As fitness trackers have evolved, going from mere GPS step counters to complex pieces of healthcare equipment, they’ve also become something of a double-edged sword. In theory, having access to everything from your VO2 max to your sleep temperature opens the door to huge wellness gains. But unless you’re a professional, it can be difficult to turn that data into action.
What’s the solution? A sprinkling of artificial intelligence, courtesy of Samsung, whose new Galaxy Watch Ultra introduces a slate of AI-powered features that transform health metrics into clear insights and action plans.
What’s New?
You might already be familiar with Samsung’s Galaxy Watch line, which has earned a solid reputation for its good looks and comprehensive health-tracking features. The Ultra is, as the name suggests, a rugged, outdoors-ready watch geared towards athletes and adventurists – though there’s plenty to like for regular gym-goers, too.
On first impression, it’s clear this is a watch that can withstand a battering. Designed to military standards, the square body is clad in titanium with a round, sapphire crystal display. If you’re fond of desert treks, deep-sea diving or mountaineering, then good news: the Galaxy Watch Ultra can withstand temperatures from -20º to 55º, 9,000m altitude and underwater depths of 100m (10ATM water pressure)*. But even if your workout regime is more treadmill than trail, there are still plenty of smart features to capture your data and crunch it.
Wrist Intelligence
Here comes the science bit: the Galaxy Watch Ultra packs an upgraded version of Samsung’s BioActive Sensor, which measures metrics including heart rate, sleep quality, blood pressure and blood-oxygen levels. It also does body composition and can take an on-wrist ECG**.
Samsung Galaxy AI uses that data to power a new Energy Score feature, which analyses your key metrics and gives you a daily score out of 100, representing your physical and mental readiness. Wake up to a score in the 80s, and you can be confident today’s the day to go after a new PB. If you see your score declining, then you’ll want to think about focusing on rest and recovery – which the Samsung Health app can help you with. It allows you to set your own focuses, like improving your fitness or managing your weight, which it uses to inform bespoke, data-driven recommendations.
The aim of the game is to optimise your energy so that you’re ready to tackle any challenge. A crucial part of the equation is sleep – both quality and quantity – which is why there’s also a separate Sleep Score. Wear the watch at night, and it’ll monitor your heart rate, respiratory rate, blood oxygen, skin temperature and sleeping stages. It’ll also detect snoring. In your waking hours, you can access AI-driven sleep coaching, with daily goals for a better night’s rest.
Workout Tracking
It’d probably be quicker for us to list the workouts you can’t track with the Galaxy Watch Ultra – there’s everything from running and weight-lifting to rock climbing and open-water swimming. So instead, lets drill down into some of the features that make it such a standout.
For runners and cyclists who like to explore, the new dual-frequency GPS chip makes it easy to stay on track, even in dense, built-up areas, while the race mode allows you to compete against your past performances (outdoor running and cycling only). Hiking or trail running? Then turn on GPX navigation, which gives detailed routes including altitude guidance, and has a track-back feature to get you safely back to where you started. For truly off-grid adventures, you can rest easy knowing the battery lasts for days (up to 100 hours in power-saving mode)***, and that there’s automatic fall detection with a safety siren that can be heard 180m away, even in thick forest.
In the gym, you can use the Galaxy Watch Ultra to build bespoke workout routines with warm-ups, cool-downs and rest periods, meaning no more fiddling with your smartphone between sets. Plus, there’s multi-sport support for duathlon, triathlon and aquathlon training. You can even create your own personalised challenges, if that sounds too easy.
Beyond health and fitness tracking, it’s also a solid tool for daily life. You can connect to music and calls without even touching the screen, and reply to messages with AI-powered suggestions. Like the best tech, it all blends in to your everyday life, helping you reach the top of your game without being intrusive.
Start your AI-powered journey with the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra today
Compatible with smartphones running Android 11 or above. Not intended for use in detection, diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition.
*Water resistant for 10 minutes in water with a depth of 100 meters according to the ISO22810 standard
**Blood pressure and ECG feature require a Samsung Galaxy smartphone
***Battery life based on results from internal lab tests for typical usage pattern scenarios conducted by Samsung. Actual battery life may vary depending on different usage patterns
