The Galaxy Watch Ultra might be Samsung’s best smartwatch for the outdoors, as the company ensured that this new wearable could work in various conditions. It is 10ATM water-resistant and can function at somewhat extreme altitudes and temperatures. It’s a tough smartwatch, and Samsung used rare elements to make it so.
Samsung used Sapphire Crystal to protect the Galaxy Watch Ultra’s display and employed titanium to make the case tougher. But how exactly has Samsung applied titanium, and what kind is it? Here’s what the company revealed so far.
Two types of titanium and some plastic bits
The Galaxy Watch Ultra uses two different types of titanium in different places, but the smartwatch’s frame is seemingly metal.
More specifically, the company says grade 4 titanium is “partially applied to the front and back cover areas of the metal frame.” Samsung underlines that the use of titanium excludes the display and physical buttons.
In addition, Samsung says the Galaxy Watch Ultra employs a mix of plastic and grade 2 titanium for “the remaining parts of the frame.”
More after the video
On paper, grade 4 and grade 2 titanium are fairly similar, with just a few key differences. Judging by comparison graphs (via MakeItFrom), Samsung may have carefully picked different grades of titanium to maximize durability rather than cutting costs.
For example, grade 4 and grade 2 titanium appear to have identical thermal properties. However, grade 4 titanium is harder on the Brinell scale and has higher fatigue, shear, and tensile strength, whereas grade 2 titanium boasts vastly superior impact strength.
The Galaxy Watch Ultra is not the first Samsung smartwatch to use titanium. The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro did it first, but to what extent is unclear. Either way, the Pro model from 2022 only has a 5ATM water-resistance rating instead of 10ATM, which means the Galaxy Watch Ultra should be Samsung’s most durable smartwatch to date.
