Galaxy Watch Ultra vs Galaxy Watch 6 Classic: Samsung's most premium smartwatches so far

The Galaxy Watch Ultra scores a new design language. It boasts a squircle case with a round screen; the case is made of titanium, while sapphire glass protects the display. The Galaxy Watch Ultra comes with three buttons on deck: two standard ones and a customizable Quick Button between them.

Samsung's new smartwatch is available in a single 47mm size only. It's also shock-proof, IP68 dust- and water-resistant. Actually, it's rated for up to 100 meters for as long as 10 minutes, so diving with the watch is totally something you could try. 

What you might not try, however, is interacting with the interface with the help of the Galaxy Watch Ultra's rotating bezel, on the account of it lacking one. Sadly, this useful and signature Samsung smartwatch feature is not available on this watch, likely because it'd compromise the exceptional water resistance.

Meanwhile, last year's Galaxy Watch 6 Classic came with a classic round case made of stainless steel, with sapphire glass on top to protect against scratches. The watch came in two distinct size versions, 43mm and 47mm ones. The Galaxy Watch 6 Classic came with full IP68 water resistance, but nothing more. The watch came with a hardware rotating bezel, though, which allows you to quickly navigate the interface and interact with the functions of the watch. 

Which smartwatch is more convenient to wear? Undoubtedly, the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic. It's more compact and slightly lighter with the stock band, and although it's just as big, it feels like a more convenient accessory to carry on your wrist. It also looks classier thanks to its timeless design that should pass the test of time. 

Colors-wise, the Watch Ultra can be yours in Titanium Gray, Titanium Silver, and Titanium White, whereas the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic comes in Black and Silver. 

Display-wise, both 47mm versions of both smartwatches have the same 1.5-inch AMOLED display with 480 by 480-pixel resolution. Aside from being sharp and vivid, those two can also get quite bright. However, the new Galaxy Watch Ultra has the upper hand here with peak brightness of 3,000 nits, while the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic maxes out at 2,000 nits. 

"Dress for the job you want" is a saying that perfectly encapsulates these two watches. The Galaxy Watch 6 Classic comes with a faux leather strap that would easily suit any dress watch given how classy and elegant it is. 

At the same time, the rugged Galaxy Watch Ultra is available with three rugged bands: Marine, aimed at divers, a textile Trailband one, and finally, a silicone Peakform  one. 

Are these two interchangeable? Sadly, no. The Galaxy Watch 6 Classic employs classic watch lugs that let you attach just about any similarly sized watch band, whereas the Galaxy Watch Ultra uses a new system that uses slots on the watch case itself. 

Both smartwatches are running Wear OS with the One UI Watch interface on top of it. The Galaxy Watch Ultra is, however, the first smartwatch with Wear OS 5, the latest version of the OS. 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 Galaxy Watch Ultra comes with a ton of new features. There is enhanced activity tracking along with new multi-sport tracking; triathlon athletes, for example, will be pleased to know that they can now customize and track three sports one after the other, without having to start a new activity tracking after a given stint. 

Race is another Galaxy Watch Ultra feature, which allows you to challenge yourself and compete against your previous results. This could boost motivation and allow you to achieve better results.

Another new metric (still in beta) is the AGEs (Advanced Glycation End Products) Index, which aims to measure your biological aging process non-invasively. As you grow older, AGEs naturally accumulate, and the Galaxy Watch Ultra will try to predict if you're at risk of contracting age-related diseases. 

Some cool new gestures on the Galaxy Watch Ultra include Double Pinch (inspired from the Apple Watch), Shake to dismiss, and Knock Knock. The initial one is likely to be the most popular as it lets you answer calls, dismiss alerts, launch apps, control music playback, and so on. We've already seen that feature on the Apple Watch, so it's not terribly original. 

Heart rate monitoring is one of the essential features of most smartwatches, and sadly, Samsung smartwatches have been all over the place with their overall accuracy. Samsung has thrown in a new heart rate sensor in the Galaxy Watch Ultra's BioActive sensor, but it's uncertain if the change is for the good.

 Irregular data and anomalies are currently plaguing the Galaxy Watch Ultra, which registered a few ghost spikes in my heart rate during the review process. The Galaxy Watch 6 Classic has the benefit of several software patches, so I'd be more inclined to trust the data from the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic. 

Both smartwatches offer very detailed and mostly similar sleep accuracy, with the Galaxy Watch Ultra getting the upper hand with its FDA-approved sleep apnea monitoring. You get tons of data about your sleep in the Samsung Health app, broken down and explained as comprehensively as possible. Diving deep and exploring said data is a very rewarding experience. 

If any of these two Galaxy Watches detect some irregularities in your sleep or notice you're not getting enough shut-eye, you'd get coached on some of the best practices to improve your sleep. 

The Galaxy Watch Ultra also comes with a new Energy Score metric that taps deeply into all the data it can squeeze out from your sleep. Similar to Garmin's Body Battery, it will determine how rested and therefore ready to tackle the day and your usual activities you are based on how well you've slept the previous night. 

GPS Accuracy

The new Galaxy Watch Ultra boasts dual-frequency L1+L5 GPS on deck, making it more accurate in mostly metropolitan areas with many tall buildings that could potentially interfere with the GPS signal. In real life, the Galaxy Watch Ultra appears to be more precise and locks in your exact location faster, so that's definitely a plus. 

Battery and Charging

Two-day smartwatches? Two-day smartwatches.

Charging both devices takes around an hour and 15-20 minutes, which is an acceptable amount of time.