Samsung has done what I thought was impossible: It has made a watch face that I actually want to use all the time and don’t intend to change.
Incredibly, after years of offering nothing but the same old thing, the Galaxy Watch Ultra has the smartest, most stylish, most useful, and most attractive watch face I’ve seen on a Samsung smartwatch. It’s called the Ultra Analog, and it’s fantastic.
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Samsung and bad watch faces
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Before I go into what makes the Ultra Analog good, it’s important to talk about what makes the others so bad. Well, “bad” is perhaps too harsh, as the problem with almost all the existing smartwatch faces on Samsung smartwatches is that they’re uninspired. There are multiple versions of the same theme, whether that’s big, colorful numbers or overly complicated dashboards. And if you don’t like one of them, chances are you won’t like any of them.
At first glance, when you scroll through the available faces, it appears there are lots of choices, but when you settle down to pick the one for you, the choice gets quickly eroded. I look at Samsung’s watch faces and rarely find one I like enough to use all the time. Mostly, on every other smartwatch I use, I pick one watch face and stick with it, but Samsung’s collection of digital faces, ancient designs, childish animated characters, and boring analog dials has never inspired me.
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My requirements are simple, too. I want to quickly see the time and the battery level, and that’s all. Anything beyond this is superfluous, as it either gets lost in the mix or defeats the object of having a glanceable screen on your wrist. I want it to look like a traditional watch face, not a computer, but I also love a fun watch face, which is part of the reason I use the Snoopy watch face on my Apple Watch Series 9. It’s a joyous creation, packed with memorable, fun, and amusing animated antics from Snoopy and Woodstock. It also has real horological history behind it. This appeals to me as a watch fan, and I can put up with the lack of complications because of it.
Ultra Analog to the rescue
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
What makes the Ultra Analog watch face so special? It is, as the name suggests, analog, meaning it has two hands, a second hand, and, in this case, numerals around the dial to indicate the time. It’s a busy face, too, with multiple complications that can be customized to your preference. I’ve left it pretty standard, so the three sub-dials show heart rate, temperature and weather, and battery remaining. It also has another complication showing the day and date.
What elevates it above some other analog watch faces is the animated compass that runs around the edge of the dial and the ability to change the color of the dial itself. Choosing the color is important, as some are hideous and immediately ruin the watch face, but I’ve found that one of the blue and the gold colors look great on the Watch Ultra, especially with the orange band.
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While the Ultra Analog is my preferred choice, there’s a second version available if it’s too busy-looking for you. The aptly named Simple Analog removes the compass in the bezel and turns it into a complication. It enlarges the numerals for a more glanceable view, and I find it looks best when you use the Night mode, where the entire watch face glows red. Both suit the Galaxy Watch Ultra, but the Ultra Analog makes the most of the new case design.
Only for the Ultra
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
I have no intention of swapping to any other watch face on the Galaxy Watch Ultra, and that’s a big step forward compared to previous models. If you want to try the Ultra Analog watch face out for yourself, you do need to own the Galaxy Watch Ultra, as it’s currently an exclusive for Samsung’s newest smartwatch. Anyone with the Galaxy Watch 7 or an older smartwatch like the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro or Galaxy Watch 6 Classic is out of luck. Or are they?
The Ultra Analog watch face is actually the second watch face Samsung has made that I really like. On other Samsung smartwatches, I’ve settled on the Perpetual watch face, which doesn’t have the same functionality as the Ultra Analog. Still, it makes up for that with its unique calendar that runs around the edge of the dial. I think it looks great on the Watch 6 Classic and the Watch 7, but it’s not as well-rounded, multifunctional, or quite as cool as the Ultra Analog.
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
Some people are happy to pay for watch faces through a third-party app, and while I appreciate that this is an option, the smartwatch manufacturer should provide as many free, varied, and professional-looking watch faces designed to suit the watch’s design as possible. Until now, Samsung, unlike Apple, hasn’t managed to do this, but the Galaxy Watch Ultra and the Ultra Analog watch face have changed this. I hope it continues, as I’d love to see a brand new watch face that’s as successful as the Ultra Analog for the Watch 7, too.
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