It’s officially Samsung Galaxy Unpacked day, which gave us our first real look at the South Korean company’s line-up of foldables for 2026. As expected, the Fold 8 Ultra was the standout of the show. But for those without any inclination to be flippin’ or foldin’, perhaps one of Samsung’s newest wrist-huggers can be of some interest?
Those would be the new Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, accompanied by the Galaxy Watch 9. Once again, Samsung has got our blood boiling owing to the lack of a ‘Classic’ model with a rotating bezel. We’re sure one will turn up next year. Samsung usually skips a generation to manufacture hype. But that doesn’t help us now.
That Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 instinct
Get over it, is Samsung’s solution. We’re stuck with the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 and the Watch 9 for the foreseeable future (AKA next July). Samsung’s flagship timepiece, the Ultra 2, hasn’t changed much. It’s certainly slimmer than ever, as it now features a 1.52in Super AMOLED that’ll cap out at 5,000 nits of brightness. As ever, it’s only available in the 47mm size, with a smattering of sapphire crystal to keep that face from getting all scratched up.
It’s got more than enough room to store apps, photos, music, or what have you. 64GB worth, at that, as the 32GB model is scrapped entirely. It’s powered by the same Snapdragon Wear Elite chipset seen in the Galaxy Watch 9, and paired up with the same ol’ 2GB of RAM we’ve come to expect from smartwatches. We’ll take it, we guess.
Thus far, nothing we’ve shown you is screaming “upgrade” to us. That is, ’til you see the Watch Ultra 2’s massive 800mAh battery, a big step up over the 590mAh we’ve seen before. Samsung reckons that should be more than enough juice to keep the Watch Ultra 2 alive for up to 60 hours with the Always-On display turned on. Excellent. Finally, the Watch Ultra 2 includes all the usual sensors you’d expect, plus an upgraded BioActive Sensor.
More importantly, the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 is a fair bit tougher than its older sibling. It’s all wrapped up in a shock-resistant titanium case, lending itself to the excellent IP69K rating. It’s got a water resistance rating of 10ATM if you’re ever looking to take it for a dive. As for pricing, it ain’t cheap. It’s currently slated to hit shelves on 7 August both overseas and locally, with a price of R13,900. It’s available for pre-order now.
The Galaxy Watch 9 looks… fine
If the prospect of a new Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 wasn’t enough to get the blood pumping, we doubt the Galaxy Watch 9 will do it for ya. Unsurprisingly, Samsung has launched the new watch in two variants — the smaller 40mm case with a 1.34in screen, while the 44mm case sports a 1.47in display. Both of those are repping Super AMOLED tech under the sapphire crystal protection, though they top out at 3,000 nits.
It may not look Ultra on the outside, but the Galaxy Watch 9 feels Ultra inside. It shares the same 2GB of RAM and Snapdragon Wear Elite chipset as its more-premium sibling, which should lead to speedier navigation and AI features. It’s not quite as endowed in the battery department, however. The smaller of the two packs a 390mAh cell, while the 47mm variant bumps that up to 445mAh. How these’ll fare in the real world, we’ll have to see.
Samsung’s going hard on AI, as usual. It might even be interesting if the AI-powered features mentioned — Sleep Apnea monitoring, Vitals, and all the rest of them — weren’t ones we’d seen before. We’re intrigued by the new hearing health detection, which’ll alert wearers to loud noises in the area, all in the name of protecting those ears.
Like its Ultra brother, the Galaxy Watch 9 intends to hit shelves on 7 August in South Africa, the same as the rest of the world. The cheapest you’ll pay is R7,100 for the 40mm Bluetooth-only variant. Want it in LTE? Expect to put down another grand, bringing the total up to R8,100. Those wanting a Bluetooth-only 44m case will shell out R7,700 for the privilege. The Galaxy Watch 9 44mm with LTE will set Saffas back a hefty R8,700.
