Samsung Galaxy Unpacked Live: Z Fold 8, Z Flip 8 Expected
The original Galaxy Watch Ultra is due for an upgrade in 2026.
James Martin/CNET
Samsung’s smartwatches continue to jockey for position in a crowded market alongside options from Apple, Google and others. Leaked images of both the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 and Galaxy Watch 9 appear virtually unchanged, but bigger improvements may be brewing beneath the surface.
According to SamMobile, the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 — an Apple Watch Ultra rival — may benefit from a beefier 784-mAh battery (marketed as 800 mAh), which would be the biggest of any in Samsung’s Wear OS watch lineup. It might also bump battery life past the current model’s approximately two-day threshold. For context, a roughly 800-mAh battery would be around a 30% increase from the current generation’s 590-mAh one.
In addition to potentially larger batteries, there could be processor upgrades for Samsung’s Galaxy Watch devices, which might improve efficiency for longer battery life and more on-device app performance.
Many folks (myself included) use smartwatches for fitness and health, and a more powerful processor coupled with longer battery life may allow for more on-device AI as well as more in-depth fitness metric tracking. My Apple Watch Series 10 is my running wearable, and pretty accurately monitors heart rates, according to our testing. Enhanced battery life is always appreciated, because even a five- or six-mile run means I’ve got to recharge my watch in order to wear it the rest of the day.
In 2025, Samsung added an Antioxidant Index to its health tracking suite, so if the Ultra 2 gains a more powerful processor, the company could add more comprehensive health tracking. Similarly, Samsung may provide additional AI-powered health insights. Its Samsung Health features, including Heart Health Score, Daily Cardio Load, Fitness Index and Vitals, are designed to offer analysis of your fitness data. I haven’t tried Samsung Health’s AI features, but I have used Strava’s AI-powered Athlete Intelligence feature, which seems to have mixed accuracy, so take artificial intelligence health and fitness data analysis with a grain of salt.