At the Galaxy Unpacked 2026 event, Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Watch 9 and Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, the new generation of its smartwatches, featuring improvements in performance, battery life, and display quality, along with innovative AI-powered health features, despite higher prices compared to previous models.

These watches are part of Samsung's efforts to strengthen its position in the growing smartwatch market, with a focus on advanced health features.

The Galaxy Watch 9 succeeds the Galaxy Watch 8 and is available in two sizes (44 mm with a 1.47-inch display and 40 mm with a 1.34-inch display). Both screens have a brightness of 3000 nits. The larger version has a 445 mAh battery, while the smaller one has a 390 mAh battery, and both support fast charging.

The Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 comes in a 47 mm size, with a 1.52-inch Super AMOLED color display that supports always-on functionality and a brightness of up to 5000 nits, along with an 800 mAh battery that supports fast charging.

Both models are powered by the Snapdragon Wear Elite processor manufactured with a 3nm process, paired with 2GB of RAM. The Galaxy Watch 9 offers 32GB of internal storage, while the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 has 64GB.

The watches run Wear OS 7 with the One UI 9 Watch interface, and are compatible with phones running Android 13 or newer with at least 1.5GB of RAM.

Regarding health features, Samsung equipped both watches with a new AI-powered BioActive sensor for data collection, and a Vitals feature to monitor biomarkers during sleep, in addition to heart health tracking, nutrition alerts, fitness measurement, and hearing health monitoring.

The company also revealed plans to launch a dedicated diving app, developed in collaboration with Mares, a company specializing in diving equipment.

In terms of durability, the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 has an IP69K rating for water and dust resistance, with water resistance up to 10 ATM, while the Galaxy Watch 9 has an IP68 rating and water resistance up to 5 ATM.

The Galaxy Watch 9 starts at $379 for the Bluetooth version and $429 for the LTE version, while the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 is priced at around $699.

Samsung began accepting pre-orders starting July 22, with the watches going on sale on August 7.

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Galaxy Watch 9 Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 Smartwatches Samsung

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July 23, 2026 Last updated: July 23, 2026

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The Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 stands out as a direct competitor to watches like the Apple Watch Ultra, with an IP69K rating and an ultra-bright display. Samsung strengthens its position in digital health with the new BioActive sensor. The watches will be available for pre-order in late July and go on sale in early August, offering consumers multiple options to suit their needs in terms of price and features. The Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 is priced at $699, reflecting its significant upgrades over the previous model.