Android Authority's Paul Jones argues that despite the $350 Moto Watch Ultra's strong feature set—LTE eSIM, Wear OS 6, a 1.5-inch pOLED screen and Polar health tracking—its weaker processor and limited two-generation OS upgrade path make it a risky buy. Instead, he recommends five alternatives including the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra (2025), Google Pixel Watch 4, Samsung Galaxy Watch 9, Garmin Venu 4 and Amazfit Balance 2. The Galaxy Watch Ultra 2025, now around $330 on Amazon, is highlighted as the top pick for Samsung phone owners thanks to its rugged sapphire-glass build, 64GB storage, multi-day battery and four years of promised software updates.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-09-19
A new wave of screenless wearable devices is gaining popularity as alternatives to mainstream smartwatches like the Apple Watch, Galaxy Watch, and Pixel Watch. These minimalist gadgets focus on health tracking without a display, appealing to users who want fitness and biometric data without the distractions of a screen.
gizmodo.com
· 2026-09-18
Apple's Watch Ultra 4 introduces a revamped sensor system with five-second heart rate readings, an improved pedometer, and a new Readiness feature that combines recent activity and sleep data. Samsung's Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 counters with an expanded Vitals suite in its Health app, offering daily blood pressure estimates, a Heart Health Score, antioxidant readings, and trail-running hydration guidance. Both devices share core safety tools like Emergency SOS, fall detection, and alert sirens, though only Apple's watch adds crash detection.
engadget.com
· 2026-09-18
Amazon is selling the 40mm Bluetooth version of Samsung's Galaxy Watch 8 for $259.99, a $40 cut from its $299.99 list price. The watch runs Wear OS 6 with One UI 8 Watch, offers up to 40 hours of battery life, and includes health tracking features tied to Samsung Health and Galaxy AI.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-09-17
Amazon is offering a 25% discount on the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic's 46mm LTE model, lowering the cost of Samsung's premium smartwatch. The deal brings the flagship wearable down to a more accessible price point for shoppers considering a cellular-enabled smartwatch.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-09-15
Amazon is currently selling Samsung's new Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 for $699.99, and buyers who purchase it now receive a complimentary $100 Amazon gift card. The promotion effectively lowers the cost of acquiring the rugged smartwatch through the retailer.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-09-11
Samsung has started rolling out the One UI 9 Watch beta, based on Wear OS 7, to the 2023 Galaxy Watch 6 and Watch 6 Classic models in South Korea. The update follows earlier beta releases for the Galaxy Watch 8, Watch 7, and Watch Ultra, though a full changelog has not yet been published.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-09-07
Samsung has started rolling out the One UI 9 Watch beta to the Galaxy Watch 7 and the original Galaxy Watch Ultra, beginning in South Korea. The roughly 1.9GB update brings an upgraded Samsung Health app with better sleep insights, refreshed UI elements, and the Vascular Load metric, though US units will likely get Blood Pressure Trend instead.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-09-04
Samsung has released the second One UI 9 Watch beta for the Galaxy Watch 8 and Watch 8 Classic to testers in South Korea, carrying firmware ZZI1 and the September 2026 security patch. The update stabilizes the Samsung Health app, resolves watch face switching problems, and corrects an Always On Display bug that showed incorrect time.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-09-04
Samsung's Galaxy Watch 9 has become the first Galaxy smartwatch to support seamless updates, according to users who spotted the change during its first firmware update carrying the August 5, 2026 security patch. Instead of forcing the watch offline during installation, the roughly 193MB update downloaded and installed in the background while the device remained usable. Samsung did not announce the feature in its specs or changelog; it was discovered by users during installation.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-09-03
Multiple Galaxy Watch Ultra owners on Reddit and Facebook say the faceplate and bezel have spontaneously separated from the watch frame without visible damage. Some users report Samsung quoted repair costs near $300 through uBreakiFix, even though the devices were reportedly still under warranty. Similar bezel-lifting complaints surfaced roughly a year ago involving the first-generation model.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-09-03
Florida International University researchers tested the Apple Watch Series 8, Fitbit Sense 2, Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 and Garmin Forerunner 955 against a Cosmed K5 metabolic device and ECG chest strap during controlled workouts with 58 participants. All four smartwatches overstated calorie burn, with margins of error ranging from 15% to 25%, meaning a reported 200-calorie burn could really be closer to 160-174 calories. Apple Watch was the most accurate, while Samsung and Garmin overestimated more, and Fitbit had enough tracking glitches that some of its data had to be excluded.
cnet.com
· 2026-09-02
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