Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra2 and Watch9 are officially here. Samsung unveiled both smartwatches alongside its new Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, Fold8 and Flip8 at the Galaxy Unpacked event held on July 22, 2026. Both are now up for pre-order in India, and if you’ve been eyeing a smartwatch upgrade, this year’s models bring some genuinely useful changes rather than just a fresh coat of paint.
The big theme this year is health monitoring that actually feels intelligent, not just a step counter with extra graphs. Samsung is leaning heavily on AI to turn raw sensor data heart rate, sleep patterns, movement into insights you can actually act on. Here’s a full breakdown of what’s new, how much each watch costs in India, and which one might make more sense for you.
Two Watches, Two Very Different Audiences
Just like the split we saw with this year’s Fold lineup, Samsung is clearly separating its watch buyers into two camps:
- Galaxy Watch Ultra2 built for outdoor athletes, trail runners, swimmers and divers who want rugged hardware alongside serious battery life.
- Galaxy Watch9 designed for everyday wellness tracking, with a lighter build and a focus on all-day comfort rather than extreme durability.
Both run on the same underlying chipset and share the same health-sensor hardware, but the way they’re built and priced clearly targets two different kinds of buyers. Whichever way you lean, Galaxy Watch Ultra2 and Watch9 both bring a genuine step up in hardware and AI-driven health tracking compared to last year’s models.
Galaxy Watch Ultra2: Samsung’s Toughest Smartwatch Yet
Samsung is calling this its most powerful and advanced Galaxy Watch so far, and the spec sheet backs that up. A few standout upgrades:
- Battery: An 800mAh battery, a 35 percent jump over the previous Watch Ultra, aimed at multi-day wear without needing a mid-week top-up.
- Display: A 1.52-inch Sapphire Crystal Super AMOLED panel that can hit a claimed 5,000 nits of peak brightness, which Samsung says makes it the brightest screen on any smartwatch currently on the market. It’s paired with an Always-On Display mode that stays in full colour.
- Build: The case is 12 percent thinner than the outgoing Watch Ultra despite the bigger battery inside, and it keeps the shock-resistant titanium shell along with softer, lighter bands for extended daily wear.
- Chipset: Powered by Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon Wear Elite platform (SDW6100), paired with 2GB RAM and 64GB of onboard storage.
- Sports tracking: A new Trail Run mode logs elevation changes, climbing progress and terrain difficulty, while a Nutrition Alert feature builds on the existing Sweat Loss tool to estimate fluid loss and suggest when to hydrate during a run.
- Diving: Rated IP69K, 10 ATM and EN13319 certified, the Ultra2 can automatically start tracking depth, dive time and water temperature the moment it senses you’ve entered the water. A dedicated Diving app built with equipment brand Mares is expected to add ascent and descent speed tracking later this year.
- Software: Runs Wear OS 7 with One UI 9 Watch on top.
- Colours: Titanium Silver and Titanium Gray.
Galaxy Watch Ultra2 Price in India
The Galaxy Watch Ultra2 is priced at approximately ₹69,999 for its single 47mm configuration. Samsung is also offering a pre-order benefit worth roughly ₹5,000 for early buyers.
Galaxy Watch9: Built for Everyday Wellness
If the Ultra2 is about pushing limits outdoors, the standard Watch9 is about making health tracking feel effortless enough that you actually keep wearing it. Samsung has kept the familiar cushion-shaped silhouette here, just refined for a closer fit on the wrist.
Key details:
- Sizes and displays: Available in 40mm (1.34-inch display) and 44mm (1.47-inch display) variants, both AMOLED panels with a claimed peak brightness of up to 3,000 nits and a full-colour Always-On Display.
- Battery: A 390mAh battery on the 40mm model and a 445mAh battery on the 44mm version.
- Build: A lightweight aluminium case, designed to be comfortable enough for genuine round-the-clock wear, which matters given how much of Samsung’s health tracking depends on continuous data collection, including overnight.
- Chipset: The same Snapdragon Wear Elite platform as the Ultra2, though paired with 2GB RAM and 32GB storage here.
- Software: Wear OS 7 with One UI 9 Watch, same as its bigger sibling.
- Colours: The 40mm model comes in Cream and Graphite, while the 44mm version is offered in Graphite and Silver.
Galaxy Watch9 Price in India
- 40mm (Bluetooth) price is approximately ₹38,999
- 44mm (Bluetooth) price is approximately ₹40,999
A launch benefit of around ₹1,000 is also being offered to early pre-order customers.
The Real Upgrade Is the AI-Powered Health Features
Hardware aside, the more interesting story this year is what Samsung is doing with the data these watches collect. Both models use the same BioActive sensor to continuously track biometric signals, and Samsung has bundled in a set of AI-driven features that are shared across both the Ultra2 and the Watch9:
- Sleep Apnea detection, now backed by FDA clearance, aimed at flagging signs of moderate to severe breathing disruptions during sleep.
- Vitals, which quietly monitors your personal health baseline overnight and alerts you if something deviates significantly from your norm.
- Heart Health Score, a simplified score meant to translate cardiovascular data into something easy to understand at a glance, along with lifestyle suggestions.
- Daily Cardio Load, which adjusts workout guidance based on how much training stress your body has already absorbed and how much recovery it likely needs.
- Fitness Index, giving a broader view of overall physical fitness with personalised targets.
- Hearing protection, which tracks ambient noise exposure and warns you about unsafe sound levels over time.
None of these features are exclusive to the Ultra2 Samsung has made a point of offering the same AI health intelligence across both watches, with the Ultra2’s advantage coming down to more rugged hardware and sport-specific tracking rather than smarter software.
Band Options and Extras
Samsung has also refreshed its band lineup this year. The Ultra2 gets three purpose-built options a breathable Marine Band for extreme conditions, a hybrid PeakForm Band for a more polished everyday look, and a Trail Band aimed at runners. The Watch9, meanwhile, gets a Sports Band, a soft-touch Misty Band, and a breathable Fabric Band meant to stay comfortable even while sleeping.
Buyers of either watch also get a 60-day free trial of Strava Premium and a 2-month trial of iFIT, giving new owners a head start on using the extra tracking data these watches generate.
Galaxy Watch Ultra2 and Watch9 Availability in India
Both watches opened for pre-order in India on July 22, alongside the new foldables, with general retail availability expected to begin around August 7. As always with a fresh Samsung launch, it’s worth keeping an eye out for bank card discounts and exchange offers that typically show up within the first couple of weeks, especially if you’re planning to trade in an older Galaxy Watch.
Which One Should You Pick?
If you’re someone who runs trails, swims regularly, or just wants a smartwatch that can survive rough outdoor use without babying it, the Watch Ultra2’s bigger battery, brighter screen and sports-specific tracking modes justify the higher price tag. On the other hand, if you mainly want reliable daily health tracking sleep, heart rate, activity without paying a premium for ruggedness you may never need, the Watch9 covers nearly all the same AI health features at a noticeably lower price.
Either way, this year’s jump in battery life and display brightness alone makes both watches a meaningful upgrade over the previous generation, especially for anyone still using a Galaxy Watch that’s two or more years old. If you’re deciding between Galaxy Watch Ultra2 and Watch9, it really comes down to how rugged your daily use actually needs to be.
Prices, specifications, and availability dates are based on official information shared by Samsung at its Galaxy Unpacked event on July 22, 2026, and may be updated as more details become available closer to full retail availability.
