Galaxy Watch Ultra vs Galaxy Watch 5 Pro: Samsung's most rugged smartwatches

By Peter Kostadinov

Updated: Aug 06, 2024, 4:39 AM

2comments

Samsung

Intro

New year, new Samsung top watch, and right now, the best device is called the Galaxy Watch Ultra. It brings some exciting new features like a new design, a more efficient chipset, and a big battery on board. The titanium smartwatch is every bit as premium as it gets.

The new smartwatch is quite similar to Samsung's 2022 top smartwatch, the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro. It also came with a titanium case, a sapphire display, and no rotating bezel.

Is the Galaxy Watch Ultra the spiritual successor to the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro?

Galaxy Watch Ultra vs Galaxy Watch 5 Pro: differences

Single 47mm size vs single 45mm sizes
60.5gr vs 46.5gr
3nm Exynos W1000 chip vs 5nm Exynos W920 chip
Titanium cases and sapphire screens on both
No rotating bezel on either (but capacitive one on the Watch 5 Pro)
32GB vs 16GB on-board storage
590mAh batteries on both
10 ATM up to 10 minutes vs IP68 (1.5m for 30 minutes) water resistance

Table of Contents:

Design and Sizes
Bands
Software
Battery and Charging
Models and Prices
Voice Calls and Haptics
Specs
Summary

Design & Sizes

Not so different, are they?

Two titanium champions (Image Credit-PhoneArena)

The Galaxy Watch Ultra has a new design that takes some inspiration from an expensive smartwatch of another brand. The squircle-shaped case is made of titanium, while and sapphire glass protects the display in a round case. The Galaxy Watch Ultra is equipped with three hardware buttons, consisting of two standard buttons and a customizable Quick Button in between them. Neither rotates like a digital crown.

The new Samsung smartwatch is only available in a 47mm size, making it a rather big one that surely only fits people with thicker wrists. The Galaxy Watch Ultra is shockproof, IP68 dustproof and water-resistant. The watch is water-resistant for up to 100 meters for as long as 10 minutes, so you can dive with it if you wish.

The Galaxy Watch Ultra is available in a single 47mm size; it's massive, so don't buy it blindly if you have smaller wrists.

The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, on the other hand, also comes in a single 45mm size. It has a full titanium case, which has a tall bezel to protect from bumps, and also has a sapphire glass protecting the display. The watch is IP68-rated, but it's also water-resistant up to 50 meters, so diving with this one is possible, too.

Although the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro is thicker, it's not as wide and massive as the Galaxy Watch Ultra. It's also much, much lighter in comparison (46.5 gr vs 60.5 gr), so wearing the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro surely feels more comfortable in everyday scenarios.

The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro is thicker, but the Galaxy Watch Ultra is wider (Image Credit-PhoneArena)

None of these two smartwatches has a rotating hardware bezel. Well, sort of, the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro has a capacitive one, which lets you swipe your fingertip on the inner side of the bezel and emulate the functionality, but it's nowhere near as convenient as the rotating bezel on, say, the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic. Samsung has likely dropped the rotating bezel on these two titanium watches in order to ensure the enhanced water resistance.

Colors-wise, the Watch Ultra can be yours in Titanium Gray, Titanium Silver, and Titanium White. The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro came in Gray Titanium and Black Titanium.

The Galaxy Watch Ultra comes with a large 1.5-inch AMOLED display with 480x480-pixel resolution and an extremely high peak brightness of 3,000 nits. Meanwhile, the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro has a 1.4-inch display with 450x450-pixel resolution and lower peak brightness, but is still well-legible in bright daylight conditions.

Bands

Two rugged champions

Bespoke mechanism vs standard lugs (Image Credit-PhoneArena)

The main difference between the Galaxy Watch Ultra and the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro is the watch band mechanism. The new smartwatch comes with a bespoke system that is similar to the Apple Watch one and utilizes slots in the case. Meanwhile, the older Galaxy Watch 5 Pro boasts a standard lug system, which means you can use any standard watch band.

The Galaxy Watch Ultra is available with three rugged bands: Marine, aimed at divers, a textile Trailband one, and finally, a silicone Peakform one. Meanwhile, the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro comes with standard silicone bands.

Software & Features

Similar features

The One UI Watch interface on top of Wear OS powers both smartwatches. The Galaxy Watch Ultra is, however, the first smartwatch with Wear OS 5 and One UI Watch 6. Neither watch works with the iPhone, and while Android phones are supported, some features work best with a Galaxy phone (ECG, Blood pressure monitoring). The Watch 5 Pro comes with One UI Watch 5, but will likely receive the next one in the near future.

Neither watch works with the iPhone. Android phones only, and even some niche health features like ECG and blood pressure monitoring require a Galaxy phone.

The Galaxy Watch Ultra comes with many sport-oriented and activity features. There are new features for tracking activities and sports. For example, triathletes can now track three sports at once without having to start tracking them all at once.

The Race function on the Galaxy Watch Ultra lets you test yourself and compete against your previous achievements. This could help you achieve better results and boost your motivation.

The Advanced Glycation End Products Index (a.k.a. AGEs) is a new metric that aims to measure your biological aging process non-invasively. Thanks to this, the Galaxy Watch Ultra will try to predict if you are at risk of contracting age-related diseases as you grow older.

The Galaxy Watch Ultra has some new gestures like Double Pinch (inspired by the Apple Watch), Shake to Dismiss, and Knock Knock. These aren't terribly original as we've seen them on other smartwatches, but they work well on the Galaxy Watch Ultra, so we have no reasons to complain.

Heart Rate Accuracy

BioActive sensors on the Galaxy Watch Ultra, Galaxy Watch 5 Pro (Image Credit-PhoneArena)

Heart rate monitoring accuracy isn't such a strong suit on Samsung smartwatches. The Galaxy Watch Ultra has a new heart rate sensor, but we aren't convinced it's that much more accurate than before. An anecdotal evidence could be the anomalies that I experienced while reviewing the Galaxy Watch Ultra: it would go haywire occasionally and register super-high heart rates (above 180bpm) while I was sitting idly.

Sleep Tracking Accuracy

The Galaxy Watch Ultra delivers very detailed sleep data that's laid out quite comprehensively. It is also FDA-approved to monitor sleep apnea, which is great to have (the tracking, not the apnea itself!). If you don't get enough sleep, the Samsung Health app will offer coaching and advice. You also get to see what your "sleep animal" is.

The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro also monitors your sleep quite well and would also alert you if it detects sleep apnea. However, the latter is not FDA-approved, so its accuracy might not be as good as the Galaxy Watch Ultra.

The Galaxy Watch Ultra is also equipped with a novel Energy Score metric that effectively extracts all the data available from your sleep. Just like Garmin's Body Battery, it will determine your level of rest and readiness to tackle the day based on the quality of your last night's sleep.

GPS Accuracy

The new Galaxy Watch Ultra has dual-frequency L1+L5 GPS on deck, which makes it more accurate in most metropolitan areas with many tall buildings that could block the GPS signal. The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, on the other hand, had a single-frequency GPS that wasn't impressive at all: slow to nail the correct location and going haywire in the dense city jungle. Still, it provided some interesting features like custom map upload (GPX files) that lets you follow custom routes during your hikes.

Battery and Charging

The same batteries

Both smartwatches have 590mAh batteries.

However, the Galaxy Watch Ultra has a much more efficient 3nm chipset in comparison with the 5nm Exynos inside the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro. Does this mean that the new watch delivers substantially better battery life? Well, no.

Both devices are mostly similar in how long they'd last: you can get more than two-days and a half with either of these two. Your mileage may vary depending on how many of the battery-guzzling features like constant heart-rate monitoring, GPS navigation, and always-on display you'd keep on.

Both smartwatches charge fully in around an hour and 20 minutes.

Models and Prices

The Galaxy Watch Ultra is available in a single 47mm version, which has LTE cellular connectivity, Bluetooth, and GPS. The Galaxy Watch Ultra starts at $650.

The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro came in a single 45mm version with LTE connectivity on board. Prices start at $500.

Voice Calls and Haptics

Both smartwatches are capable of making and receiving calls, with the audio quality being more than acceptable on either one.

Haptic feedback on both is perfect, precise, and strong.

Specs

Here are the essential Galaxy Watch Ultra vs Galaxy Watch 5 Pro specs:

Specs	Galaxy Watch Ultra	Galaxy Watch 6 Classic
Models (Size, Weight, Prices)	47mm, 60.5gr, Wi-Fi + Cellular, $650	45mm, 46.5g, $499 (LTE), $449 (WiFi-only)
Processor, RAM, Storage	Exynos W1000 3nm chipset	Exynos W920 5nm chipset
Software	Wear OS 5, One UI Watch 6	Wear OS, One UI Watch 5
Battery and Charging	590mAh Magnetic charger, 50% in 30 mins	590mAh (43mm)
Sensors	Samsung BioActive Sensor (Optical Bio-signal sensor+ Electrical Heart Signal + Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis), Temperature Sensor, Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyro Sensor, Geomagnetic Sensor, Light Sensor	Samsung BioActive Sensor (Optical Heart Rate + Electrical Heart Signal + Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis), Temperature Sensor, Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyro Sensor, Geomagnetic Sensor, Light Sensor
New features	Cusomizable Quick Button IP68+10ATM resistance, MIL-STD-810H endurance 3,000 nits peak brightness	Capacitive digital bezel IP68+5ATM, MIL-STD-810H endurance

Summary

Which one? (Image Credit-PhoneArena)

The Galaxy Watch Ultra definitely feels like a proper successor to the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro.

It's a more extreme and capable version of the smartwatch, with better endurance, new health and wellness features, better sleep tracking, and more accurate GPS. However, battery life is not drastically better, and the Galaxy Watch Ultra is also too heavy.

Should you upgrade?

Well, if you're satisfied with your Galaxy Watch 5 Pro and reckon you can squeeze out a couple of extra years out of it, then it's probably not justified getting the new Galaxy Watch Ultra. In all other cases, however, the Galaxy Watch Ultra would surely feel like a step-up from your Galaxy Watch 5 Pro.

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Peter, an experienced tech enthusiast at PhoneArena, is captivated by all things mobile. His impartial reviews and proficiency in Android systems offer readers valuable insights. Off-duty, he delves into the latest cryptocurrency trends and enjoys sci-fi and video games.