Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra hands-on: The most bonkers Galaxy Watch yet

Samsung has launched two new smartwatches today and while one is the very much expected Galaxy Watch 7, the other is an entirely new device that's called the Galaxy Watch Ultra. Samsung clearly wanted it to stand out from its regular lineup, hence no “7” in the name.

This is one of the biggest smartwatches that we've seen from the company yet, but there's a method to this madness. The Galaxy Watch Ultra is meant to be a smartwatch that you can wear while summiting mountain peaks and ocean diving in extreme temperatures. It's meant for those who push the boundaries, and it has the bona fides to keep up with them.

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The Galaxy Watch Ultra follows a new design that is somewhat familiar with elements of what we have seen before but also completely new in every single way. Samsung calls it a new cushion design which uses their traditional circular shape for the watch face that's embodied in a squared housing. This is all done in the name of protecting the watch face against knocks and scratches, giving a much stronger and more durable design.

It certainly grows on you, and you do love the feel of the Grade 4 Titanium that it's made from against your skin. There's a new quick button as well which can be remapped but also used to activate the new emergency siren that can go up to 85db in volume and it’s said to be audible in hearing from around up to 180 meters away.

It's a large watch, 47mm to be precise, but it doesn't feel uncomfortable on the wrist. The benefit of this large size is the 1.5-inch Super AMOLED display that's the brightest yet on any Samsung watch ever, and that certainly shines through. Performance wise, the Watch Ultra felt snappy with no lag at all.

This is meant to be a smartwatch for the seriously athletic and adventurous types. For everyone else, there's the new Galaxy Watch 7, since you'll need to pay $649 to buy the Galaxy Watch Ultra, but it's definitely well worth the price tag for those who can extract the most out of it.