I won't buy the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 without these 5 upgrades

Rumors are heating up around Samsung’s next Galaxy Watch Ultra, with the rugged flagship expected to return this summer. I’ve tested the Galaxy Watch Ultra since its launch and compared it against just about every major smartwatch competitor along the way. There’s a lot to like about Samsung’s first rugged flagship, and overall, the watch made a strong debut. It also revealed a few opportunities for improvement, especially as competitors like Google continue to push ahead in areas like health tracking and overall refinement.

With the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 expected soon, these are the upgrades I’d most like to see Samsung bring to the table. Some, like the overall design, are fairly subjective. Others feel like dealbreakers if Samsung wants to get me to upgrade.

1. A major battery upgrade

If Samsung only fixes one thing on the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, it needs to be battery life. Recent rumors point to both a larger battery and a more efficient chipset, and that combination should be Samsung’s biggest priority this year.

To be clear, the current Galaxy Watch Ultra doesn’t have bad battery life; it regularly lasts just under three days. But Google’s 45mm Pixel Watch 4 can also stretch to roughly three days in the right conditions, and that’s not even marketed as an adventure-focused device. If Samsung wants the Ultra moniker to mean something, the next generation needs to comfortably clear the three-day mark without battery-saving tricks or constant settings management.

Garmin is still a leading brand when it comes to adventure wearables, and the brand’s watches can last a week or more between charges. I don’t expect Samsung to close that gap overnight, but moving closer would help justify the Ultra’s branding (and pricing). I genuinely don’t see myself upgrading if the new generation doesn’t make meaningful strides.

2. A redesign

This is definitely more wishful thinking than realistic expectation, but I’d love to see Samsung rethink the Galaxy Watch Ultra’s design. I’d probably still upgrade, but begrudgingly. The current squircle shape helps the watch stand out, but I’ve never liked it. Personally, I’d much rather see Samsung bring back the classic circular aesthetic that defined so many of its earlier smartwatches and simply make it more rugged, like the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro.

Beyond my subjective dislike, the current design also doesn’t seem to make the most of its size, and with my small wrists, I want bulk to be worthwhile. The squircle case leaves rounded corners of unused space around the display, constantly making me wonder whether Samsung could have fit a larger screen into the same footprint.

While I’m pipe dreaming, I’d also like to see Samsung’s rotating bezel land on the Ultra lineup. The raised bezel on the current model already looks like it should rotate, making its absence feel even more noticeable. A ruggedized version could add both functionality and personality while helping the Ultra feel more distinctly Samsung.

3. More reliable heart rate tracking

For casual workouts and everyday tracking, the current Galaxy Watch Ultra performs well enough, but the watch can still struggle during certain activities. During my original review, I found the most discrepancies when my heart rate changed rapidly, like during interval workouts.

Then Google’s Pixel Watch 4 landed and showed just how much room Samsung had to improve. Meanwhile, Apple continues to deliver consistency on the Apple Watch Ultra lineup. For the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 to be attractive to me and for it to be taken seriously as a premium fitness tracker, it needs to close that gap.

More reliable heart rate data doesn’t just improve workout summaries, it also feeds most of the wellness tools that make smartwatches so useful. Samsung already offers a robust suite of health features, but those tools are only as valuable to me as the data powering them.

4. Please, God, drop the Samsung exclusivity

This makes my wishlist every year, about every Galaxy Watch, and yet here we are. Samsung, please let this be the launch where key health features are available to everyone, not just Galaxy phone owners.

Some of the brand’s most compelling tools still require a Samsung phone, including blood pressure monitoring, ECG recordings, and sleep apnea detection in certain regions. More importantly, the restriction feels increasingly difficult to justify. Google’s health features aren’t locked to Pixel phones, so clearly advanced health tools don’t have to be tied to a specific smartphone brand. Samsung touts the Galaxy Watch Ultra as a premium Android smartwatch while reserving some of its top tools for Galaxy users.

I don’t expect Samsung to open every feature overnight, but unless the company offers broader compatibility, I can’t see myself investing in another pricey wearable. If I’m paying flagship prices, I don’t want to find out half the headline features only work with a specific phone.

5. A lower price tag, or at least a cheaper model

Speaking of price, recent rumors suggest the upcoming launch may finally introduce a Bluetooth-only version of the watch, and I genuinely hope that’s true, but it also needs to come with a price reduction. At $649, the current Galaxy Watch Ultra is competing with some of the most expensive smartwatches on the market. That puts a lot of pressure on the device to deliver premium features and also asks a lot of buyers who don’t need LTE connectivity.

A Bluetooth-only Galaxy Watch Ultra would give Samsung something Apple still doesn’t offer and give shoppers access to the experience at a more approachable price. I’d love for the company to slash the cost of its flagship, but that’s fairly unlikely. A cheaper, secondary option would at least make the Ultra lineup easier to recommend to a wider audience, and a more compelling value proposition for my own watch box.