Samsung’s Smartwatch Slump: Can AI Health and Bigger Batteries Win Back Wearers?

A 28% Wake-Up Call for Samsung’s Wearable Ambitions

Samsung’s smartwatch sales decline refers to a reported 28% year-over-year drop in its smartwatch shipments in the first quarter, a sharp fall that arrives just before the July 22 Galaxy Unpacked event where the flagship Samsung Galaxy Watch 9 and Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 are expected to be announced and positioned as a reset of the company’s strategy in the crowded Android smartwatch competition. Samsung has long sat near the top of the Android wearable pile, but a 28% drop is not a blip; it is a market verdict that recent Galaxy Watches have felt incremental rather than essential. Unpacked in London on July 22 at 2 PM BST (9 AM ET) is now less a celebration and more a reckoning, with two watches expected to answer a hard question: why pick Samsung over Apple, Google, OnePlus, or Garmin? The answer, Samsung insists, is AI health monitoring paired with bigger batteries—if it can deliver on the promise rather than another round of marketing buzz.

Battery Life: Samsung’s Biggest Weakness Meets Its Boldest Hardware Bet

If Samsung fixes only one thing with the Samsung Galaxy Watch 9 and Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, it has to be battery life. Galaxy Watches have been criticized for lasting about a day with an always-on display, turning what should be a health companion into a nightly charging chore. Meanwhile, Apple finally pushed its Apple Watch Series 11 to nearly two days on a charge, Pixel Watch 4 stretches to around 56 hours, and the OnePlus Watch 3 reaches a remarkable 98 hours between charges. That contrast explains a big part of Samsung’s smartwatch sales decline. Battery anxiety undermines health tracking, sleep analysis, and long workouts—exactly the features wearers care about most. The Watch Ultra 2 is rumored to pack an 800 mAh battery, up from 590 mAh in the original, which would make it the largest cell in any Wear OS watch, with the standard Galaxy Watch 9’s 44mm version moving to a 445 mAh battery. If those numbers translate into genuine multi-day use, Samsung can finally argue that Android smartwatch competition no longer means choosing between features and endurance.

AI Health Monitoring: Samsung’s Answer to Apple’s Ecosystem Lock-In

Battery gets people through the day; AI health monitoring is what keeps them inside an ecosystem for years. Samsung knows that Apple’s health features—from heart data to hypertension notifications—have turned the watch into a medical-adjacent habit, not a gadget. The company is now framing its new lineup around AI-driven health insights, saying the watches are “evolving to help us better understand and proactively manage our health in real time.” That is a strong promise, but it must mean more than a handful of clever tiles in One UI 9 Watch on top of Wear OS 7. Samsung already offers AI-powered Running Coach and Sleeping Coach, yet Google has answered with a Gemini-based Health Coach that many reviewers consider the most personalized approach so far. The new watches are set to lean on Samsung’s AI health coaching built on Google’s platform, with customized fitness plans that adapt to each wearer. Done right, this could finally make Samsung’s health analytics feel like a coherent system that rivals Apple’s—rather than scattered features that reviewers praise but ordinary users forget to open.

Five Critical Fixes: From Waterproofing to Blood Pressure Frustrations

Samsung’s hardware story for Galaxy Watch 9 and Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 should be defined by five practical improvements, not spec sheet trivia. First, longer battery life has to move from aspiration to reality; multi-day use or much faster charging is the minimum required to make upgrades feel worthwhile for existing owners. Second, improved durability—especially in water—matters because Apple’s Ultra line already doubles as a diving computer with WR100 and EN13319 ratings, while Samsung’s current Ultra remains strong but still behind underwater. Samsung has teased scuba diving support and “ocean diving” readiness for Watch Ultra 2, a direct attempt to close that gap. Third and fourth, health features need to be less of a hassle and more of a helper: the current blood pressure monitoring requires regular calibration with a separate cuff, a process many wearers give up on, and AI fitness coaching must expand beyond running and sleep into day-long guidance. Fifth, One UI 9 Watch should turn all these capabilities into a simpler, more coherent experience on top of Snapdragon Wear Elite SW6100 chips, replacing last year’s Exynos hardware so performance no longer feels like a compromise.

Can Galaxy Watch 9 and Ultra 2 Reverse Samsung’s Slide?

The uncomfortable truth for Samsung is that incremental updates caused this 28% smartwatch sales drop; ambitious updates are now required to reverse it. The Galaxy Watch 9 and Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 are being pitched as “the next evolution of Galaxy Watch,” with all-new internal components, enhanced battery life, and AI-driven health insights. Those words will mean little if real-world testing still shows one-day endurance and health features that feel more complex than caring. For ordinary users, the question is simple: does this watch make me healthier, more informed, and less tethered to a charger than an Apple Watch, a Pixel Watch, or a Garmin-focused setup? European pricing leaks suggest the Galaxy Watch 9 40mm Bluetooth model starts around USD 470 (approx. RM2,160) and the 44mm about USD 502 (approx. RM2,310), with Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 near USD 860 (approx. RM3,960), which means Samsung must justify premium positioning with premium experience. If battery, durability, blood pressure, and AI coaching all improve in concert, Samsung can still claim the title of best Android smartwatch option; if any pillar wobbles, the gap with Apple and Garmin will widen, not close.