I spent 30 minutes with the Galaxy Watch 9 and Ultra 2 — one new feature blew me away

Samsung's Galaxy Watch 9 and Ultra 2, announced July 22, 2026, feature Google's Raise to Talk, which activates Gemini without a wake word when the watch is raised to the mouth, and the author found it worked flawlessly during a 30-minute hands-on. The watches are thinner and lighter with 5,000-nit displays and larger batteries (390mAh for 40mm Watch 9, 445mAh for 44mm, 800mAh for Ultra 2), but the author noted few other standout changes from the previous generation.

Affiliate links on Android Authority may earn us a commission. Learn more. https://www.androidauthority.com/external-links/ I spent 30 minutes with the Galaxy Watch 9 and Ultra 2 — one new feature blew me away Jul 22, 2026 — 9:00 AM ET The Galaxy Watch 8 and Galaxy Watch Ultra introduced a new design for Samsung watches that you either love or hate. I’m in the former camp, so when I got to try the new Galaxy Watch 9 and Ultra 2, I was excited to see what refinements Samsung had made. The reality is that not much has changed, and what impressed me the most was a software feature from Google. Which Galaxy Watch are you buying? Raise to Talk feels like magic Raise to Talk is a feature that debuted on the Pixel Watch 4 https://www.androidauthority.com/google-pixel-watch-4-review-3604086/ . It does exactly as the name suggests: when you raise the watch towards your mouth, Gemini starts listening without the need for any wake words. The Galaxy Watch 9 and Ultra 2 were my first time experiencing Raise to Talk, and I was surprised by how much I loved using it. Samsung said that the watches can tell the difference between raising your wrist to check the time and to activate Gemini. I was skeptical, so I spent more than 10 minutes wiggling my arm around to try to fool it, and it didn’t slip up once. Every time I wanted Gemini to activate, it did, and each time I tilted my arm to check the time and exaggerated the movement to trick it into showing Gemini, it didn’t. It’s one of those things that feels a little bit like magic, simply because it works. After Soli in the Pixel 4 and the hand gestures LG tried on some of its old phones were so terrible, I automatically assume anything like this will be a barely functioning gimmick. Instead, Raise to Talk is useful and works flawlessly. I left my time with the watch wondering how on earth it knew what I was doing. There’s not much else to say If you think it’s strange to lead a hands-on with two new Galaxy Watches focusing on a feature borrowed from a Pixel Watch that’s nearly a year old, you’d be right. The problem is, there’s not much else that stood out to me. The Watch 9 and Ultra 2 barely feel any different from the models they’re replacing. They’re thinner and lighter, sure, but not in a way that I found noticeable even when I had the old and new watches side by side. The Snapdragon Wear Elite should mean performance is better than ever, but my Galaxy Watch 8 Classic https://www.androidauthority.com/samsung-galaxy-watch-8-classic-review-3585894/ still feels buttery smooth a year on. Maybe the chip’s efficiency and the larger batteries will make a meaningful difference to longevity, but it was impossible to judge based on the short time I spent with the new watches. Those batteries are a good amount larger, to be fair. The Galaxy Watch 9 has a 390mAh battery for the 40mm model, which is 20% larger than the 40mm Watch 8’s 325mAh. The 44mm goes from 435mAh to 445mAh. The Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 has an impressive 800mAh battery, and I am looking forward to seeing how long that will last. The displays are improved, too. The Watch 8 and the original Galaxy Watch Ultra had 3,000-nit screens. During my time with the Watch 8 Classic, I’ve never felt like the screen needed to be brighter, but that might say more about English weather than it does the watch. The Watch 9 and Watch Ultra 2 both bump brightness to 5,000 nits, so those of you who know what sunshine looks like will benefit. The straps are cool — literally A minor improvement I was glad to see was the way Samsung has designed the straps for the Galaxy Watch 9. For years now, Samsung’s straps have sort of folded in on themselves, as you can see above. It kept the strap neat, with no loose ends that could snag on things, but it wasn’t always comfortable. It made it harder to work out which hole you needed, and I often got my arm hair caught, which was painful. The new straps for the Galaxy Watch 9 switch to a more traditional floating loop, or in this case, loops. Although they’re together in the photo above, these straps have two loops instead of one, and they can be positioned wherever you need them. That means the strap can sit along its outer edge, so it won’t snag hair anymore, but you don’t need to worry about catching a loose part of the strap on anything else. Another nice touch is what Samsung is calling the “air pocket.” That’s the dip in the middle of the straps in the photos above, running along where the holes are. This isn’t a style choice; it’s functional. It creates a gap between the strap and your wrist that allows air to circulate, keeping you cool without the watch feeling loose. I swapped one of these straps onto my own Watch 8 Classic at the event last week, and this design is really more comfortable. I’ll be buying one for my existing watch when they go on sale. A boring year for the Galaxy Watch isn’t a bad thing And that’s about all I have to say about the Galaxy Watch 9 and Galaxy Watch Ultra 2. To be clear, that doesn’t mean they’re bad. I’m certain these will be the best watches Samsung has made so far, but there’s little to get excited about if you already own a Galaxy Watch from the last few generations. Galaxy Watch 7s and 8s are still great watches, and there’s no real reason to upgrade yet. Galaxy Watch 6 owners might want to consider upgrading, though, given how my wife’s is holding up. Is there anything about the new Galaxy Watches that excites you? I’d love to hear from you in the comments. See price at Amazon Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 https://clearbuy.com/redirect/71bd4b710b623a6788405ed6a1b6b59c88f5e79e?pId=7203&tag =androautho-20 Big battery Bright display WearOS Snapdragon Wear Elite Thank you for being part of our community. Read our Comment Policy https://www.androidauthority.com/android-authority-comment-policy/ before posting.