Samsung - Galaxy Watch Ultra

Galaxy watch ultra is a night and day difference better than OnePlus watch. I owned a OnePlus watch 2 and it feels like a toy compared to my ultra... Also ultra gets me 3 days of usage if you put it in power saving mode when you sleep. 

If you're okay with charging it every 2-3 days, I would say go with a Samsung Galaxy Ultra Watch. I like everything it has to offer other than the battery. I use it for my exercises too. It also works seamlessly with my Samsung phones. Nice and customizable, too. Also, I got the spigen rugged armor case with a screen protector for it, and it's worked out well for me cause I tend to smash my wrist on all the walls or anything as I walk by.

I switched from Galaxy 7 ultra, had the 5 pro for two years before that, to the Forerunner 265 and couldn't be happier. I probably wasn't using the Galaxy to its full potential I used the default apps, the only thing I miss is using Google assistant to add things to my shopping list, or set reminders real quick. Other then that I honestly didn't use anything else but Samsung health and the run features. The Garmin blows the Galaxy away in the health side of things, sleep is about the same but the run metrics, body battery, morning report I also like the UI better though it took a few days to get used to. I still have alarm and notifications with no issues. Oh and battery life went from charging every two days to every 15 days.

Yes! I had the Galaxy 5pro for 2 years and was training for a half and was looking for a better fitness watch. I did switch to Garmin 4runner, which was awesome for that purpose but hated it as a smartwatch. When the Ultra came out I sold the Garmin and upgraded to that hoping it would be better. It really was more the same for fitness as the pro, but heavier and chunkier on my wrist and I think sleep was even worse somehow. Finally I sold the Ultra and moved to the pixel 3, been with it for 3 months now about and love it. Not as good as the Garmin with all the stats and metrics they throw at you but tracking has been great and I really like Fitbit way more then Samsung Health. My big issues with Samsung Health is what ever algorithms and their new AI they are using is off like almost on everything but I really noticed it on sleep but it's everywhere. I don't know if it's because of the watch sensors or with it or anything to do with it but man most the time its funky. Also, I know this is subjective, the UI on the pixels is way better, I feel like oneUI is dated and needs an update. I left before the last update so not sure if it got better though but going to pixel watch I think it's better looking. Again subjective. The pixel has been great so far not sure I will upgrade to the 4 until reviews come in as it doesn't seem the 3-4 will be a major upgrade yet but if your going to switch I would wait for the 4 to get the latest. unless price is a factor might score a deal on a 3.

Well, like the 5 Pro, the Ultra has a bigger battery and will last you up to \~3 days, whereas the 8 Classic has a smaller battery, which will probably last you \~1,5 - 2 days. Also, the 8 Classic has a significantly smaller screen than the Ultra, and even its biggest version (44mm) is 1mm smaller than the 5 Pro, which is 45mm. Two days ago, I was in the same situation you are right now. I absolutely loved my 5 Pro and wanted something similar in terms of (battery) performance and I wanted something that felt as robust as the 5 Pro, and after careful consideration I could only go for the Galaxy Watch Ultra. I've been very happy with it - it looks absolutely stunning.

I know you are asking about apple but I switched from Garmin Fenix 6 pro to Galaxy watch ultra and it has been amazing at tracking my swims and brick workouts.

I've been impressed as well. I'm a triathlete and ultra runner. I use it for running, biking, and swimming. I've found it more accurate than my Garmin Fenix especially when swimming. I do use my Garmin during events just bc I need that battery life but during training it suits me well. I can run for 3 hours with headphones connected and cell service (I don't carry my phone) and have battery left.

I switched from 16 PM to S25 U and Apple Watch Ultra to Samsung watch ultra, Samsung watch ultra is very fluid device, no lag I have experienced, Health/sleep/ECG/Heart features are similar to Apple watch if not better. Notifications are instant and you can reply to WhatsApp notifications as well. Sleep is better on Samsung watch and it provided energy score and similar data as Apple Watch. Watch 7 and Ultra have come long way in fluidness and design is growing on me, Easily get 2 plus day battery without AOD.

They both are great in their own terms, but question regarding lag, it's not there either on S25U or GW, both are very fluid devices and keep getting better. GW also gives you blood pressure/Sleep apnea etc, One UI 7 is super amazing and iPhone feels so slow in comparison , One UI 8 will further improve it both on phone and watch.

Amazing... And I have 4 other Galaxy watches to compare. My GW6 Classic is pretty close, but the ultra really is ultra. I work out 6 days a week and live a very healthy exercise lifestyle. Results are very consistent and TBH, most of the earlier watches do a pretty good job. The ultra has the best sensors to date and the best battery so far.

I have both and both are almost the same as far as operational use and sensors. If battery is a big concern, get the Ultra 100%. The 8C, while stylish and with the rotating bezel gets similar time as my 6C between charges but I do work out a couple hours a day 6 days a week. The ultra gets me around 2.5 days and my 8C and 6C both give me around 1.5 days. I have everything on always because I don't want to dumb down my smart watches.

My only bezel ring that I have on any of my watches in the collection is the Ultra and this one did come with a screen protector so I used it. The Ultra is really a super durable watch and I've had it since release. Not a single nick on it anywhere and I have banged it on things quite a few times. I just think the bezel ring is worthwhile to keep the top side perfect in case of a big hit. I also like the bezel ring I got better than what was stock. There are plenty of different ones to choose from as well. https://preview.redd.it/ricod0mxwbqf1.png?width=1080&format=png&auto=webp&s=d1b537213b52533b6449ebbf8f471f2c4a1417b3

I have both. I like each, prefer the Samsung slightly. Pros of samsung: slightly better battery, body composition sensor, blood O2 sensor, stress tracker, AGE sensor. I like samsungs widget design and face options. I prefer the samsung round display and looks. Half the price on sale. Pros of Apple: more fluid UI and more refined haptics. Watch OS widgets with live activities are more useful. Unlock Mac with Watch. More band options. Faster and more reliable charging. Heart rate sensor seems more accurate. Apple watch has noise level monitoring, and also has car crash detection. Overall both work well, are speedy, and sync very consistently with their paired phone. Edit: added a missing AW feature I left off.

GW 7 and Ultra made a huuuuuuge leap forward in lag. My GW6 was straight up laggy and juddery at times, the GWUltra i have is about as fluid as Apple Watch 8, which is totally fine. I actually prefer many of the GWU health features.

I recently experienced the same with the Sense 2 ... continously going through the diamond/red X loop and won't turn on. It's now in a drawer, and I switched to the Samsung Galaxy Ultra.

I actually just got the watch yesterday and it's at 88% right now with no charging today. Reviews say it can go around 2 1/2 days but I can circle back in a couple of weeks and let you know. My weekends are pretty relaxed so I can't give a fair assessment right now.

I already have the Samsung Watch Ultra, along with the Polar Vantage V2, so once my Charge 5 dies, my Fitbit days are done and over.

I'm tempted to trade in my ultra for the 8 classic. It looks nice in silver. Love my ultra though but I wouldn't mind a more casual looking watch .

A big decision to consider also is that Galaxy Watch Ultra will be updated for atleast 5 years of OS and features. Garmin only for bug fixes that their own new software introduces. Longer but no newer interface or OS or even features. If you aren't athlete the higher end models are overkill like the Fenix 8.

The Ultra has about the same amount of battery as the 5 pro (I went from the 5 pro to the Ultra last year). The 8 classic has a smaller battery, so it won't last as long as the 5 pro or Ultra. The differences between the 8 classic and Ultra are... - The 8 classic is made of stainless steel, the Ultra is made of titanium like the 5 pro - The 8 classic has a smaller screen at 1.34 inches. The Ultra has a 1.5 inch display (the 5 pro has a 1.4 for comparison. You most likely won't notice the difference in size between the 8 classic and 5 pro but the ultras screen size lools noticeably bigger). - The 8 classic has the fan favorite rotating bezel where as the Ultra is like the 5 pro and only has the digital one. - The 8 classic has a 445 mAh battery, whereas the Ultra has a 590 mAh battery (same size as the 5 pro) Apart from those things, the 8 classic and the ultra have the same specs. Same possessor, same GPS, same health sensor and same amout of storage at 64gb (if you get the 2025 ultra, the 2024 ultra has half the amout at 32gb which is double what your 5 pro has at 16gb). My recommendation is that if you want a watch that feels like an all-around upgrade of the 5 pro I would get the Ultra. If you want a watch with a similar battery life to your 5 pro, you won't get that with the 8 classic. I would recommend going into a store and checking both of them out first because they are both very different styles to the 5 pro. Personally I like the look of both of them (but prefer the Ultra, but I might be a bit biased, lol). The Ultra is ever so slightly bigger than the 5 pro because of its shape but you honestly shouldn't notice a massive difference if youa re ok with the 5 pro. As I said above, definitely go check both of them out before pulling the trigger on one but my recommendation is the Ultra.

Amazing view! Went for a 2 day hiking trip a while ago too, and my Ultra 100% passed the test. The tracking was very accurate, no GPS hiccups, no issues with connection, and it lasted me about a day and a half before i put it on a charger while we were eating. That was my first *real* test for the watch, and it 100% made it my no 1 favorite piece of tech i've ever owned

There are three huge misses by Samsung with my Galaxy Watch Ultra. - Non-gps activities don't sync to Strava - No integration with TrainingPeaks - No support for external HR monitors I honestly took these things for granted before getting my Ultra. Garmin, Coros, Suunto, and even basic Apple watches don't have these misses. Especially for the Ultra, this is wild to me. *Especially* since the hardware is more than sufficient to allow this, these are simple, intentional, software limitations from Samsung.

I've owned the 5 pro and the ultra and the ultra by far has the best battery life. I think it's because the CPU is more efficient so it uses less battery but idk

I've mostly used the GWU since that post 5 months ago. There is definitely a difference between the GWU and the GW7 to keep in mind. The GPS and the sensors are on par with the Venu 3. The battery life on the GWU has settled to a solid 3days and I am happy with that. With the better smart features on the GWU I eventually started it using more and more and rarely pull the Venu 3 out of the drawer. I might sell it. \- Sleep tracking between the two watches has been very consistent - that was not the case for my GW6 I had prior to the GWU \- GPS on the GWU is excellent and matches the Garmin \- Exercises are tracked almost identical and the GWU works with the cadence and speed sensor from Garmin on my exercise bike (although only via starting exercise via the phone). Most important for me is sleep tracking and exercises, so I am very happy. Again, I do not have a comparison with the GW7. I believe the sensors are the same, the battery is obviously larger for the GWU and the GPS is improved for the GWU. The screen on the GWU can get brighter. Otherwise, they are similar.

Dual band is great for odd coverage areas but wide open running you're fine. I have a 255 and it's been a fantastic watch. I have a smart watch (Galaxy Watch Ultra) I use as well and the metrics are fairly similar. I do use a chest strap if I'm caring deeply about how my heart rate is doing, but I run to keep healthy and every now and then some races. It'll do everything you need and you'll charge it far less than the big three (Pixel, Galaxy, Apple). But if you want true extension of your phone on your wrist, get the Pixel. At least it's repairable.

Bigger memory 64 instead of 32. Thats the only difference I could find on thr gwu

I switched from AW Series 9 to Galaxy Watch Ultra and my experience is similar to yours. HR wise, it is slower to react to dips, but catches up with peaks fairly quickly, on par with my AW S9. Sleep tracking is OK, I find it more accurate on my right wrist. SpO2 is all over the place, but I think the sensors are pretty similar, it's just Apple Watch filtering out all measurements where you move even so slightly. I get 4-5 SpO2 measurements a night with Apple Watch and much more with GWU. I also like how Samsung Health presents information - Apple Health is much more basic, especially when it comes to sleep tracking. Overall, I prefer S25U+GWU combo to my IP15PM+AW9 so far.

don't think it is as simple as alternatives. All the devices mentioned are just different . I have Samsung Galaxy Watch ultra ,oura ring and whoop . if I wasn't exercising/pushing as much as I am I would not be using Whoop . Whoop is by far the best for that .Oura ring is by far the best lifestyle tracker with best insights. And it is not close . If I could only choose one device still would choose only my watch . Having the screen +apps +ability to go for a run with just your watch and listen to books /podcasts directly,payments with just your watch ,easiness of activity tracking and heart rate tracking . Could go on and on . Second device I would choose would be oura ring for the quality of data and insight that is far superior to Whoop . Whoop shines when it goes to form .the strap is superior form if you are an active person . Not having it off makes it less burdensome too . I think Strain is superior form of tracking and gives me much better insights when it goes to overtraining and when to push or recover . If you can only buy one device buy a good smartwatch for the versatility .

Yep. Never had a problem. (Set mine to 92°c) Just be aware the face will get hot and don't touch it on your skin unknowingly. I use a galaxy watch ultra if I makes a difference. But I have done the same with 2 previous watches too.

You know what's good for exercise? Exercising. A watch isn't going to get you off of the couch and into the gym or whatever you want to do. But to answer your question, the Samsung health app has a good suite of health features, and the GPS is solid on the Ultra. It's also comfortable and robust. For a true fitness watch I'd recommend a Garmin, but for a smart watch with decent fitness features, the Ultra is a good choice imo

I don't know.about the samsung fit 3 (msntioned below) but most galaxy watch will have 1 to 2 days of battery life. I get 2.5 days with my Galaxy Ultra. My 70 years old dad is not a runner (walk) but I got him a basic and cheap Garmin forrunner 55 instead (he loves it) - 1.5 to 2 WEEKS battery life (my dad won't charge a watch every day) - always on display (reflective display, not amoled) - display phone notifications on the watch - basic vital, sleep tracking, HR, GPS etc - emergency call/fall detection over BT (needs phone nearby, not LTE, which he has with him all the time). - not touch screen, button only, but he prefers that too. Other Garmin (venu series) have amoled touch screen etc and still have a week of battery life. The forerunner was good.enough for my dad's need (long battery, notification,readable screen). https://www.garmin.com/en-GB/p/741137

I have the Galaxy Watch Ultra and it is great for hiking. Cheaper watch may have a poor GPS and not much on-board memory for offline map. The GW Ultra also has a great battery life for hiking with GPS all day... MAP: The google maps are not detailed enough for hiking. I use OutdoorActive app to plan my routes. It has an app for the watch where you can download your route WITH the off line topo map on the watch. You can then do it all from the watch (navigate, look at the map on your watch? Zoom in and out etc.

I used the ultra for about a week. I can't stand charging every day. I don't care enough to type texts from watch and don't believe ultra HR monitor compared to Fenix. I get around 2 weeks of battery on my fenix7

It was great at tracking fitness however I imagine it's better suited if you also have a OnePlus phone. If using Samsung like I do or something else, it doesn't really integrate very well and you have to rely on third party apps if you care about syncing data to other apps because the OHealth app isn't very good to be honest. The main drawback for me was when I restarted the watch due to an issue I had I lost all my activity data on the watch. It was of course present in the app on my phone but lost everything on the watch itself, so basically the watch doesn't sync both ways it only writes and doesn't read. I went on chat with support thinking I did something wrong and they told me to reset the watch again and so I lost everything a second time. The next support person acknowledged that it doesn't work this way so yes you would lose your data on the watch and have to start over your streaks etc. I ended up returning the watch and now have a Galaxy Ultra. Battery not as good obviously but it does everything else better and has more faces. One thing about the OP3 is yes the battery is great IF you have most things disabled. Use a third party face and it warns you that you could decrease battery by a day. Have AOD that's another 1-2 days lost etc. So essentially it doesn't last very long if you use it to its full potential and customise it how you want.

Most newer galaxy watches dont have this problem, i have the ultra and its very smooth and haven't lagged once. Some older watches cant handle newer wear os and makes it be slower. Although I'd wait for the new releases to decide.

I have galaxy watch ultra and I can’t pair my hrm pro to it but I do have a ring on the way I bought used I’ll try it

The GW Ultra is a perfectly fine fitness tracker. If you only ever used Samsung, you would be happy. It's UI is much faster than Garmin. It's sensors (GPS and HR primarily) are finally up to standards. Samsung Health is actually a pretty good all-in-one application for all of your health related needs. Activity tracking, food log, mindfulness, water intake- it's all there. No other app I've used (Apple Health and Garmin Connect mostly) offers as much in one place. But on the whole, it's objectively subpar relative to it's competitors. WearOS is the primary reason. Though Samsung's hardware is also not as robust as top Garmin's or Apple Watches as well.

Wait. Are you me? I feel like I could have written this. I bounce between iPhone & Galaxy phones. Currently using the Z Fold 7. I have 2 Apple Watch Ultras (1 & 2), Galaxy Watch Ultra & 8 Classic and Garmin Epix Pro 2 Sapphire 47MM. I do short triathlon (and the respective training), obstacle course racing, hiking, F45 functional training, golf and pickleball. The Garmin is the best fitness watch, especially when training for something. The Apple Watch Ultra is the best of both worlds. It's the absolute best smartwatch available and with the usage of 3rd party apps it reaches software feature parity with Garmin. But I FAR prefer my Galaxy phones to iPhone. Even so, I'm hard pressed to think of anything the Galaxy Watch does that I would consider better than Apple Watch. As you mention, perhaps Audible, Spotify and YouTube Music? Due to Apple's restrictions and wanting you to use Apple Music? Both the Apple and Galaxy Watches are FAR superior all-around SMART watches than the Garmin. Generally though, when I am using Android, I wear the Garmin. I'll wear the 8 Classic (6 Classic prior) if I'm someplace nice or dressed up. I almost never wear the Galaxy Ultra though. If I have the Classic watch for non-fitness activities, there's nothing it does better than Garmin.

I've been fooling around for more than a year, using multiple smart watches, trying to find my "Goldilocks" device. I juggle between Garmin Epix Pro 2, Galaxy Watch Ultra and Apple Watch Ultra. Like you, I'm more than just a casual athlete (pickleball, golf, lifting, obstacle course racing and triathlon training are my go-tos.) But I'm not seeking the podium in the races. With the exception of pickleball, I'm largely participating in these activities not necessarily competing. I have a full time job and I'm a full time dad. If I were an athlete FIRST, I'd stick with my Epix Pro 2, full stop. (No phone call functionality there, by the way.) It's the superior fitness companion. It's great for pickleball (GPS outdoors too), fantastic for golf and best in class for endurance training. Also, in my experience, the Garmin's true advantage is being able to navigate the watch interface entirely with the hardware buttons. No water lock required. Invaluable for swims, rain or sweaty summer runs. But I'm not an athlete first. I like the smarter features that I get with the Samsung and Apple fitness watches. The features that fit my lifestyle outside of fitness. Like scanning my movie tickets when entering the theater, for example. And podcast and audiobook apps on my watch. I've not used the One Plus, but the Samsung and Apple Ultra watches offer enough battery life where I don't worry about them dying throughout my activities. I could do a 70.3 triathlon. I've played 36 holes of golf. So while it's nice to not have to charge the Garmin as often, it's a luxury I can forgo in order to get a more well rounded wrist-based companion.

Beyond the fact that a lot of mobile tech has reached it's peak and therefore plateaued, I don't think any company's smartwatch is meant to tempt you to upgrade each year. GWU 2025 is meant to be appealing to those that did not buy the GWU 2024. Those with the older (slower) GW5 Pro or before. Samsung follows the Apple model (Apple copies plenty from Samsung too) here. You can't bring NOTHING to market so you release an iterative 2nd generation device with a new color and software tweaks. The model that puts your newest offerings on as many wrists as possible. It seems obvious that the big push this year is to the updated Classic model. I'm more interested in what the differences are between this year's models. Software will be the same but will the 8 Classic be the Ultra with a rotating bezel only? Or will they gimp the hardware to continue to differentiate the Ultra as their most premium watch?

Interesting. I have an Epix Pro 2 and a GWU. And an Apple Watch Ultra. For me, I would say the GWU is the worst of the lot- by a large margin. What do you like about it? I realize it's all subjective, but what is serious fitness for you? I do triathlon (and the running, cycling, swimming training that comes with it), obstacle course racing, pickleball, golf and strength training. I'm not competing in any of these activities, but I am pretty intentional about training. It's the fitness functionality that keeps me from being able to use the GWU as my primary device. I WANT to love the GWU. And freely admit that a lot of what I don't like about the device is WearOS related. But, when I am using my S25U, I generally prefer the Garmin. Even though it's a decidedly worse pure smartwatch. I also hope that they keep the Ultra as their top tier device. Something tells me though we're getting feature parity with the Watch 8 Classic. It'll have the rotating bezel and, perhaps, stainless steel instead of titanium.

I appreciate your response! It's amazing to me that we could have such different experiences with the same device. For me, the issue is that WearOS integrates with very few other applications. And even the ones that it does are handicapped. No Training Peaks. Strava integration is significantly worse than Garmin and Apple. There are no 3rd party apps that offer what Garmin Connect brings. Training Load. Training Readiness. Body Battery. Endurance Score. The list goes on. Samsung's efforts in this area are first gen (I admit, I don't know what AGE index is supposed to tell me but I know I'm not the only one) and half baked. To get full functionality out of a Samsung Watch you need to be 100% invested in the Samsung ecosystem which is, in my experience, lacks basic fitness functionality. I love that it works for you. Gives me hope. But, as I stated, it's been by far the worst of the three options I have.

I've had my watch ultra for a few weeks now. I was getting almost 3 days battery but for some reason the past few days it won't even reach 2 days. I haven't changed any settings and my battery usage says AOD take 19.7% and that's the highest one. I don't understand what's going on.

GWU should have a week of battery life at least its bulky as the garmin less tough than garmin and the battery at the best is 3 days with compromises if not 36/40 hours ,i.owned the gwu and recently sold and kept my epix pro gen 2 51mm and garmin was more linear for example the garmin doesn't miss if u fall asleep or when u wake up and how long you slept the gwu barely recorded 2 hours of sleep out of 6 hour in bed and with big chunk of hours blank like didn't wear the watch . To me garmin atm doing better and samsung getting quite obnoxious like apple is from years.

Something is wrong with your watch. I can get nearly 48 hours with my GW Ultra and I got it last year. That is not using energy saver mode, not using always on display, and using it to track walks (about an hour worth each day) and my sleep.

I just went back to my Watch Ultra 2024 to pair with my Fold 7. It has been about 2 days and so far I am considering going back to my OnePlus Watch 3 mostly for the 3-5 days batter life compared to the Watch Ultra 1.5 days with routines on for AOD off at home and AOD on for 12hr work shift and all health features on; and the ease that I can top off when I need to. I think both are great watches but the Watch 3 doesn't really need to be in a specific ecosystem to function compared to the Watch Ultra losing features with a non-samsung phone. I'm probably gonna try to factory reset it and see if I can squeeze at least a full 2-2.5 day battery life with the Ultra and decide from there.

As someone who has Watch 3, Galaxy Watch Ultra (Owned a Galaxy Watch 7 before) and Garmin Forerunner 970 (and other Garmins), I feel qualified to help you out here. All watches have different priorities. Let me try to break things down by section. **Sleep Tracking** All ecosystems are good at sleep tracking. Garmin can be somewhat annoying if you tend to wake up in the middle of the night because it only counts the first part of the sleep as sleep and the second part as nap, but its not a huge deal in practice. The accuracy is pretty much same on all of them from my experience and they all do a good job at nap detection. **Size & Weight & Comfort** While I have not used the Garmin Venu, my experience with Garmin watches has been really good when it comes to comfort. Even my Fenix 8 felt comfortable to wear while sleeping. The OnePlus seems like a big watch on paper (similar dimensions to Galaxy Watch Ultra) but it feels much smaller and comfortable on wrist compared to Galaxy Watch. The new classic is supposed to be even thinner so it should be more comfortable. **Workouts** All watches do great on workout tracking, however Garmin takes the cake when it comes to a more fitness focused ecosystem. The OnePlus has an amazing app and tracks workout specific metrics like VO2 max, GCT, Vertical Oscillation, GCT Balance and a lot more (almost on par with Garmin) and presents the information in a much more understandable format even compared to Garmin. It's probably my favorite app out of the 3. Garmin has much more robust ecosystem where it will track things like training readiness, weather acclimation etc along with features like race time predictor, really good built in running coach etc. I have not tried the new running coach on the Galaxy Watches yet so cannot speak for that. One area where the Garmin ecosystem easily wins is strength workouts at the gym. You can quickly record your reps and sets without having to tell the watch what kind of workout it is, and the watch does a great job at figuring out which workout it was (chest press, triceps pull down etc). Not just that, at the end of the workout, it will show you a nice graphical heatmap of which muscles you used. Strength training is pretty barebones for the other ecosystems as they only track active calories and heart rate. **Calls** All watches are good at this. I cannot speak for the Garmin Venu, but calls work great on Fenix 8 and Forerunner 970. **Controlling Music** Similar situation here, all watches are good at this. **Design & Styling** This is where we see another big contrast between the designs. The OnePlus Watch 3 is probably one of my favorite smart watches out there when it comes to the looks. Its the perfect blend of function and form. The default band it comes is very comfortable and looks sporty for runs and workouts, but since it takes the good ol' 22mm pin, you can pair it with a tons of freely available watch bands out there. The built in watch faces are pretty amazing too, specially in always on display mode. This is the only smartwatch I feel comfortable wearing in formal business settings (paired with a clean watch face and leather strap). I have not seen the Galaxy Watch Classic in person yet, but from videos and images it looks like it would fit well in formal settings as well. The only caveat with the Samsung ecosystem is that the built in watch faces are a bit cartoony (although they are very customizable), but thats usually not a problem as the app store has a ton of options to choose from. Garmin watches are usually function over form, but the Venu 3 looks great in person. Garmins give off more of an athlete look, but I think the Venu is subtle enough that it can be used in any situation. While there are a lot of bands available for Garmins quickfit system, the availability is not as good as the 22mm pin in OnePlus. *(Continued In Comments...)*

*(Continued...)* **Pros and Cons** We talked about a lot of things but I also do want to mention some pros & cons for each ecosystem. **OnePlus** **Pros:** This is the most well rounded "full smartwatch". Its running Wear OS which has a rich app and watch face ecosystem, while still delivering up to a week of battery life. I usually run the watch with always on display on and it still lasts about 4 days on average. The charging is insanely fast making the battery situation even better. The watch uses all premium materials like sapphire crystal that never scratches, titanium bezel with stainless steel body etc. and it feels great to wear. The functional rotating crown on top is my favorite out of any watch out there (including Apple Watches that have set the bar high). The always on display is the brightest out of any smartwatch I have seen (on par with Apple Watches) which makes the watch look like a watch even when its idle on your wrist. The OS is fluid and feels great to use. **Cons:** OnePlus uses a hybrid system where it switches from full Wear OS operating system to RTOS which saves battery when the watch is idle while still being able to track all your health data. While this system is great, it does present a few limitations compared to something like the Galaxy Watch. First limitation is that you have to use a first party watch face in order to get the full battery benefits of this system as third party ones do not work with RTOS. Third party faces cut the battery life by about 1.5 days, but its still more than what you get with Samsung. The good news is that OnePlus includes a ton of really high quality and curated first party watch faces for any look, and most of them are very customizable as well. Also I have noticed a slight hiccup while waking up the watch from idle sometimes, where if you click on a complication (like weather for example) right after you wake up the watch - it will not respond for about a second or so. This might be a software but which they can hopefully fix in the future, but in day to day it doesnt bother me much. **Samsung** **Pros:** Very well rounded watches and their software support is great. My Galaxy Watch Ultra from 2024 got update to Wear OS 6 immediately, which I have not seen for any other Wear OS watch. The materials are always premium, and they use some of the best and brightest displays out there. They work closely with Google which means the little features in Wear OS are better integrated. For example, even though both OnePlus and Galaxy Watch have Gemini, only Galaxy can start workouts when you ask Gemini. They are also very customizable, even more than OnePlus. **Cons:** The charging situation is awful as my watch can sometimes take north of 2 hours to fully charge. For a watch that only lasts 2 days at max, this is a pain. For context, the OnePlus watch with similar sized battery charges fully in 30 mins, meaning I can hop in the shower and come out to a fully charged watch most of the times. Looks like the new ones aren't much different in this regard. The other con is that they use a new proprietary band system and the band availability is pretty limited for now. *(Continued In Comments...)*

*(Continued...)* **Garmin** **Pros:** Garmin has some of the best algorithms in any smart watch out there and this is the reason they are worth the high cost compared to others. They work with elite athletics companies like FirstBeat for their stress tracking, body battery etc. They are also one of the few smartwatches out there that have full continuous stress tracking, which is one of the big reasons I wear Garmins as daily drivers most of the time. The granularity is so good that you can see changes in your stress levels immediately after drinking coffee, driving, drinking alcohol etc. This is also the only "stress" metric that actually correlates to how I feel from my experience (the one on Samsung is all over the place, OnePlus mind and body metric is good but only updates once every 30 minutes). The body battery is amazing as well. They support detailed fitness metrics for almost any sport out there (but Venu might have some limitations here). Garmins are sports watches or body computers first and smart watches second, and this is a part of why most world class athletes trust Garmin for their fitness goals. The battery life is another big pro for Garmins as they tend to last in days and weeks instead of hours like others. Another big pro for Garmin is how customizable the watch faces are, specially third party ones (Amazing developers like GreenBlack). There is a huge list of metrics Garmin provides that are readily accessible on your watch face. **Cons:** Since they are body computers first and smart watches second, some smart watch functionality can be lacking. They do have an app ecosystem using the ConnectIQ store, but apps are mostly health focused and lacking compared to Wear OS. Good thing is that they do support third party watch faces and there are a lot of good options out there. The looks can be subjective and you will get much more premium materials for similar price with the other watches. **My Recommendation** Considering all the constraints you mentioned and your priorities, I would recommend the **OnePlus Watch 3** for you. It's blend of functionality, premium materials, killer looks, amazing battery, great health tracking and apps and the more accessible pricing makes it an ideal choice for you. I would also consider going with the Garmin Venu instead if health tracking and body metrics are your highest priority. Garmin also tends to support devices for much longer, so this might be a good option if you are planning on keeping the watch for a long time. Another thing I would look into is last generation Galaxy Watches like the Galaxy Watch Ultra from 2024. It's literally the same watch as the one of 2025, with the only differences being the amount of storage (32gb vs 64gb). The ones from 2024 are selling for half price in some outlets so I would keep an eye on that. I hope this was useful, and best of luck with your decision!

I have a Samsung galaxy ultra watch and it does everything your talking about. Stroke detection, lengths, pace, per length time, heart rate and SWOLF. Tracking what stroke your doing is not exclusive to apple. It also tracks other activities as well like lifting weights and running, etc. The Samsung fitness app tracks reasonably well but it does occasionally think I'm doing butterfly for a few lengths of my swim when I'm doing all freestyle. If your technique isn't the best this can be a factor with tracking your stroke. Mine is very good though and it still will not be 100% accurate. My SWOLF is consistenly 32 over 2000 yards. I question the accuracy of the heart rate monitor but it does have that. I think if you really want that to be accurate you would need to buy an add on device that goes around your chest to accurately track heart rate. From what i have read that is probably an accurate statement though for most watches. I can't speak to any other smart watches as this is my first but the [swim.com](http://swim.com) tracking app works well so any watch that can pair with your phone and download/install that app on your watch should do the job. The downside to Apple/Samsung watches is you have to charge them pretty often. I'm charging mine every 3-4 days. For this reason when this one dies i will be switching to an amoled Garmin. Their battery life between charges is 30+ days. If you are only looking to track swimming the Garmin swim2 is allegedly the best one out there and on the lower end price wise for smart watches.

I recorded 8 hours hikes with gw4. Afaik, gw5 pro and gw7ultra can easily track 10 hours of GPS tracking.

A Garmin is not the only watch which can 10 hours of GPS tracking.

https://preview.redd.it/d1dgdu5wnx6f1.png?width=1126&format=png&auto=webp&s=ce72146b726f0653445c4f20cb3f947c34707948 Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra. I upgraded from the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic and have been very happy with it.

It's like Apples to Oranges. Galaxy Watch has better watch faces and more customization but the apple watch has more third party apps and the heart rate tracking was always better for me on the Apple Watch. Also Samsung health gives you far more insights than apple health app

I still think the Galaxy Watch Ultra is better because Fitbit software on the watch sucks So basically when you turn off AOD during workouts it will go back to the home screen when you raise to wake it to see your metrics. They have not fixed this issue and it is annoying asf. Another thing is that you can barely change what you see on the metrics screen. Samsung gives you alot of flexibility in this regard and the Apple watch just added this ability too. Also, Samsung health app is miles better than Fitbit and there's no paywall. But the AOD issue is annoying asf. This does not happen on Samsung or Apple Watches. WearOS 6 did just release, and my pixel watch 4 comes tomorrow, we'll see if they fixed this issue

What are you wanting to accomplish with it? I have a PW1 (in addition to my GWU) and feel it's a very good fitness watch; can't really speak to the health metrics, though. I didn't use any of fitbit.

I can only speak for the Ultra. Whereas the GW5 44mm was simply awful, the GWU is simply outstanding from a GPS and HR accuracy perspective. I don't use ANY of S Health, just as I wouldn't if I were still using my old TomTom watch or my newer Garmin. Battery life is fabulous and I wouldn't hesitate to use it in a long-distance race, if only I could convince my body to do that again!

My Galaxy Watch Ultra from this year only has 18 hours of battery life if I literally don’t use it or put it on energy saver mode and it’s then so slow you can’t use it. By comparison my old Apple Watch 8 lasted all day long logging bike rides, jogs, hiking, taking calls, etc. The Watch Ultra is much longer lasting and again, it destroys the Samsung watch and the Pixel watches I’ve had.

Galaxy watches heart rate algorithm is notoriously slow. It works fine for day to day wear or steady state workouts but takes forever to catch up to heart rate increases on intervals or sprints. The daily energy score is also not the greatest especially since it dings you for rest days but the score can be ignored if you're not interested in it. The last big thing is hrv. For whatever reason, Galaxy watches always give a hrv value much higher. DC rainmakers review shows this as well. I had a 5 pro, 6 classic, and ultra. Unfortunately none fixed these issues. Galaxy watch does have better GPS (on the ultra anyways). I'm hoping the pixel watch 4 fixes it now that its dual band

Ive used whoop since the 3.0 I cancelled my subscription and got a galaxy watch 4. With my time with the galaxy watch I learnt that for my needs the whoop was better so I came back and got the 4.0 the collected data with whoop is better, the fact it had no screen is a plus as I like to wear real watches, the strength trainer in my opinion is good (could be much much better though) there's other factors but I dont want to be boring With no news on the 5.0 i got the galaxy watch ultra at the end of last year as I had heard that the watch was much better now and so was their health app. However I didnt find this again suited my needs and I really dont like smartwatches however the thing I liked about the galaxy watch Is it has sleep apnea testing, ecg and irregular heart rate notification. now that the 5.0 has them things I can say they are giving me what I want from a fitness tracker and I can put the smart watch away for good instead of having the whoop and galaxy watch on me at all times. The whoop 5.0 has what I want. That being said if there was a screen less alternative to whoop that offered the same features if not morw I would definitely try them out. I have no loyalty to whoop they just currently tick the boxes of what I want

Now that Samsung has officially announced the new Galaxy Watch lineup, here’s my honest take on it: If you're still using the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic or anything older, this year’s models are actually a *huge* upgrade — performance, sensors, hardware, software, and especially battery life (thanks to the new chip) all see solid improvements. So yeah, definitely worth considering an upgrade if you're coming from one of the older generations. But if you're currently on the **Galaxy Watch 7**, moving to the **Watch 8** just isn’t that exciting. The upgrades are *very* minor: * A bit more storage * Wear OS 6 (but Watch 7 will get this too) * A few new health metrics like the antioxidant index Unless you *really* want things like the physical rotating bezel, or just need that extra storage, it's probably better to hold off. As for the **Galaxy Watch Ultra**… honestly, I’d say skip it. Compared to the Ultra 2024, it’s basically the same watch: * Same design * Same sensors * Same functionality * The only “new” stuff? A blue color option, extra storage, and Wear OS 6 pre-installed — all of which the 2024 model will get too (minus the blue, which you can fix with a 3rd-party strap anyway). So yeah… feels like you're just paying more for almost the same thing. 😂 Just my two cents — curious what others think!

I moved from an Apple Watch Ultra 2 to the Galaxy Watch Ultra, and I don’t really agree with people saying the Apple Watch feels more fluid. Maybe if you held them side by side and really scrutinised it you’d notice something, but in day-to-day use the Galaxy feels perfectly smooth. No lag, no stutters, nothing annoying. And I’m someone who really notices that kind of thing. The Apple Watch app ecosystem is definitely more extensive, but it doesn’t matter much to me. The only third-party app I use is Fitbod, and that’s available on both platforms. First-party apps are obviously different, but in practical terms they do similar things. So it’s fine. Where Apple does pull ahead is in the broader health ecosystem. There’s no real equivalent to apps like Athlytic, HealthFit or Happy Scale on Android. Libra kind of tries to be Happy Scale, but it’s nowhere near as good. These are the apps I actually miss. I think it’s mainly because Apple Health has been around a lot longer than Health Connect, which is still fairly new. That might change, but right now, iOS is way ahead. That said, Samsung Health presents data better. It’s cleaner and more digestible than either Apple Health or Activity. Plus it gives you a built-in recovery score, which makes third-party apps feel less necessary. So there’s a bit of a trade-off here, but overall I still lean towards the Apple approach. In terms of GPS accuracy, I haven’t tested it scientifically, but I do the same 5K route regularly and know exactly which lamp post I reach when the run ends. On the Apple Watch, it was always within about 10 metres either side of that lamp post. The Galaxy Watch is just as consistent. It’s not a tough GPS environment – no tall buildings, no big trees – so I can’t speak to how either performs in more challenging areas, but in open air they seem basically identical. Sleep tracking is also a mixed bag. According to Quantified Scientist and similar reviews, the Apple Watch is far better when it comes to sleep stages. But honestly, I don’t really care about that. I’m more interested in when I fell asleep, when I woke up, and whether it picks up interruptions. On that front, both watches are about the same. Samsung gives you a sleep score by default, whereas Apple doesn’t unless you use third-party apps. That score, while not scientific, does usually line up with how I feel I slept, so I find it useful. Overall, I’d call sleep tracking a score draw. As for HR accuracy, Apple wins. The AWU2 keeps up even during strength training, whereas the Galaxy Watch tends to miss the peaks. For steady-state cardio, I find them about the same. The Apple Watch responds a bit faster to changes, but it’s a small difference. That said, heart rate isn’t something I rely on for strength work. I base my sets on how many reps I’ve got left in the tank, not whether I’ve hit a target heart rate. So the Galaxy missing a few peaks doesn’t matter to me. If I were doing HIIT or something where precise heart rate zones are important, maybe it would. But I’m not. And I don’t think most people are either. So overall, I’d say the Galaxy Watch Ultra’s heart rate sensor is good enough for most people most of the time. It’s rarely way off, and unless you’re doing something that really depends on that level of precision, it’s probably fine. Overall, I’d say the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is marginally better – but not so much that it’s worth staying locked into an iPhone if you’d rather move away from iOS. The experience is mostly the same. Hopefully I’ve given a fairly balanced view here, but if there’s anything I’ve missed or you’ve got questions, feel free to ask.

I would say the Apple watch (wife has one) is much more responsive when navigating apps/menus, etc. than the OLDER Samsung Galaxy watches (like my previous Watch5 Pro). However, when I upgraded to the current Galaxy Watch Ultra, the responsiveness is equivalent. Your biggest struggle will simply be learning a new OS, but features are equivalent. Side note: next gen watches might launch next month if you can hold off.

I personally like the look of the 8 Classic. Though I have an Ultra, I'm thinking of getting a Classic 8.

The venu looks cheap, plastic, disgusting for the money, the glass is scratched right away, the speaker is quiet, it disconnects through one wall, sleep is a disaster, I was watching TV and I was already asleep, or when I go to the bathroom in the evening, the venu didn't even notice that I was sleeping, or didn't even recognize that I went to the bathroom. This is not the case with the galaxy watch ultra, the tracking is much better, everything is completely different.

hi, I had a GW 7 but now I have a GW ultra and I am most satisfied, GPS and all measurements are better on both the Garmin venu 3 and GW 7

That rotating crown is a good tradeoff compared to the Galaxy Watch Ultra that got rid of the rotating bezel which was one of the best features of the Galaxy Gear S3 Frontier. Watch looks nice, and if that battery life is real, then Samsung really need to up their 3 days (and its more like 2 days sometimes) battery life.

I have owned a Galaxy Watch Ultra. I currently own a Watch 8, a Garmin Epix Pro 2 51mm, and an Apple Watch Ultra. I run about 20-40 miles per week depending on if I am preparing for a race or not. I have an iPhone and a Samsung phone (currently zFold 7 and an iPhone 13 mini) because I use one for work. I have LTE on the watches. I really like the Epix. It looks good. It is the best of all of the watches for fitness tracking (I do think it is harsh on sleep tracking though). I love the long battery, and the flashlight on it really does come in handy. However, when I wear it I always miss the smart features of the actual Smart Watches. Probably the watch that works the best for ease of use (easy to manage notifications, reply to texts from the watch) is the Apple Watch Ultra. But I like the screen better on Watch 8 and GW Ultra. For some reason I think playing music/podcasts on Spotify and audiobooks on Audible work better on the Samsung Watches. The Epix is fine with Spotify playlists I have downloaded, but with no LTE I cannot just play whatever. If I run with the Epix I either take a phone with me or wear one of the LTE connected smart watches in case I want to change up what I am listening to or one of the few contacts I don't have suppressed during workouts needs me (wife, kids, my admins). IMO the Apple Watch Ultra comes the closest to replacing all of these watches with one watch. My problem is that I prefer the Android phones available over iPhone right now. Maybe that changes if Apple comes out with a good folding phone next year. But if you can afford it, I don't see a problem with keeping the Fenix (very similar to the Epix I have but newer of course) and the 8 Classic. They each have their use cases. I haven't owned the 8 Classic, but I would guess it performs somewhere in between the 8 and Ultra. Like I said, keep them both if you can afford it. They each do some things better than the other, and you can have them both connected to your phone and switch back and forth easily enough.

I go back and forth on this as well. I have an iPhone and an Android phone (for work). So I have an Epix Pro Gen2 51mm, AWU, and a Galaxy Watch Ultra. They are all great devices honestly. I like to not bring my phone on runs if I can help it. Not possible with the Epix as I also like to have texting availability when on long runs, and I sometimes stream podcasts. I also like listening to audiobooks on Audible on long runs (music via Spotify on shorter runs and runs with tempo/interval/etc training. Sometimes I have worn 2 watches, which is kind of annoying. I have Runna, Athlytic, and Bodystate on my iPhone/AWU. I feel like I get most of what my Garmin gives me with these, but the Garmin is better at overall performance, readiness, and fatigue analysis. Apple is better on Sleep analysis. Samsung is not great at any of these, but the smartwatch functionality of the Samsung Watch Ultra is good. All 3 track my runs within 1% variance of each other, so I feel like any of the 3 can handle that with no problem. I love the long battery life, the flashlight, and the training software of the Garmin. I think the AWU is the best overall watch for both fitness, health, and smart functionality. I like the Samsung Watch Ultra even though it is not quite as good at these things, and the problem is I like my Galaxy zFold 7 a lot. If the AWU worked with my Fold 7, it would be awesome. I actually pre-ordered the AWU 3 hoping the battery life will be slightly better, and it will also charge faster. Its a tough decision. If I could only have one, I would go with the AWU. But I understand the dilemma because my Epix is an awesome watch, and I am sure the Fenix is great, too. By the way, I did have a Fenix 7 Pro Solar and just didn't like the MIP screen as much. Probably because I had already been used to an Apple Watch. Anyway, good luck!!

I got a GWU for about 1/3 of retail, to replace my garmin, and it lasted 2 days. My forerunner 265 is slimmer, more comfortable, lighter, and the battery lasts alot longer. Sure the GWU is built better, but I use it for sports, so it will get bashed about, and I think the plastic is better for that as scuiffs aren't as painful on the wallet, or as visible.

I just did this but I went to the Moto razr paired with the Galaxy Watch Ultra. 1) Getting everything to work is not as seamless as apple. I had issues wit hthe watch constantly disconnecting from the phone. This was with samsung phones as well. 2) I noticed Heart rate is way off compared to apple. 3) It does do blood pressure which is nice but not sure how accurate it is. You need a blood pressure monitor to set this up. 4) I like the scrollwheel of apple watch At the end of the day, they are very similar but some of the differences like heart rate are just way off.

Yes. As I mentioned will be interesting to see some proper review of the new biosensor in the 8 series and the gps performance. The 7 gps performance is just as bad as the 6 series, I think only the ultra has improved gps performance as it uses an upgraded gps module.

Ultra is their flagship watch as they compete with garmin. the whole point of GWU was to beat the apple variant & bring on serious fitness people like myself & others from garmin. i have owned 4 different garmin watches & for years i was with garmin and after using GWU paired with S25U... i cannot ever go back to garmin. im really hoping samsung continues to bring in the best features, software, biomarker testing for GWU users. its truly next level.

Your observations about usage patterns, training demands, and other factors are spot on. However, when you combine the Galaxy Watch Ultra with Samsung Health and AI-powered insights, you get the most complete smartwatch and fitness tracker available. The Watch Ultra delivers the best screen in its class and a robust battery—admittedly you may need to adjust your charging routine (my Garmins lasted longer between charges), but that trade-off is worth it. In my experience—recreational yet high-level Olympic lifting, serious indoor and outdoor cycling, and short runs—the Watch Ultra outperforms Garmin on every metric. Its sleep tracking, seamless SmartThings integration, and overall ecosystem functionality leave Garmin far behind. While I can’t speak to the Apple Watch Ultra firsthand, Samsung continues to lead with advanced features like the Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs) index, broad compatibility with smart scales, and upcoming biomarker tests such as antioxidant levels and vascular load.

I just updated the health app (not beta - uk) and in the whats new notes it states features for Watch Ultra and Galaxy 8, though it still isnt working at my end but my go live after unpacked

I've loved my Galaxy Ultra watch. It's been extremely accurate with all the tracking so far.

DO NOT GO APPLE. No matter what. They're overpriced for the severe lack of performance you receive( that includes the 250 buck SE, not worth it). I have the galaxy Watch ultra and a Garnin instinct 2 tactical solar. Galaxy is about 600 and the Garmin I got for about 180 on sale. Honestly get the Garmin i mentioned. It's cheap price wise, tanky, not a flashy design, and really good features when it comes to outdoor activity. Only thing you really lose is a touch screen but that's better for it's ruggedness and water resistance.

Galaxy watch ultra struggles with GPS in water, but it works and is tough!

I have an Apple Watch Ultra w/iPhone 15 Pro (backup) and Galaxy Watch Ultra w/Fold 6 (main). Watch face variety and customization is far better on the Galaxy Watch, however I prefer pretty much everything else about the Apple Watch Ultra. It's honestly the only thing that makes me really want to use my iPhone occasionally. The shape, responsiveness, and fluidity of features are superior I'm sad to say. That doesn't mean it's perfect, but as a watch and assistant to your main device I find it preferable.

5 Pro > Ultra. My Ultra get 3 days flat from full charge, while 5 Pro get 3 days++ with the same settings. (aod, tilt to wake, sensors, watch face, LTE) I think Ultra consume a bit more as enabling aod will also prevent touch to wake to be disabled, whilst it also having much smoother experience from upgraded hardware.

Well first of all, i don't take it off after i run, i keep it during the day to get reminders and monitor health, i do take off for showering, and also during nights to monitor sleep. Now as for the reasons as to how its helped me: Keeping track of how many steps / calories, helps me visualize how well i've done today and what do i need to do to reach my daily caloric intake / burn (also helps me know how much i lost at the gym) And for sleeping it helps to know how well you slept that night and what habits are crucial for you, it's gonna sound like an ad, but actually knowing that all i needed was to sleep 30 mins earlier to basically get a way better sleeping score and actually feel better has been indispensable. Fyi im using the galaxy watch ultra, which after doing research on privacy, wanna switch to a more privacy oriented one ala apple or garmin. Hope that clears it up

I have the Galaxy Ultra, my wife has the Pixel Watch 2. I think hers has the edge, also due the Fitbit app, but the Samsung system is not half bad

This is why I use my Samsung ultra watch. I hate training with my phone, wife needs to be able to text me. It's not the best training watch but syncs with Strava so it's good enough for me

Watches like the Galaxy Ultra have a far better battery life, but there are ways around it. I don't see the point in AAD. Depending on how you intend to use your watch, there are times during the day that just make sense to charge it. For example, I don't need to wear my watch while in the shower. A 15-minute charge does wonders with this watch because it does charge pretty fast. I could also make a case to charge it while watching TV but before bed. I'm not thrilled about the battery life, but have learned to work around it pretty easily.

Samsung Galaxy watch classic models or ultra with a band style you like

I have used the watches apple watch ultra 1 and 2, Garmin instinct 1 and 2, Samsung Galaxy watch 5 pro, Galaxy watch 7, Galaxy watch ultra, and Garmin Fenix 6x, and Garmin Fenix 8. They all have their pros and cons. I can answer questions if you'd like just ask. But I would say either get a Garmin or polar fitness watch or if you want something with more of a smart watch features get the watch that matches your phones OS. The standard apple watches can be prone to scratching and cracking unless you get one with a sapphire face. The curved screen is hard to put a screen protector on but they do make them.

Not an issue with my Galaxy Watch Ultra. No lag, no stuttering. 2 days battery with AOD, GPS and Cellular. But still AWU2 better but lack of customization

I went from the Fenix 7x Solar Sapphire to Galaxy Watch Ultra when it first came out and absolutely hated having to charge almost every day. I was intrigued by the ring they came out with but didn't make much of a difference in battery life like it said. I bought the Fenix 8 as soon as it was released.

I have the Samsung Watch 5 Pro and Ultra AND the Garmin Fenix 8 51mm. There are a bunch of things that took some adjustment, but the battery life is keeping me on the Garmin side. The things I wish I could have from the Samsung, though, are the alarm sync with my phone, the automatic activity detection, the continuous ECG, and the ability to run my Google Home app (so I can change the air conditioning setting at home). But having this watch that just lasts for weeks and having a support forum here and a perceived better customer support system, I'm glad I got the Fenix.

Body battery is 100% better of the two. Body battery changes continuously depending on your sleep, stress, heart rate , activity, etc, with the major factors being sleep and stress in my experience. The activity score is good for just checking once after you wake up, since it doesn't change continuously, I just use it as a sort of all encompassing score for what I can do in a day. Although the calculation for this feels much more opaque and arbitrary compared to body battery. If you want a watch for purely fitness purposes, I would go for the garmin. I personally switched to samsung because of the little quality of life features missing from garmin like routines, better watch faces etc.

This 100 percent.  The Samsung energy score penalizes you for resting and not working out everyday. And doesn't update throughout the day like Garmin.  Garmin watch for fitness and Galaxy if you care about a "smart watch"

I had a samsung galaxy watch and my bestie had an apple watch. We both switched to garmin. I have the forerunner 165, and she has the vivoactive. One of best features of the garmin watches is battery life - one charge lasts about a week with daily workout tracking

Same! Galaxy has a peloton app on it, activated automatically. Highly recommend.

I wore my galaxy watch for 3 years climbing with no protection on it and while it got some scratches, it never really got anything on the screen and nothing cracked, it's a pretty durable piece of hardware. The only time it really got in the way of climbing was on the occasional very large sloper where you get an arm on the hold and on crack climbs. I don't wear it anymore because I no longer enjoy smart watches in general, but it was a pretty solid piece of tech in terms of durability.

NRC does not require Apple products. Works just fine with my Samsung Galaxy Watch.

I wear a galaxy watch and it's protected by my glove.

I have Samsung as well. A 4+ yr old galaxy watch and the app on my lg phone lol

People have been claiming that Google was going to end fitbut over 2 years ago. It's still fine. I tried a galaxy watch, but you have to charge it every day, just like the apple watch. My fitbit goes for days. I just charge it every other day while I shower. I've never run out of battery.

There's nothing wrong with climbing with a watch on. I do it almost exclusively with my Galaxy watch that I like and tracks pretty much everything you mention. Throw a wristband over it to keep it from getting scratched up and you're good to go. Just make sure to loosen it a notch before your session to allow for muscle contractions.

I have a Galaxy watch now, but it's crap as a fitness tracker. When I want accurate data, I wear my old Garmin. I think it's a Forerunner 235? That may not be in production anymore, but any of the entry-level Garmins would work.

You lost me at #1. I've had the last 4 galaxy watches and the pixel 3 watch blows them all away.... By far.

Built in speaker and microphone is compelling I won't lie.

That's fair. I've used my Galaxy Watch to answer calls before though so I'll choose this model for that feature.

Just a tidbit, a test with just 1 person as the source is never going to be a "scientific" test. My personal testing had both mess up the health tracking but the step count was better on galaxy.

Yup. I've never scratched a watch in my life but my Pixel Watch 2 scratched all the time, even rubbing against my sheets when I slept. Luckily I was able to get it replaced later on under warranty but ever since I've used screen protectors to prevent scratching. I've owned three generations of Galaxy Watch and never scratched a single one so it's definitely not me but the Pixel Watch itself.

Galaxy watches don't play nice with Strava. I used a Galaxy watch previously & liked it, except that I lost data several times & it would stop talking to Strava and I'd have to reset it. I'm not the only one. I eventually gave up and got a Garmin.

just joined from galaxy watch, and MAN I feel the exact same 😭

I trashed one Galaxy Watch by wearing it in a dry sauna for 20 minutes and then immediately swimming laps in a cold pool. Since then, I don't chance it with my new watch. It's sits safely in a locker with my phone and ear buds, while I'm in the sauna.

I've used them all, not sure I agree that the aw is better, galaxy has some really important (for me) things that aw doesn't. Also, I like round for watches, the aw is basically a tiny iPad! If you are really into watches though, Garmin is miles ahead of both. Expensive but worth it, if you're an enthusiast.

Bad exp ko sa Galaxy watch mabagal and madali malowbat after a year. Limited na din support sa iOS. :(

Galaxy Watch probably has the most of what a WearOS watch can offer but a fair bit of features are Samsung exclusive. Pixel Watches I believe offer mostly the same with a little less bells and whistles than a galaxy watch but with better health features with fitbit integration that isn't locked to pixels. Also looks more fashionable IMO. Blends with my outfits when using a stylish watch band. Just looks like a watch instead of a smart watch. One plus I don't know too much about other than it has actual battery life that lasts days. I feel like it would be the defacto best one but I haven't heard many people speak on it.

Don't get Samsung Galaxy watch if you want to connect with H365. I just got it recently. The step sync with H365 is always less by atleast ~1000 steps. Doesn't sync sleep hrs and MVPA at all. I'm losing the points because of this. I tried to change some settings from online reviews and also tried reconnecting with app/watch etc. Still same. Checked with both Samsung and H365 customer service. Both useless and don't have a solution for this. Both sides blaming the other for this issue. I can't return the watch because the 14 day return period is over. I don't like it but still using because no choice. My previous apple watch and Garmin was great. Everything sync perfectly.

Yeah, especially because it supports the qwerty KB - probably the one thing I'll miss coming from my galaxy watch

I'm in the two watch gang, Galaxy Watch on the right as a tracker and my watch du jour on the left.

Bought my mother (83 yo) a FR265 to monitor her heart rate while cycling and to use the live track feature in case she has an accident while out riding. Garmin decided to put live track behind a subscription, so there's no way I'd recommend it anymore. Samsung galaxy watch has some useful health tracking data, but battery isn't as good as Garmin's. When they do, I'm off Garmin.

Samsung Galaxy watch and arccos

For the first part, no, galaxy watches are kind of shit for health and fitness tracking tbh. They gave the sensing hardware, but their algorithms and health app are crap.

I use my samsung Galaxy Watch together with my iphone, I can use music controls, get notifications and keeps track of my steps, how lazy i have been and even how much sleep i get.. Yes i am a lazy person :p

I just went into the app store and installed the samsung galaxy watch (Gear S) (i dont have the gear s but in the app u can choose the right wearable) I just hate the square apple watches cuz square, galaxy watch gives me the feeling i am wearing a watch

Aside from navigation, a dedicated bike computer will give all information you need on your handlebar. Like what the OP asked, real cyclists need to see the information when they need to as looking at your wrist while biking isn't ideal. Also, my experience with using my Galaxy watch which biking isn't that great as it drains the battery really quickly.

You will be back to Garmin lol. I've tried apple watch ultra, Samsung Galaxy watches and ultra, and pixel watch 3. Nothing compares to the metrics Garmin provides. Plus the battery life is incredible. Don't have to think about charging at all. Everything is built into Garmin. You don't have to pay for other apps to get similar functionality. I'm a golfer and it's so nice to have the golf features built into the watch versus having to pay extra for them. Morning report is amazing. Body battery. Now evening report too. Plus the watch is very reliable. I can't go back. I love my Fenix 8 too much. And the flashlight is chefs kiss.

Its very dependent on your budget, what phone you have, battery life you want, and actual features you want it to have. If you have a samsung phone, you can get either a Galaxy Watch (high on features, but only 2 day battery) or a Galaxy fit (very limited features but 7 day battery life) If you have an iPhone, obviously the Apple Watch works best, but battery life is abysmal. If youre ok with a 3rd party watch that has its own app to sync, the Huawei Watch Fit 4 Pro is pretty hard to beat. 10-15 day battery life. Has built in GPS, dive computer, and looks sleek as hell.

I love pixel watch faces, but for full features, I would choose galaxy watch

I used my Samsung Galaxy watch with it all the time and it's fine.

I never realized I should be worried about my watch battery dying on longer runs. I have a Galaxy watch and have to charge it twice as often as my partner with their apple watch. However, I use a lot of my smartwatch features, I wonder if eventually be worth it to just have 2 watches. I hate having to use battery saving on my watch, it makes it frustrating to use.

I have a Garmin vivoactive 5 and mostly love it. I use to have a Samsung Galaxy watch. Pros: Long battery life. 7+ days without GPS turned on. The outdoor rowing app is super nice and I love being able to see the output of my row after I get off the water. I'm not going to lie - this is the whole reason behind this new watch purchase. Lighter than the Samsung. Cons: Can't actually create individual text responses. HR monitor isn't as accurate as a chest monitor (I compared it once) but still better than my Samsung. I'm not an iPhone user so I can't offer a comparison. But I have no regrets with my Garmin watch purchase. Edited - added another Pro.

How's there Samsung handle replying to text messages? I had a galaxy watch years ago and that could be hit or miss. My pw3 was hit or miss last year but seems like updates fixed it and it's reliable

Love my Galaxy watch. I would say consider what phone you're going to pair it with, if it's a Samsung considered Galaxy if it's a pixel consider pixel watch Etc

I've owned a samsung galaxy watch and currently rock a garmin vivoactive. The garmin's battery is 10x better. The UI isn't as good, though - but that's small potatoes.

I did. And 2 days later went back to galaxy watch lol

My galaxy watch got really bad during the end of its life. Couldn't rely on any of its data and battery only lasted 2 days max. My charge6 is less than a year old, so I'm planning on letting this one ride for a couple to a few years and see how the chips fall

Considering that it tracks steps/heart rate, I dont think it can really provide any useful information when doing curls or benching or etc. Do other watches provide any unique metrics there?

Ahh, I usually only track cardio with the watch. It looks like you can actually add custom workouts on the Samsung Health app. It can track specified data like Sets/Rest or calories burned. You can select free weights/machine etc Looks like you can also create routines. Shit, I might use this

But you can track a row machine on the galaxy watch...

Currently, Galaxy Watches and Pixel Watches

Samsung nerfs its watches if you don't use them with Galaxy phones? I didn't know that.

You can obviously use swimming activity outdoors but it's more designed to be used indoors where you can set the length of the pool you're in. Galaxy watches eg. Have "Outdoor swimming" exercise which tracks your GPS and calculates rates based on that