Ready for tough times

It had to be done sooner or later and Samsung waited a whole two years but here it is the Android world’s answer to Apple Watch Ultra...

- Nishant Padhiar

₹59,999/samsung.​com/in

Even a cauliflower could see where Samsung got its inspiration from. The Watch Ultra feels outdoorsy, military spec and ready for both, global warming and an ice age and it is. Samsung has opted for a "cushioned" form factor that puts a circular dial inside a squircle to give it the necessary differentiation.

The usual home and back buttons are now assisted by a "Quick" button that can be customised and mapped to a few actions. Yes, just like the Action button on Apple's Ultra. The one place where Samsung could've scored big was to retain the rotating bezel from its Watch 6. Still, instead, Samsung (obviously) wanted to ensure maximum IP rating and that meant minimising moving parts and making it touch-sensitive. However, it does feel like an extra-sensitive dial edge instead of the actual bezel reacting to the fingertip.