Samsung Galaxy Watch 9 and Ultra 2: prices, specs, and release date leaked

Samsung is raising prices on its next smartwatch lineup — and leakers have already spilled the full picture before the company says a word. The Galaxy Watch 9 and Watch Ultra 2 will be officially announced at Galaxy Unpacked on July 22, 2026, in London, with pre-orders opening the same day. Retail availability follows on August 6. The bigger story is what's inside: a new Snapdragon Wear Elite chip and a substantially larger battery in the Ultra 2 make this more than a spec-sheet refresh.

The hardware

The Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 gets the most significant upgrade. Its battery grows to around 800 mAh — a 35% jump over the original Ultra's 590 mAh, which notoriously lasted only one to two days for heavier users. The display peaks at 5,000 nits, up sharply from earlier reports of 4,000 nits, according to Smartwatch Insight. Both the Watch 9 and Ultra 2 are expected to run Qualcomm's Snapdragon Wear Elite chip — though some sources still suggest the standard Watch 9 may ship with Samsung's own Exynos W1000 instead. Samsung hasn't confirmed either way ahead of the event.

The Ultra 2 comes in Titanium Silver and Titanium Black. The Watch 9 is offered in 40mm and 44mm sizes in Cream, Graphite, and Silver.

Both models run One UI 9 Watch on Wear OS 7, with on-device AI health and fitness features — no cloud required for processing.

The price

Every variant costs more than its predecessor, per PC Guide and Notebookcheck:

| Model | Size | Connectivity | Price (EUR) | |---|---|---|---| | Galaxy Watch 9 | 40mm | Bluetooth | €409 | | Galaxy Watch 9 | 40mm | Bluetooth + 4G | €459 | | Galaxy Watch 9 | 44mm | Bluetooth | €439 | | Galaxy Watch 9 | 44mm | Bluetooth + 4G | €489 | | Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 | 47mm | Bluetooth + 4G | €749 |

That's a €30 increase per Watch 9 variant over the Watch 8 launch prices, and €50 more for the Ultra 2. Samsung attributes the hike to rising global component costs. GBP pricing hasn't been confirmed yet — based on historical EUR-GBP patterns, expect roughly £350–£420 for the Watch 9 and around £650 for the Ultra 2, but wait for official Samsung UK pricing before budgeting.

Worth upgrading?

For existing Watch 8 owners, the case for upgrading is mostly about the chip and software, not the battery — the 40mm Watch 9 sees only a modest battery improvement, and the 44mm is essentially unchanged at 435 mAh. Ultra 2 owners get the clearest win: a full day's extra endurance and a brighter outdoor display that goes after Apple Watch Ultra's biggest strength. There's no Galaxy Watch 9 Classic confirmed — most leaks suggest Samsung has dropped it for this generation.

Pre-orders open July 22 at 2 PM UK time (3 PM CEST) at Samsung.co.uk, Amazon.co.uk, Currys, and John Lewis.