Samsung has faced criticism over the past year for not prioritizing fitness features as much as its competitors. However, the recent Unpacked event highlighted the Galaxy Watch 7 and Ultra, showcasing significant improvements in heart rate (HR) accuracy and dual-band GPS. These upgrades have generated considerable excitement, and initial testing of these new features is very promising.
The Galaxy Watch Ultra review unit arrived on a scorching 102ºF Thursday afternoon, leading to limited testing time over the past two mornings. While more comprehensive testing is planned for the upcoming weeks, preliminary findings have been shared for those considering preordering the Watch 7 or Ultra.
The Galaxy Watch 7 and Ultra offer four major upgrades from the Watch 6: a faster Exynos processor, doubled storage, tripled LEDs in the bottom health sensors, and dual-band GPS.
While the processor and storage improvements are expected with annual updates, the enhanced health sensors and GPS accuracy bring significant advancements. The crucial question remains whether the existing HR and GPS data on the Watch 6 are sufficient, or if Wear OS athletes should consider upgrading.
To evaluate these new features, a series of runs were conducted with the Galaxy Watch Ultra on the left wrist, a Garmin Forerunner 965 on the right, and a COROS Heart Rate Monitor on the arm, synced to the Garmin for more accurate HR results.
The Garmin was set to SatIQ mode, starting with GPS-only to conserve battery and switching to dual-band mode if the signal encountered blockage. In contrast, the Galaxy Watch Ultra defaults to dual-band mode, potentially offering more consistent performance.
In an initial 5K run, both the Garmin and Samsung devices tracked 3.11 miles with an average heart rate of 159 bpm. This was an encouraging start, though the HR chart showed occasional discrepancies where Samsung either overestimated or underestimated effort, ultimately balancing out.
The GPS map revealed that while Garmin’s tracking adhered closely to the path, Samsung’s tracking occasionally drifted into the street. In a subsequent five-mile run, the Galaxy Watch Ultra recorded 5.04 miles with a 145 bpm average, while the Garmin tracked 5.01 miles and the COROS registered 146 bpm. These results suggest that the new Samsung watch offers impressive accuracy and reliability.
