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Samsung’s Unpacked event is coming up soon—on July 22, to be exact. Although nothing is confirmed yet, between the official teases, credible leaks, and precedent from past events, you can probably expect Samsung to debut two new smartwatches: the Galaxy Watch 9 and the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2.
The stakes for these smartwatches are unusually high. Samsung has long been a leader in the category, but its smartwatch sales declined 28% year over year in the first quarter, according to Counterpoint Research. At the same time, competition in the Android watch market is intensifying. Google’s Pixel Watch 4 has an elegant curved design and an excellent AI assistant, while the OnePlus Watch 3 offers competitive capabilities and outstanding battery life.
With that in mind, here are five improvements Samsung can make to keep its smartwatches at the head of the pack.
1. Longer Battery Life
Battery life has been a weak spot of the Galaxy Watch line for years. The Galaxy Watch 8 performed similarly to its predecessors, lasting just over a day with the always-on display enabled. But the competition is improving on this front. The Apple Watch Series 11 debuted with the first meaningful increase in battery life in generations, powering through nearly two days on a charge in my testing. The Pixel Watch 4 lasted even longer at 56 hours, while the OnePlus Watch 3 outshone them all, running for 98 hours between charges.
The Galaxy Watch 9 will need a big battery boost just to keep up with the competition. I hope this is a focus for this generation, because multi-day battery life or faster charging—ideally both—would go a long way toward making the newest Galaxy Watch model worth the upgrade.
2. Improved Durability
In addition to the Galaxy Watch 9, I expect Samsung to announce the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 at this year's Unpacked. The company tends to announce one premium model per year, alternating between the design-focused Classic series and the rugged Ultra (or Pro) series. Last year, Samsung announced the Watch 8 Classic, and 2024 marked the debut of the original Ultra. Before that, Samsung introduced the Watch 6 Classic in 2023, and the rugged Watch 5 Pro (the Ultra’s predecessor) in 2022.
Assuming we do indeed get a Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, I hope it offers improved durability, particularly in the water. The original Ultra is no slouch; it is impervious to dust and water with an IP68 rating. It meets the MIL-STD-810H certification, which means it can withstand extreme temperature changes, blowing sand, and other environmental stressors such as vibration and shock. Additionally, the Ultra has a superior water resistance rating than the Galaxy Watch 8 (10ATM compared with 5ATM), allowing it to be submerged to depths of up to 328 feet in calm, fresh, or salt water. It can also survive at altitudes ranging from 1,640 feet below sea level to 29,527 feet above it.
Although those stats are impressive, Apple’s Ultra smartwatch line has Samsung beat in the water. All models through the Apple Watch Ultra 3 have a WR100 rating and EN13319 certification (the international standard for diving accessories), making them suitable for diving and high-velocity water sports like jet skiing. Even the original Apple Watch Ultra can serve as a scuba-diving computer to track depth.
Support for scuba diving and high-pressure water activities would help the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 stand out from its predecessor and catch up to its main competition. This feature has seemingly been confirmed by Samsung in a teaser video, which includes a line stating that the watch is built for “ocean diving.”
3. Helpful Blood Pressure Readings
Samsung recently added a blood pressure monitoring feature to Galaxy Watches in the US. Although helpful in theory, I'm not a fan of the way it's implemented. To use the feature, you have to take calibration readings with a separate blood pressure cuff, then recalibrate with it roughly every month.
Taking a blood pressure reading with a smartwatch would be handy, but not if it requires a separate device that does the same thing. Unless I was already worried about my blood pressure, I wouldn’t bother setting up the feature and going through the calibration process in the first place.
Apple offers Hypertension notifications on recent Apple Watches, but this feature operates in the background, so you can’t take any on-demand blood pressure readings. Oura launched a similar feature with the Oura Ring 5 that takes readings at night but only updates you if it detects an issue. Samsung could get ahead of the pack here with support for on-demand blood pressure readings and background monitoring for proactive hypertension alerts, but getting started with the feature needs to be less of a hassle for it to truly shine.
4. AI Fitness Coaching
Samsung introduced AI-powered Running Coach and Sleeping Coach features on the Galaxy Watch 8, and both are useful, but Google has since rolled out its own Gemini-based Health Coach. Google's version is the best AI-powered Health Coach I’ve tested, offering highly personalized fitness plans that readily adapt to your needs and schedule changes.
To keep up, Samsung’s Galaxy AI needs to get smarter and more versatile. Coaching can’t be limited to running; it needs to encompass all the criteria Samsung measures and offer related advice. Google charges a premium for its Health Coach, so Samsung could pull ahead if it offers similar AI assistance for free.
Alternatively, Samsung already has Gemini built into its current watches, so the company could simply adopt Google’s Health Coach alongside its own AI tools. Samsung could also launch a premium wellness service of its own; if so, it would need to offer detailed advice and guided classes to be on par with Google.
5. Faster Performance
Lastly, the Exynos W1000 processor in both the Galaxy Watch 8 and the Galaxy Watch Ultra is more than a couple of years old now. It’s time for an upgrade, and again, Samsung has seemingly confirmed that we’re getting just that. Samsung's teasers mention both "all-new internal components" and a "brand-new processor."
A faster, more efficient chip could help with the battery life issue. It could also enable faster response times for advanced AI processing.
Stay Tuned for More
Of course, we’ll know all the details about the latest Galaxy Watch models soon. As soon as I can get them on my wrist, I'll put the watches to the test to see how they perform in the real world and offer concrete buying advice. Stay tuned, and check out all of our current favorite smartwatches in the meantime.
