Samsung has officially unveiled the Galaxy Watch 9, and while the design hasn’t changed much, the biggest upgrade is hidden inside.
The company’s latest smartwatch is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Wear Elite platform, bringing a sizeable performance boost alongside a host of new AI-powered health features.
Samsung says it makes the Watch 9 35% faster than its predecessor and enables new on-device AI experiences, including a Raise to Talk feature. This feature lets users launch Google Gemini simply by lifting their wrist, without needing a wake phrase.
Samsung has also made a handful of hardware tweaks. The Galaxy Watch 9 keeps the lightweight titanium-inspired design introduced with the previous generation. However, it now pairs this with a redesigned strap that’s 25% lighter and uses a softer “air pocket” construction for improved comfort during all-day wear.
Battery life also gets a boost, particularly on the smaller model. The 40mm Galaxy Watch 9 now packs a 390mAh battery, representing a 20% increase over the previous version. Meanwhile, the display reaches 3,000 nits of peak brightness for improved outdoor visibility.
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The software updates are just as significant. Samsung is continuing its push into preventative health, introducing several new wellness tools. These tools work quietly in the background rather than simply logging workouts.
Among the new additions is Vitals, which tracks five overnight health metrics – including heart rate, skin temperature, respiratory rate, blood oxygen and heart rate variability – and alerts users if anything falls outside their normal baseline.
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There’s also a new Heart Health Score, which combines factors such as sleep, vascular load, activity levels and BMI into a simplified health rating. Meanwhile, Daily Cardio Load estimates how hard users should train each day to avoid overtraining.
Fitness Index rounds out the new features by comparing performance metrics, including VO2 Max and heart rate, against other Samsung Health users in the same age group.
The Galaxy Watch 9 will be available in Graphite and Cream for the 40mm model. Meanwhile, the larger 44mm version comes in Graphite and Silver. Buyers will also be able to customise the watch with several new straps, including Samsung’s new Misty Band and an updated Fabric Band.
The Galaxy Watch 9 is available to pre-order from today, 22 July, ahead of a full release on 7 August. Prices start at £319 for the 40mm model and £349 for the 44mm version.
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