the centre with an orange insert around its circumference. On the opposite side, you will notice the two cutouts for the speaker grill. At the back, the heart rate and O2 sensor is protected by the sapphire crystal.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra2 uses a 1.52-inch circular AMOLED display which has a peak brightness of 5,000 nits, making it absolutely bright and legible under any kind of lighting. The auto brightness will take care of the levels when selected. Powering the watch is the Snapdragon SW6100 Wear Elite, and uses Android Wear OS 7 and One UI Watch 9, which is quite smooth and responsive when operating. You get 2GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage along with all the latest bells and whistles for connectivity. Usage-wise, it’s pretty sorted
Once the initial setup is done, the watch is quick to connect with your smartphone. You have to install the required applications as well. If you do wish to exploit its full potential, you will need a phone from Samsung. My main usage was to monitor my health and fitness levels, daily energy consumption and sleep tracking. The soft strap also means you can wear it while sleeping, and you will barely notice. The cycling mode works well, but instead of a cycle, I am on a motorcycle, and that is something that the watch does not know. I can still get the exact time for how long I have been riding. I even took conscious steps to fix my sleep and increase my daily calorie intake as it could give me an exact number, which helped me plan my meals better. It also shows your energy levels, over health statistics and other useful health parameters, which is definitely welcome. For convenience, you can activate the 4G connection of the watch, which will allow you to check notifications, emails, and even take calls. You can also pair your bluetooth headset with the watch for ease, or just use do-not-disturb if you wish not to be bothered.
Battery life is strong, with three days of regular usage and 2 days with heavy usage. You also have a battery saver time-only mode when the charge runs low. It charges pretty quickly too – slightly over an hour for a full charge. I use google maps a lot, especially when riding into unknown places, and it has been one of my most favorite features, and more importantly, the large screen means you can just keep glancing without getting distracted (tossed away the mobile phone holder). There is so much more to discover, and I think it will take me a couple of months more to extract the full potential of the watch, which is already so capable and a no brainer if you are looking for one as a Samsung user already.
Price: ₹64,999 | samsung.com/in
