Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 and Galaxy Watch 9: The Leaks Are In — Here's What Changed

Samsung's next Galaxy Unpacked event is set to be a landmark moment for its wearables lineup. Based on a steady stream of leaks from reliable sources, the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 and Galaxy Watch 9 are both expected to debut on July 22, 2026, in London . While Samsung has not yet sent official invitations, the event is also tipped to include the Galaxy Z Fold 8, Z Flip 8, and the company's first smart glasses . Here is a detailed, fact-checked breakdown of what we know so far, model by model.

Galaxy Watch Ultra 2: A Genuine Second Generation

The Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 appears to be the more ambitious of the two new watches. It is expected to bring meaningful design changes and significant internal upgrades.

Leaked Design & External Changes

Leaked press renders from leaker Evan Blass show a watch that retains the squircle shape of the original but is now "slightly boxier" with a more refined profile . Other external changes include:

• A numbered bezel (1-12 hour markings), borrowing a classic watch aesthetic and merging design elements from the retired Galaxy Watch Classic line .
• Thinner bezels around the display .
• The side button now has an orange outline rather than being fully orange, for a cleaner look .
• Leaked official images show at least black and green color options, with other possibilities like beige and silver also rumored .

Internal Hardware Upgrades

The Ultra 2 is where the most substantial internal changes are concentrated.

• Snapdragon Wear Elite chipset: This is the big one. Qualcomm confirmed at MWC 2026 that Samsung's next Galaxy Watch—widely believed to be the Ultra 2—will use its new 3nm platform . The chip features a dedicated NPU for on-device AI, a big.LITTLE core architecture (one high-performance core and four efficiency cores), and claims of up to 5x the CPU performance and 7x the GPU performance of the previous Snapdragon Wear chip .
• ~35% larger battery: Multiple sources, including SamMobile and Digital Trends, report a rated capacity of 784mAh, which Samsung is expected to market as approximately 800mAh . This is a significant jump from the 590mAh battery in the current Galaxy Watch Ultra. Combined with the more efficient chip, this could dramatically improve battery life.
• First 5G Galaxy Watch: For the first time, the Ultra line will be available in Bluetooth-only, 4G/LTE, and 5G connectivity variants . Model numbers like SM-L716 (5G) have been linked to specific regions .

Size
No explicit case size has been leaked separately from the renders, but the Ultra line has historically been a single larger size (~47mm) .

Galaxy Watch 9: A Subtle Evolution

The standard Galaxy Watch 9 appears to be a more conservative update, focusing on internal changes rather than a design overhaul.

Leaked Design & External Changes

Leaked press renders from Android Headlines and leaker OnLeaks show the Galaxy Watch 9 is nearly identical to the Galaxy Watch 8 in design . It retains the squircle shape with a round display and the rear sensor array appears unchanged .

• Colors: The 40mm model is tipped to come in cream white and a darker color, while the 44mm model will be available in silver and another dark option .

Internal Hardware Upgrades

The real story of the Watch 9 is under the hood.

• Snapdragon Wear Elite chipset: While earlier rumors suggested the Watch 9 might stick with Samsung's Exynos chip while the Ultra switched to Snapdragon, more recent leaks from June 2026 indicate that both models will use the Snapdragon Wear Elite . This marks a major departure from Samsung's traditional Exynos chipset for its wearables.
• Battery: The 44mm model is expected to keep a 435mAh battery, with no significant increase reported for the standard Watch 9 .

Size Variants
Confirmed through firmware listings and leaked renders: 40mm and 44mm .

No Galaxy Watch Classic in 2026

Multiple sources report that Samsung will not launch a Galaxy Watch 9 Classic this year . Instead, the Ultra 2 is said to incorporate design elements from the Classic line (such as the numbered bezel), effectively merging the two premium tiers into one . The rotating bezel, a hallmark of the Classic series, has not appeared in any leaked renders for either the Watch 9 or Ultra 2.

Key Caveats

All information presented here is based on pre-release leaks, rumors, and Qualcomm's public statements. Samsung has not officially confirmed any specifications, designs, or the launch date for the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 or Galaxy Watch 9. The chipset confirmation from Qualcomm at MWC 2026 carries significant weight, but battery capacity, design details, and launch timing remain unconfirmed by Samsung.