The Galaxy Watch 7 and Ultra: What’s New with the Galaxy Watch? How the Galaxy Views and Upgrades Merely Determine Your Well-being

Well, the Galaxy Watch 7 is here. I’m only half kidding. There has been a change in strap colors, but design-wise nothing has changed. The sizes are the same, as are the battery sizes and price. Most of the same internal hardware and software updates are shared between the two Watches, aside from form factor and durability.

The upgrade to OneUI 6 watch and Wear OS 5 is what they both get. Both sport a new 3nm Exynos W1000 chip with 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. They both have LTE, fast charging, and dual-frequency GPS. There are many sensors included in theGalaxy Watch 7 and Ultra including an upgraded BioActive Sensor for better heart rate, EKG, and body composition analysis. The gist is the new BioActive Sensor adds more LEDs and more colors of LEDS — blue, yellow, violet, and ultraviolet, to be specific. That mostly adds a new experimental Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs) Index metric, which Samsung says takes a look at your “diet and lifestyle” to reflect your overall biological aging process. It is confirmed that this does not refer to bloodglucose, but it is clear as to what it means.

The Energy Score is a new feature. The former uses artificial intelligence to figure out how you feel based on your activity, sleep and heart rate. It’s similar to the various readiness metrics other health trackers have begun incorporating over the past few years. The Oura Ring and other competitors offer similar personalized insights into your well-being based on your data. Other health features include cycle tracking, low and high heart rate notifications, live heart rate readings, and auto workout detection.

Samsung says it’s the most durable wearable in its lineup, with 10ATM of water resistance, an IP68 rating, a titanium case, and a sapphire crystal lens. It also offers more fitness tracking capabilities, like a multisport activity profile, a loud emergency siren, a Functional Threshold Power metric for cyclists, and a Race feature so you can compare your past and current performance. There’s even a Quick Button for easy access to the workout app and other features like the flashlight.

You may want to look at a smart ring instead of a health tracker if your looking for a more discreet health tracker. It offers all the standard health tracking sensors so you can keep tabs on activity, heart rate data, sleep, and even menstrual cycles. It also offers Galaxy Watch AI features like Energy Score and Wellness Tips, though it lacks irregular heart rate notifications and sleep apnea detection features.

The ring has a few things going for it, based on my limited time with it. The hardware is slick, and despite the $400 price tag, there’s no additional subscription (looking at you, Oura). But the Galaxy Ring’s success hinges on two things: accurate tracking and good battery life. If it can do that while incorporating these ecosystem-specific ideas, Samsung could very well take the lead in the smart ring category. It has raised an ambitious idea for where smart rings should go next.

Black, silver and gold are the three colors of theGalaxy Ring. It starts at $399.99 and is available to preorder from Samsung, Amazon, and Best Buy.

It was thinner when worn right next to my Oura Ring, perhaps because it is a bit concave. It’s also lightweight, though not noticeably so compared to other smart rings. It is between 2.3 and 3g. Speaking of sizes, there are nine total, ranging from size five to 13.

The Galaxy Watch Ultra and Galaxy Watch 5 Pro have FDA De Novo Clearance for Sleep Apnea Detection (It’s a Mystery!)

The premium smartwatches in the lineup are the Galaxy Watch Ultra and theGalaxy Watch 5 Pro. Like that watch, this one caters to the outdoor athlete. The Ultra isn’t hiding where it got its inspiration, but the Pro had its own distinct vibe.

Speaking of new straps, there are now options that cater to runners, hikers, and swimmers. The screen is brighter, going up to 3,000 nits. It’s got dual-frequency GPS, you can take it diving, and there’s a new multisport activity profile. There’s a Night Mode for your watchface that turns everything red so it’s easier to read at night. There are new power-saving modes that get you up to 100 hours of battery overall and up to 48 hours of exercise. There is a new metric for cyclists. The new Race feature allows you to compare past and current performance. Did I mention there’s an 85dB emergency siren, too? (I heard it — it does get quite loud.)

The biggest thing is, this year, Samsung announced the two watches have FDA De Novo clearance for sleep apnea detection. That’s a big deal, as this is an industrywide first. It uses your sleep tracking data to monitor sleep disruptions indicative of sleep disorders. This feature is FDA cleared, but that doesn’t mean it’s a diagnostic tool. It just means the FDA has classified it as a low-to-moderate risk device that doesn’t have a precedent and is safe for its intended use. Rather, you’re meant to take that information and consult your healthcare provider.

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