Samsung announced its 2026 smartwatch lineup at Unpacked in London earlier this week. The Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 is the top-of-the-line model, and you'd be forgiven for thinking it's the same Ultra as before. It's not.Despite the familiar aesthetic, the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 is a significant upgrade and refinement over the 2024 and 2025 Ultra models. Samsung didn't just re-release the same smartwatch with more storage as it did last year.Apart from a new chip, we're looking at a brighter and slightly bigger screen surrounded by a thinner bezel, a significantly beefier battery, superior build quality with insane water resistance, and more.The easiest way to paint the picture is by highlighting the main differences between the 2025 and 2026 models. Here they are.Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 vs Watch Ultra upgrades and new featuresDisplay brightness: 5,000 nits vs. 3,000 nits.Display size: 1.52-inch vs. 1.5-inch.SoC: Snapdragon Wear Elite (SW6100) vs. Exynos W1000.Battery: 800mAh silicon-carbon vs. 590mAh Li-Ion.Design: Similar but thinner. 10.7mm vs. 12.1mm.Default Band: A new Marine Band that is softer, 26% lighter, and 1mm thinner.Water resistance: IP69K vs. IP68.Diving: EN13319 dive-ready certification vs. no certification.Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6 + Bluetooth 6 vs. Wi-Fi 4 + Bluetooth 5.3.OS support: Five major OS updates vs. four OS updates.Samsung Health: New Trail Run feature and Diving app by Mares (later this year). Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 speakers – Source: Abhijeet Mishra / SamMobile Naturally, the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 also ships with a newer OS version, namely Wear OS 7 with Samsung's One UI Watch 9 on top. The 2025 Ultra model will also get the One UI Watch 9 update over the air, but it likely won't receive five years of OS updates and may miss out on new Samsung Health features like Trail Run.All in all, the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 definitely sounds like a worthy upgrade, especially considering how alike the original 2024 and 2025 Ultra models were.Samsung's new watch is tougher and boasts superior water resistance. It's more powerful and adopts even more state-of-the-art technologies.Despite these upgrades and current market conditions, the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 isn't dramatically more expensive than the 2025 model. It costs $50 more, which isn't insignificant, but it's relatively easy to justify considering everything Samsung has improved and the current economy.The Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 is available in one size, 47mm, and one connectivity option, LTE. It entered the pre-order period on July 22 for $699 / â¬749 before trade-in and pre-order offers. Order your Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 today Samsung Shop