Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 Review: Is the Watch 9 the Better Buy?

Quick summary: I’ve used the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 for five days, coming from the 44mm Galaxy Watch 8 (and the Watch 7 before that). Samsung sent it to me. Battery life is the big upgrade, at about 2.5 days. But at about $700, I think most people who charge nightly should get the Galaxy Watch 9.

Battery life

I get about 60 hours, two full days plus another half, with the always-on display and sleeping in it. I did it twice this week, and it lives up to the rating. Wearing it overnight gives you sleep data, resting heart rate, blood oxygen and more, though I usually like to take my watch off at night.

What I use a watch for

Notifications (it does a fantastic job), heart rate, the date and time, steps and the weather. All of it is on my watch face.

Action button

The customizable action button is a real difference. I set it to open my phone’s camera so I can grab group photos quickly, but it can do a bunch of other things.

Size and comfort

It’s 47mm versus 44mm and heavier. I can feel it when I pick both up, but wearing it all day, it’s comfortable and doesn’t weigh me down. The stock band hasn’t made me itchy, so I’ll keep it for now. I like Velcro fabric bands, but they get stinky with sweat.

Speaker

I took my first-ever call on it with my buddy, YouTuber How-To Men. It gets pretty loud, and he said I sounded really good.

Ultra 2 or Watch 9?

The Ultra 2 adds deeper diving support and some more hardcore fitness features, plus longer battery life. If you charge every night and don’t need those extras, get the Galaxy Watch 9: it’s cheaper and still lasts about 1.5 to 2 days. I’m very happy with the Ultra 2, but I’d probably be just as happy with the Watch 9 at 44mm.

• Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 from Samsung
• Galaxy Watch 9 from Samsung