Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra just snagged its first software boost

The rugged smartwatch gets its first upgrade

Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra review
(Image credit: Matt Kollat/T3)
Quick Summary

The Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra and the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 have just received their first software update.

That brings a host of performance upgrades.

While the best smartwatches on the market have always been fairly hardy, it's safe to say that's ramping up a notch right now. No longer content with simply bumping up the specs of their core models, brands are bringing rugged features to top-spec pieces, usually denoted by an 'Ultra' suffix.

The Apple Watch Ultra came first, but all of the hype right now exists around the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra. That has just been unveiled, sporting a much more pleasing design and a hardy spec sheet.

Now, that model – along with the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 which launched alongside it – has received its first software update. The Ultra variant sees a download size of just over 330MB, while the Watch 7 is a more svelte 173.5MB.

So, what's new in the update? Well, there's not much to shout about on the feature front. The model has only recently been released, so expecting to see new features employed so early on might have been wishful thinking.

Instead, we see a range of different performance and stability updates. Those include bug fixes and performance enhancements, designed to improve the overall user experience.

That's arguably a bigger change than a new feature. Sure, it isn't all shiny and new, but these improvements can often do wonders to improve things like battery life and reduce crashes. If you've recently sunk a cool £600 into a new smartwatch, that should be a very welcome prospect.

How to install the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra update

Fortunately, there's no great lengths users will have to go to in order to install this update on their device. Simply head into the Galaxy Wearable companion app to kick things off.

From there, you'll need to head to 'Watch Settings' and then 'Watch Software Update'. Hit the 'Download and Install' button and the update will be added to your device over the air.

Sam Cross
Staff Writer

Online news writer at T3.com, Sam has five years of experience in online and print journalism, with work featured in publications like Metro and Last Word on Sports. After years writing about music and football, Sam now turns his hand to bringing you news about new phones, smart home products, smart watches, laptops and TVs. Sam is a longtime fan and user of Apple products, including iPhones, MacBooks and Apple Watches.He’s also T3’s resident football expert, bringing you everything you need to know about the big games, including how to watch them. In his spare time, Sam is a keen guitarist, watch lover and (very) amateur golfer.