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Need-to-knows
- Apple Watch Ultra 3 costs $799 / £799, Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra is $649/£558
- The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is iPhone-only, Galaxy Watch Ultra works best with Android
- Both offer 42–48 hours of typical battery life
- Apple brings satellite SOS and a full dive computer
- Galaxy Watch Ultra is 2g lighter
So called ‘Ultra’ watches are common place in product lineups these days. Apple’s is often held up as the gold standard, but there are competitors out there. The main one comes from Samsung with their Galaxy Watch Ultra which is about $150 cheaper than the Apple Watch Ultra.
So how much is there to actually separate these two chunky boys? They are both titanium-cased, have dual-frequency GPS and certified to measure a range of health metrics. But there are some key differences to pick out!
Shop Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Galaxy Watch Ultra below!
Apple Watch Ultra 3
Galaxy Watch Ultra
At a glance
| Feature | Apple Watch Ultra 3 | Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra (2025) |
|---|---|---|
| Case size | 49mm titanium (Grade 5) | 47mm titanium (Grade 4) |
| Display | 1.77-inch OLED (422 x 514px, 3,000 nits) | 1.5-inch Super AMOLED (480 x 480px, 3,000 nits) |
| Chip | Apple S10 (64-bit dual-core) | Exynos W1000 (3nm) |
| Storage | 64GB | 64GB |
| RAM | N/A (integrated) | 2GB |
| Battery | Up to 42 hours (72 hours Low Power Mode) | Up to 48 hours (100 hours Power Saving Mode) |
| Water resistance | 100m (WR100, ISO 22810:2010) | 100m (10ATM, IP68) |
| OS | watchOS 26 | Wear OS 6 / One UI Watch 8 |
| Satellite comms | Yes (Emergency SOS, Messages, Find My) | No |
| Weight | 61.6g | 60.5g |
| Price | From $799/£799 | From $649/£558 |
Design and build
Both watches are built around titanium cases, and both feel properly premium when you pick them up. The Apple Watch Ultra 3 sticks with Apple’s distinctive flat, squared-off silhouette in 49mm, while the Galaxy Watch Ultra has a ‘squircle’ shape (rounded corners on a roughly square frame) at 47mm. They’re very similar in size but the Apple Watch is the larger of the two.
The Ultra 3 uses aerospace-grade 5 titanium, the Galaxy Watch Grade 4. In practice, both are highly resistant to the kinds of knocks and drops daily wear will encounter. Both have sapphire crystal glass displays and, at 60.5g versus 61.6g, they’re virtually identical on the wrist.
Considering other options? Check out our Samsung Galaxy Ring review
Where they differ is in the details. Apple’s Action button and Digital Crown give the Ultra 3 a genuinely excellent physical control system. The Crown in particular is something nobody else has nailed. Samsung’s Quick Button on the Galaxy Watch Ultra is useful and customisable, but it’s not quite the same thing. The Galaxy Watch’s three-button layout is functional, though the lack of a rotating bezel (which the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic has) is a notable absence at this price.
Full look: Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra review
Both come in natural and black options. Samsung went one further with the 2025 model by adding a new Titanium Blue finish, which is genuinely attractive.
Display
Both displays peak at 3,000 nits of brightness, which means both are readable in direct sunlight without squinting.
What is different is the shape and size. The Apple Watch Ultra 3 has a larger 1.77-inch display (422 x 514 pixels) thanks to that bigger 49mm case, while the Galaxy Watch Ultra’s 1.5-inch display (480 x 480 pixels) is slightly smaller but higher in resolution density thanks to its circular-ish format.
The Ultra 3’s always-on runs at a 1Hz refresh rate, a nice efficiency improvement, while the Galaxy Watch Ultra’s AMOLED always-on display is consistently vibrant. Both look excellent in daily use and there really is no outright winner here.
Performance and software
This is where the gap used to be enormous, and it’s now… much smaller. The Galaxy Watch Ultra runs Wear OS 6 with One UI Watch 8, and it’s genuinely good. Google Gemini is onboard for voice assistance, the interface is smooth, and apps launch quickly. The Exynos W1000 chip (a 3nm processor) handles everything you’d throw at it without complaint.
But watchOS 26 on the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is still in a different league when it comes to depth, third-party app quality, and tight integration with the iPhone. The App Store on Apple Watch is vastly better stocked than anything Wear OS offers. If you use apps on your watch (beyond the built-in ones), this matters.
Wear OS has come a long way. But for iPhone users even considering the Galaxy Watch Ultra, it’s worth knowing you’d be giving up a lot of that ecosystem integration: no Apple Pay, no AirPods seamless switching, no iPhone unlock, no Fitness+. For Android users, the situation is reversed: the Galaxy Watch Ultra slots into a Samsung/Android setup far better than Apple Watch could ever manage.
Health and fitness tracking
Both watches are genuinely excellent health trackers. ECG, blood oxygen, sleep tracking, skin temperature, and VO2 Max are present on both. Dual-frequency GPS on both gives accurate route tracking.
Where they diverge is in specific features. Apple Watch Ultra 3 brings satellite communications, letting you send emergency SOS messages, share your location via Find My, and message contacts while completely off the grid. It also includes a full recreational dive computer (to 40 metres), precision swimming stroke detection with SWOLF scoring, hypertension notifications (new for the Ultra 3), and a sleep score powered by watchOS 26.
Samsung’s response includes blood pressure monitoring (with calibration), a new Vascular Load feature that tracks strain on your circulatory system during sleep, an Antioxidant Index that estimates skin antioxidant levels from sensor data, Galaxy AI-powered Running Coach, and Bedtime Guidance that uses your biometrics to suggest optimal sleep times. Blood pressure on the wrist remains a real differentiator for Samsung.
Check the older model: Apple Watch Ultra 2 review
For serious outdoor adventurers, the satellite SOS capability on the Ultra 3 is a meaningful safety net. For everyday health-conscious users, Samsung’s blood pressure monitoring and AI health coaching are compelling extras.
Battery life
Both watches are, in practice, two-day devices with normal use. Apple claims up to 42 hours for the Ultra 3; Samsung claims up to 48 hours for the Galaxy Watch Ultra. In real-world use, neither is dramatically better than the other. You’re charging every two days, or nightly if you use always-on display heavily.
On that note: Apple Watch Ultra 1 vs Apple Watch Ultra 2
Where Samsung has an edge is in the extended power-saving modes. The Galaxy Watch Ultra can stretch to 100 hours in Power Saving Mode; the Ultra 3 reaches 72 hours in Low Power Mode. If you need to go genuinely off-grid for a weekend without a charger, the Galaxy Watch Ultra has more runway.
Neither watch competes with Garmin on stamina. If battery life is your primary concern, neither of these is the right watch for you.
Price
At $799 / £799, the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is $150 / £241 more expensive than the Galaxy Watch Ultra at $649 / £558. That’s a meaningful gap. The Galaxy Watch Ultra gives you the same titanium build, the same display brightness, the same durability ratings, and a genuinely competitive health-tracking package for noticeably less money.
If you’re considering the next tier down: Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 review
Whether the Apple premium is worth it comes down to one question: are you an iPhone user? If you are, the ecosystem benefits justify the extra cost. If you’re on Android, you’d be spending more for a watch that doesn’t fit your phone as well, which makes no sense at all.
Which one should you buy?
If you own an iPhone, buy the Apple Watch Ultra 3. The software is better, the ecosystem integration is unmatched, the satellite SOS is a genuinely useful safety feature, and watchOS 26 remains the most polished wearable operating system available. The extra cost is justified by everything surrounding the hardware, not just the hardware itself.
If you own an Android phone, buy the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra. The Wear OS 6 and One UI Watch 8 experience has closed the software gap considerably, and the health feature set is arguably stronger for everyday users. The blood pressure monitoring and Galaxy AI coaching are real advantages, and the 100-hour Power Saving Mode gives you a welcome buffer for longer trips. At $150 less, it’s also the smarter purchase for most people.
The only genuinely tricky scenario is an Android user tempted by the Apple Watch Ultra 3 for its satellite safety features. If you’re regularly going seriously off-grid, that’s a real consideration. Otherwise, follow your phone. Both are excellent watches.
