Galaxy Watch Ultra 2: visuals leak ahead of Galaxy Unpacked, XL battery and return to Qualcomm

Two days before the July 22 Galaxy Unpacked event, a marketing leak reveals Samsung's upcoming high-end watch. Two notable evolutions: a more generous battery, and the abandonment of the in-house Exynos in favor of a Qualcomm.

What the leak reveals

Just 48 hours before the July 22 Galaxy Unpacked event, the official marketing visuals for the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 have surfaced. Frandroid shared these images at the same time as Notebookcheck, which publishes the same renders along with a focus on the battery life aspect.

Two evolutions stand out:

• a significantly larger battery than the first Galaxy Watch Ultra, which raises hopes for a real gain in battery life,
• the return to a Qualcomm chip, replacing the in-house Exynos that equipped the first Ultra.

Design and handling

The overall design remains in line with the Watch Ultra 1 - rugged case aimed at outdoor use, physical crown - but the marketing visuals hint at some ergonomic adjustments. Without having the watch in hand, it's difficult to go further.

Performance

The switch to Qualcomm is the most interesting change on the specs side. The Exynos of the first Ultra did not win unanimous approval in terms of heating and fluidity of Wear OS; returning to a Snapdragon Wear platform would, on paper, bring Samsung back in line with the most efficient Wear OS watches on the market. It remains to be validated with real benchmarks once the watch is tested.

Battery life

The addition of battery capacity coupled with a historically more energy-efficient platform could result in a significant leap in battery life - but the official endurance figures still need to be confirmed by Samsung on July 22.

Provisional verdict

Based on what we see today, the Watch Ultra 2 could address the two main criticisms of the first generation: battery life and heating. We now await the Galaxy Unpacked to validate (or not) these promises.

To follow

See you on July 22, 2026, for the Galaxy Unpacked. We will come back to it with a complete test once the watch is available, with a summary table to support it.