00:05I'm here in central London at Samsung's exclusive new event where we're going hands-on with the new
00:10Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 and the Galaxy Watch 9. Let's go and check them out.
00:17The Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 is the biggest star out of Samsung's two new wearables and
00:22there's a lot going on under the hood. It may look fundamentally the same as Samsung's older
00:27Galaxy Watch Ultra from 2024 with the two side buttons and single orange quick button and the
00:32circular watch face mounted on the titanium squircle cushion. However, it's actually 12% thinner,
00:38as you can see here with them both side by side, while the band is 20% lighter than the
00:42bands of
00:43the old Watch Ultra. Whereas the Watch Ultra Mark 1 was a hefty beast indeed, Samsung's slimmed it down
00:48quite a lot, despite the upgrades being fitted in there. This will certainly help with lockdown
00:53during vigorous exercise, whereas I found the original Watch Ultra so bulbous that it moved
00:58around a little. Those hardware upgrades are largely the result of a more powerful battery,
01:02now 800mA, ensuring true 2 day battery life, and a new Snapdragon Wear Elite faster chipset.
01:09The screen is brighter than ever, up to 5000 nits, offering clarity and visibility in any outdoor
01:15condition according to Samsung with 1.52 inch display. New features include trail running, which you can see
01:21here on the back end of Samsung's new foldable, hydration tracking, which allows you to see exactly
01:26how much water you've lost and how much you need to take on to mitigate any damage it might do.
01:30You can also upload GPX maps onto the watch for turn by turn directions while you run.
01:35You can see the map at the end of the workout here, and watch as I play with graphs showcasing
01:40heart rate, elevation and pace at different points of the run. Where the elevation goes up,
01:44you can see heart rate go up and pace go down accordingly. A very clever toggle tool.
01:48I wish Garmin had an overlay tool like this instead of separate graphs.
01:52More new features include vascular load, which can calculate the strain on your heart. More include
01:57a daily cardio load metric, a fitness index comparing your stats with other Galaxy Watch users,
02:02and the new vitals feature which takes measurements of 5 metrics while you sleep,
02:06and determines if any are out of sorts. It's also set to be a diver's best friend,
02:11meeting EN11 diving standards certifications, and will become a dive computer with the launch of the
02:17partnership with diving company Merez later this year, along with its corresponding app.
02:21For anyone familiar with wearables, it's easy to make comparisons here with the Apple Watch Ultra 3,
02:26especially the upcoming dive features. However, which one is better? Which one's more accurate?
02:31To find out, I tested both watches side by side against the industry standard Polo H10 heart rate monitor
02:36to check where both wearables stand in the accuracy stakes. Here's how I got on.
02:41So I've just been out on my usual 30-minute testing route, road testing the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2
02:47against the Apple Watch Ultra 3 on the other hand, and the Polo H10 heart rate monitor here for an
02:53accurate analysis of its heart rate accuracy. At the start of the run, I saw some drift.
02:57Samsung Watch was reading 135 BPM in comparison to the others, 155, 160, but it tightened up towards the end.
03:04Looking forward to diving into the stats, wanting back in the office, and seeing how accurate it was.
03:08Back in the office, and you can see by the screen recordings here that there's a fair bit of
03:13difference in average heart rate between the Samsung Watch and the Polo heart rate monitor,
03:17over 20 BPM, whereas the Apple Watch is much closer. However, this is due to the first half of the
03:24run,
03:24in which the Samsung experienced significant drift, but after 15 minutes or so, the remainder of the run
03:29closely matched the data from the electrical Polo H10 monitor, which you can tell because the maximum
03:34heart rate reading from Samsung is much closer to Polo's one. This is a known phenomenon when it
03:39comes to LED-based heart rate devices, but it's good to know that it tightens up and is accurate
03:44to the HRM after that initial calibration period of 10 or 15 minutes of exercise.
03:52Of course, we can't forget the smaller wearable in the series, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 9. I actually
03:57preferred the Watch 8 to the original Ultra due to its slimmer, lighter form factor and sleeker look.
04:02Very little has changed here in the design space. We're getting 40mm and a larger 44mm model in both
04:08LTE and WiFi-only enabled editions, and the same Snapdragon Wear Elite as the high-performing Galaxy
04:14Watch Ultra 2. As opposed to the Ultra 2's titanium, the Watch 9's body is covered with armor aluminium,
04:19but it still feels premium to the touch and wears well, just like the Watch 8 did. This flat discable
04:24watch is great for fitness features, as you get great lock down to the wrist, and it's got the new
04:29daily cardio load, vascular load, fitness index, and hydration stuff, just like the more premium
04:34Watch Ultra. It comes with three straps, as you can see here, the translucent Misti strap,
04:39comfortable fabric strap, and silicon sport strap. The Misti strap was a bit too much like a child's
04:45jelly toy for my liking, but I definitely sleep in the fabric strap. The Watch Ultra 2 also gets a
04:50choice of three straps, with trail, marine, and the premium peak form.
04:57I haven't had much time with the Watch 9, but it looks like more of the same as the Watch
05:018,
05:01which I adored, with updated AI features and quality of life upgrades. I liked the Watch Ultra 2,
05:08as I think it looks better, is more comfortable, performs well, and better for day-to-day wear than
05:13its predecessor, and it's packed with features for athletes. It's the best Samsung watch from a tech and
05:18specs perspective, hands down. And if you like Samsung watches, you'll love this. However,
05:24I can't see true trail and try enthusiasts choosing it over a Garmin. We'll be getting the Watch Ultra 2,
05:30how about the Watch 9? Let us know in the comments below, and we'll see you next time.
05:44I'm here in central London at Samsung's exclusive new KX event. Sorry, I have to go, it's not KX.
05:49I'm here in central London at an exclusive busy new Samsung event.
05:55We're going hands-on with the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, and the Galaxy Watch...
05:59No, I'm here in the...
