Price, features, colors, and everything else

Samsung’s new Galaxy Watch duo is here. The Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 and Galaxy Watch Ultra offer vastly different body shapes and use cases for willing buyers, but the two smartwatches share plenty of features at their core. If anything, the two further extend Samsung’s lead atop the best smartwatches for Android tree. But what should you know about them? Here’s everything you need to know about the latest wearables.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 7: Release date, price, and availability

• Samsung Galaxy Watch 7, 40mm (Bluetooth): $299.99 / £289
• Samsung Galaxy Watch 7, 40mm (LTE): £339
• Samsung Galaxy Watch 7, 44mm (Bluetooth): £319
• Samsung Galaxy Watch 7, 44mm (LTE): £369
• Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra, 47mm (LTE): $649.99 / £599

Samsung launched its new Galaxy Watch series alongside the Galaxy Ring on July 10, 2024, in Paris, France. Pre-orders for the Galaxy Watch 7 and Galaxy Watch Ultra opened on the same day, with general availability following July 24. The watch is available to purchase through Samsung.com, Samsung’s physical Experience Stores, and major retailers.

The Galaxy Watch 7 comes in two dial sizes, with the smallest starting at $299.99 in the United States. That price is consistent with its predecessor, but this time, there’s no Classic model. Notably, there’s also an LTE variant for those who need on-wrist connectivity.

The Galaxy Watch Ultra is the de facto follow-up to 2022’s Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, which introduces a new design with plenty of rugged outdoor appeal. Its pricing starts at $649.99 in the United States, making it one of the pricier Galaxy Watches ever. This device has a single variant with LTE support and a 47mm dial.

Like its sibling, the Galaxy Watch Ultra is available through Samsung.com, Samsung’s physical Experience Stores, and major retailers.

Those in the UK can purchase the Galaxy Watch 7 40mm Bluetooth model for £289 and £339 for the LTE option. The 44mm model starts at £319, with LTE costing an additional £50. The Galaxy Watch Ultra retails for £599 in the country. Both watches share their pre-order and general availability dates with the US.

Those who pre-order the Galaxy Watch 7 or Galaxy Watch Ultra will receive a secondary free watch band, while both devices are eligible for Samsung Care Plus. Additionally, pre-ordering one device will also knock 25% off the price of a select second device.

Once again, at least for the standard Galaxy Watch model, iterative aesthetic updates are the name of the game. The Galaxy Watch 7 is the spitting image of its predecessor. The top and bottom buttons feature more pronounced orange and white edges, respectively, but that’s about it. Once more, Samsung is also giving consumers a choice of dial sizes: 40mm and 44mm.

Samsung is offering a limited number of colorways across the two sizes. You can have either in Green, the smaller model in Cream, or the larger in Silver. There are also three official strap options: the quick-drying colorful Sport, a comfortable and lightweight Fabric, and an all-purpose Athleisure option.

Notably, the Galaxy Watch 7 is slightly larger and heavier versus the Galaxy Watch 6, but the increased width, depth, and weight are almost negligible.

If you are looking for sweeping changes, you’ll find them on the Galaxy Watch Ultra. The watch raised several eyebrows before its launch, and its design is even more imposing in the flesh. The premier Samsung smartwatch now boasts a more rugged, squared-circle face and a much thicker and heavier body to match its new moniker. Samsung reserved even more orange accents for the Ultra, with hour markets etched onto the bezel. Notably, it lacks a rotating bezel, so those who rely on this feature will have to opt for the older Galaxy Watch 6 Classic.

The Ultra is also much, much larger than the Galaxy Watch 7. It weighs over 60 grams and extends 12.1mm from the top of its screen to the back of its sensor panel. It’s a big smartwatch that is far more imposing on the wrist than its modest sibling. Despite its larger 47mm dial size, it shares screen sizes and resolution (1.5 inches, 480 x 480) with the 44mm Galaxy Watch 7.

There are three buttons on the Galaxy Watch Ultra’s right side: two more traditional oval buttons and a third, round Quick Button in the center. This textured wheel serves mainly as a physical shortcut for trigging various activities. Users can select from several predetermined shortcuts, such as activating the flashlight to start/stop an exercise routine. Long-pressing the button for five seconds also triggers an 85db emergency siren.

You’ll also notice a new band fastening mechanism exclusive to the Ultra. Samsung calls it the Dynamic Lug system, which improves the watch’s wrist comfort and the speed of swapping out bands. Three new straps support this: the quick-drying Marine, breathable Trail, and all-purpose PeakForm. Notably, these bands are exclusive to Samsung, at least at the time of the Ultra’s debut.

The Galaxy Watch 7 and Galaxy Watch Ultra include sapphire crystal lenses to protect their displays, a MIL-STD-810H specification for durability, and an IP68 water and dust resistance rating. The Galaxy Watch 7 also packs a 5ATM water pressure rating, while the Ultra is happy to dive even deeper, with a 10ATM limit. The Ultra is also tested for ocean swimming and use at high altitude.

The Galaxy Watch 7’s battery specs are identical to its predecessor’s. The 40mm model features a 300mAh battery, while the larger 44mm model includes a 425mAh power unit. Although there’s an apparent lack of development in this area of the watch, both models should benefit from Samsung’s more efficient 3nm chipset.

Thankfully, we see a battery capacity jump with the Galaxy Ultra, but it’s a figure we’ve seen before. It includes a 590mAh battery — the same capacity as the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro. Those wanting a sizeable bump to match the new body shape will be disappointed, but the more efficient processor should represent some real-world gains.

Samsung claims the Ultra will last up to 48 hours in Exercise Power Saving Mode or 100 hours in Power Saving mode. The company also suggests that users should eke out around 60 hours between charges with regular use. As a comparison, we mustered around 80 hours of general use during our Galaxy Watch 5 Pro.

Both Samsung watches retain their WPC-based wireless charging tech, with no charging speed upgrades in the offing.

The Galaxy Watch 7 and Galaxy Watch Ultra offer the same base functionality as the Galaxy Watch 6 series, but do bring several new features.

Wear OS 5 and One UI 6 Watch

Samsung’s new watches are the first to run Wear OS 5. The OS runs behind Samsung’s One UI 6 Watch and includes aesthetic changes, an interactive always-on screen, a Find My app, and efficiency-forward updates.

The UI also includes new watch faces. The Galaxy Watch Ultra offers a new Night Mode feature for select watch faces that improves readability in low light. It also introduces a new multi-sports tile that lets users quickly select various workout routines.

Galaxy AI

Samsung announced Galaxy AI during its Galaxy S24 series launch earlier in 2024 and promised that the generative AI model would soon be available in its wearables. This has now materialized with the Galaxy Watch 7 and Galaxy Watch Ultra.

The model powers two notable new smart features. Suggested replies recommends suitable responses to Google Messages and WhatsApp messages by analyzing users’ previous conversations. Importantly, this feature requires the Galaxy S24 series or newer running One UI 6.1.1 or newer, so it won’t be on hand for every user. Additionally, there’s a new gesture control option, too. Dubbed Double Pinch, the gesture lets users control items on their Galaxy smartphone, like disable alarms or control the camera shutter.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 and Galaxy Watch Ultra don’t necessarily introduce new fitness tracking hardware, but plenty of new software features and metrics exist.

These new fitness and wellness features include:

• AGEs Index: The Galaxy Watch 7 and Galaxy Watch Ultra can track AGEs or Advanced Glycation End products. This score, dubbed the AGEs Index, indicates metabolic health and biological age and utilizes the watches’ light sensors.
• Energy Score: This feature factors in four metrics, including sleep, activity, sleeping heart rate, and sleeping heart rate variability, to help users understand how these factors influence their daily health. The metric is similar to Garmin’s Body Battery, scoring users on a 0-100 scale. Importantly, the feature requires a compatible Galaxy AI phone.
• Functional Threshold Power (FTP): This feature allows cyclists to determine their maximum power output using machine learning. This calculation is automatic if you’re cycling at a mid to high-intensity level for more than four minutes. It requires a power meter connected to a Galaxy smartphone.
• Personalized HR Zone: This feature suggests the optimal heart rate for users engaging in an outdoor activity but will only trigger on runs longer than 10 minutes at speeds over 4km/h.
• Race: Runners and cyclists can compete with past performances on outdoor routes, provided they run the same route as a previous session. Samsung notes that workouts from the last two weeks can be set as a benchmark.
• Sleep Apnea monitoring: With this FDA-approved tool, the Galaxy Watch 7 and Galaxy Watch Ultra can now monitor for signs of sleep apnea. Users must be 22 or older and wear the watch for at least seven nights over a 30-day period.
• Sleep Score: An improved version of Samsung’s established Sleep Score feature that provides additional bedtime insights, assigns users a sleep animal, and offers recommendations to improve sleep quality. It also includes three new sleep metrics: Movement during sleep, sleep latency, and heart and respiratory rate.
• Wellness tips: This feature provides tailored recommendations based on your health and fitness data. Samsung describes this feature as having a wellness coach on your wrist. This feature requires a compatible Samsung device.
• Workout Routines: The Galaxy Watch can create custom workout routines based on your goals.

In addition to these new features, both smartwatches inherit the fitness smarts found on the Galaxy Watch 6 series. These include heart rate monitoring, blood oxygen tracking, body composition analysis, ECG, and blood pressure measurements. Notably, the latter two features remain exclusive to Galaxy smartphones.

Expect more accurate results with the new premier model. The Galaxy Watch Ultra uses 13 LEDs instead of the four on the Galaxy Watch 6 to track various metrics.

Connectivity

Both Samsung watches are compatible with Android 11 phones and have at least 1.5GB of RAM. This means practically all new Samsung Galaxy and Pixel phones are compatible. However, if you’re an iPhone user, you still can’t pair your device with a Galaxy Watch 7 or Galaxy Watch Ultra.

Both Galaxy Watch models include dual-frequency GPS support for better positional tracking in all situations.

Despite their divergent designs, both of Samsung’s new watches are consistent under the hood. The Galaxy Watch 7 and Galaxy Watch Ultra are powered by Samsung’s new Exynos W1000 SoC, a five-core, 3nm chipset that promises to be much faster than the dual-core 5nm W930 in the Galaxy Watch 6. The company claims a 2.7x speed improvement for app launches compared to the outgoing chipset, but we’ll have to see how this translates in real-world scenarios. The chip also offers better thermal and power management, which should also improve overall efficiency.

Beyond processing power, the two devices pack 32GB of storage — double that of the Galaxy Watch 6 series — and 2GB of RAM.

See a full specs list below.