Samsung launches Galaxy Watch Ultra2 and Watch9 with Snapdragon Wear Elite, brighter displays and AI health features

Synopsis

Samsung has launched the Galaxy Watch Ultra2 and Galaxy Watch9 at Galaxy Unpacked 2026, introducing Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon Wear Elite platform, brighter displays and AI-powered health features. The Galaxy Watch Ultra2 is designed for outdoor enthusiasts with an 800mAh battery, a 5,000-nit display, advanced trail running and diving features, while the Galaxy Watch9 targets everyday users with a lighter design, a 3,000-nit display and improved comfort.

London: Samsung has unveiled the Galaxy Watch Ultra2 and Galaxy Watch9 alongside its latest foldables, bringing significant hardware upgrades, new AI-powered health features and Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon Wear Elite platform to its smartwatch lineup.

The Galaxy Watch Ultra2 is aimed at outdoor enthusiasts and athletes, while the Galaxy Watch9 focuses on everyday health tracking with a lighter design and improved comfort. Both smartwatches feature brighter displays, larger batteries than their predecessors and Samsung’s latest AI-powered health experiences.

The Galaxy Watch Ultra2 comes with Samsung’s largest-ever smartwatch battery at 800mAh, representing a 35% increase over the previous Ultra model. Powering the watch is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Wear Elite platform, which promises improved performance, efficiency and more accurate GPS tracking.

Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra2

Samsung has also upgraded the display to reach 5,000 nits of peak brightness, making it the brightest smartwatch display the company has offered to date.

The smartwatch retains its titanium construction while becoming 12% thinner than its predecessor through an internal redesign. Samsung says softer and lighter bands improve comfort for continuous wear.

For fitness enthusiasts, the Ultra2 introduces a dedicated Trail Run mode that tracks elevation, climbing progress and terrain impact. It also adds a Nutrition Alert feature that estimates sweat loss relative to body weight and provides hydration guidance during workouts.

Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra2

The watch also expands into diving. It carries IP69K, 10ATM and EN13319 certifications, allowing it to automatically track dive metrics such as depth, dive time and water temperature. Samsung says advanced diving capabilities developed with diving equipment brand Mares will arrive through a dedicated Ultra2 Diving app later this year.

Galaxy Watch9 focuses on all-day wellness