Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra vs. Galaxy Watch 7: closer than you think

The 47mm Galaxy Watch Ultra has a rounded, square shape and is designed for outdoor use and extreme sports enthusiasts. It is a large and rugged watch with a durable titanium body available in three colors: Titanium Silver, Titanium Gray, and Titanium White. The Galaxy Watch Ultra has a sapphire crystal display that is a Super AMOLED, Full Color Always On Display. It is MIL-STD-810G certified and is expected to survive in water up to 10ATM, equivalent to being submerged 100 meters underwater for a limited time.

The Galaxy Watch 7 comes in 44mm and 40mm. It boasts a sapphire crystal Super AMOLED Full Color Always On Display, similar to the Galaxy Watch Ultra. The watch has a silver frame and is waterproof up to 50 meters. You can buy the 44mm version in Green and Silver, while the 40mm model is available in Green and Cream.

Internally, both watches feature Samsung’s new Exynos W1000 chip that is built on a 3nm process. This advanced chip design is expected to provide greater energy efficiency and improved performance compared to previous generations.

Independent tests will be conducted to precisely quantify the level of performance offered by this new chip. However, Samsung says it offers 2.7x quicker performance than the W930 chip found on the Galaxy Watch 6 series. We’ll be sure to test that in our reviews.

The Galaxy Watch Ultra and Galaxy Watch 7 also come with 32GB of storage and 2GB of RAM, ensuring ample space and memory for various apps and functions.

Samsung chose a different battery size for each watch. The Galaxy Watch Ultra, for example, includes a hefty 590mAh battery, while the 44mm Galaxy Watch 7 offers a 425mAh battery. The 40mm Galaxy Watch 7 has a 300mAh battery.

The company says the Galaxy Watch Ultra will offer 100 hours of use in Power Save mode and 48 hours in Exercise Power Save Mode with GPS. This number will drop when consistently using LTE. The Galaxy Watch 7 should work up to 40 hours between charges, regardless of the display size.

Looking at those numbers, we certainly expect the Galaxy Watch Ultra to have the best battery life compared to the Galaxy Watch 7. Once again, though, we’ll determine just how much better it really is during our reviews.

Regarding health and fitness, both watches are very similar regarding the sensors they are equipped with. However, the Galaxy Watch Ultra truly sets itself apart with its exceptional durability and impressively longer battery life, making it an ideal choice for outdoor training or similar activities.

Moreover, it boasts advanced training features such as tracking complex multi-sport activities and providing extensive training data. Notably, the Galaxy Watch Ultra is the first FDA-approved Galaxy Watch to monitor sleep apnea, a noteworthy advancement in health technology. However, the Galaxy Watch 7 is capable of these things, too.

Both the Galaxy Watch Ultra and Galaxy Watch 7 offer an extensive array of health-tracking features. These include heart rate monitoring, sleep tracking, blood oxygen (SpO2) monitoring, and automatic workout detection for over 100 different exercises. Both watches also have Samsung’s new BioActive Sensor, which allows you to track your AGEs index to get a better view of your metabolic health.

The Galaxy Watch Ultra’s more rugged case and bigger battery naturally lend themselves to a better fitness experience. However, when it comes to the actual fitness/health features, the watches are more or less identical.

The Galaxy Watch Ultra and Galaxy Watch 7 are available for preorder now. The first preorders will start shipping on July 19. The Galaxy Watch Ultra is priced at $650, regardless of the standard band chosen. It is compatible with Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and 4G LTE.

The 40mm Galaxy Watch 7 is priced at $300 for the Bluetooth and Wi-Fi model and $350 for the Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and 4G LTE version. The 44mm Galaxy Watch 7 is priced at $330 for the Bluetooth and Wi-Fi model and $380 for the Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and 4G LTE version.

The Galaxy Watch Ultra and the Galaxy Watch 7 share many similarities. They have the same internals and offer nearly identical health and fitness features. However, the Galaxy Watch Ultra stands out for being more durable and offering a larger battery. The extra Quick Button is also a nice touch.

Those are all nice touches, but do they make the Galaxy Watch Ultra worth an additional $350 compared to the cheapest Galaxy Watch 7? Considering just how similar the watches are, this is where the Ultra becomes a tough sell. Maybe you really do need the more rugged case and the longest possible battery life. If so, the Galaxy Watch Ultra looks like a great package. But for everyone else, it’s difficult not to recommend saving hundreds of dollars and just getting the Galaxy Watch 7 instead.