Samsung’s upcoming flagship wearable appears set for a fundamental silicon shift, abandoning its in-house Exynos platform in favor of Qualcomm’s latest mobile processor. Newly surfaced promotional renders indicate the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 will be powered by the 3nm Snapdragon Wear Elite, delivering a performance uplift and introducing dedicated on-device AI hardware for the first time in the series. The device is expected to debut alongside the standard Galaxy Watch 9 during Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked event on July 22.
A strategic move to Qualcomm’s 3nm platform
The adoption of Wear Elite marks a clear departure from Samsung’s tradition of using its own chips in the Ultra line. Fabricated on TSMC’s 3-nanometer process, the platform stands out for its integrated NPU—Qualcomm’s first wearable chip to feature a dedicated neural processing engine. That addition lays the groundwork for genuinely local AI features, such as smart replies and adaptive fitness coaching, that function without a tethered smartphone. This transition is not confined to the premium tier; the standard Galaxy Watch 9 is also moving to the same Qualcomm silicon, making 2026 the first model year in which Samsung’s entire watch portfolio runs solely on non-Exynos chips.
Leaked visuals and battery gains
The renders, distributed by leaker Evan Blass, align with months of speculation regarding the Ultra’s internal overhaul. One image prominently displays a “Powered by Snapdragon Wear Elite” badge over an exploded internal view, representing the first visual confirmation of the chip in promotional material rather than a text-based spec sheet. Battery specifications glimpsed in the visuals point to an 800 mAh cell, a sizable increase over the 590 mAh units used in both the 2024 and 2025 Galaxy Watch Ultra models. The roughly 36% capacity jump is the first battery upgrade since the Ultra line debuted and, once paired with official firmware, should yield meaningful improvements in multi-day endurance and always-on display runtime.
Refined hardware and durability
Samsung is reportedly describing the case as 12% slimmer than its predecessor, a notable design choice for a product family that has historically favored heft over a slender silhouette. The watch retains its titanium construction while elevating its ingress protection to IP69K, indicating robust resistance to high-pressure water jets and dust. Colorways shown in the leaked materials include an olive-green band paired with a titanium case, and an all-black version distinguished by an orange ring encircling the rotating crown, preserving the familiar dual-button layout.
Samsung has not officially commented on the leaked assets. All signs point to a formal reveal of the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 and Galaxy Watch 9 on July 22 at Galaxy Unpacked.
Source: evleaks.substack.com