The Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra is official after Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked event in Paris this week. The Galaxy Watch Ultra launched alongside the Galaxy Watch 7 and Samsung’s new foldables — the Fold 6 and Flip 6. It was also showcased along with the Galaxy Buds 3 and the Samsung Galaxy Ring. There weren’t big surprises here, with the Galaxy Watch Ultra largely being the device that was rumored in the lead-up to the event.
With its release, the Galaxy Watch Ultra is now the main competitor to the Apple Watch Ultra 2, with its 1.5-inch Super AMOLED sapphire glass screen, Exynos W1000 processor, and larger 590mAh battery. But for all the similarities it has to Apple’s Ultra smartwatch, does the Galaxy Watch Ultra actually work with the iPhone? Here’s what you need to know.
The Galaxy Watch Ultra does not work with any iPhone model. That’s not surprising since the latest Galaxy Watches, including the Galaxy Watch 4, Galaxy Watch 5, and Galaxy Watch 6, were all incompatible with the iPhone. This is because Samsung moved away from its Tizen operating system, and all these smartwatches, including the Galaxy Watch Ultra, require Google Play Services to function — which iPhone owners are unable to access.
Again, none of this should be a surprise. There’s usually very little cross-compatibility between Android and iOS when it comes to accessories. The OnePlus Watch 2 doesn’t work with an iPhone since it requires the use of the OHealth app. Similarly, while the AirPods do work with Android devices, many features are missing, including easy pairing, spatial audio, Find My tracking, Auto EQ, and more.
If you’re an iPhone owner who wants to use a Samsung smartwatch for whatever reason, you’ll need to get an old device like the Galaxy Watch 2 Active or Gear S3. However, most iPhone users will be better off getting an Apple Watch, like the Apple Watch SE, Apple Watch Series 9, or Apple Watch Ultra 2. They’ll give you a better experience with the full ability to use all the health and fitness tracking features.
The Galaxy Watch Ultra should work with any Android phone with Android 8.0 and higher and a minimum of 1.5GB RAM. Naturally, it should also work with most, if not all, Samsung phones, including the latest Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6. In fact, you’ll probably be able to get a bundle deal for both devices. If you use the Watch Ultra with a non-Samsung phone, you’ll need to download the Samsung Wearable and Samsung Health apps to take full advantage of features and get complete control over watch faces and settings.
The Galaxy Watch Ultra features IP68 water and dust resistance, meaning it can withstand water immersion. It’s rated 10ATM waterproof up to 50 meters and has a MIL-STD-810H rating, meaning it survived a battery of lab tests for durability. It’ll come running Samsung One UI Watch 6.0 and support Bluetooth 5.3, dual-band Wi-Fi, NFC, and GPS dual frequency.
You can preorder the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra now for $650.
The OnePlus Buds Clip are a new pair of open-ear earbuds built around a simple convenience. They join Sony’s LinkBuds Clip in the growing ear-cuff category, but either OnePlus bud can go on either ear.
Sensors recognize how the earbuds are being worn and route the audio channels accordingly. There’s no label to check before putting them on, and the feature also works when only one bud is used.
We buy fitness bands and activity trackers to keep tabs on our exercise, but it is easy to forget to start tracking or switch modes when moving between different activities. For Fitbit and Pixel Watch users, that could soon become a lot less annoying, as Google is rolling out a major upgrade to automatic activity tracking that can recognize more than 100 types of exercise, up from just 10 before.
Google first showed off the improved tracking earlier this month alongside the Fitbit Edge. It is now coming to Fitbit Air and the Pixel Watch 3, 4, and 5, and Google claims the added context behind the system makes workout detection nearly twice as accurate while cutting missed activities by more than half. Fitbit Edge will support it too.