Samsung Electronics unveiled its glasses-type artificial intelligence (AI) device "Intelligent Eyewear" and its new smartwatches "Galaxy Watch Ultra 2" and "Galaxy Watch 9." It expanded the AI experience, previously centered on smartphones, to users' field of view and wrists, and formalized its "wearable AI" strategy to use everyday wearables like glasses and watches as new AI touchpoints.
Samsung Electronics on the 22nd (local time) showcased key features and two new designs of Intelligent Eyewear, along with Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 and Galaxy Watch 9, at "Galaxy Unpacked 2026" held at Old Billingsgate in London. Intelligent Eyewear is a glasses-type device that recognizes what users see and hear and supports translation, navigation, and information recording. The new Galaxy Watch models improve battery, display, and workout tracking performance and expand personalized health features related to sleep, cardiovascular health, and fitness. Korea list prices rose 7.7% to 19.1% from the previous models.
Roh Tae-Moon, CEO and head of the DX (device experience, finished goods) division at Samsung Electronics, said, "The new Galaxy Watch series provides practical insights that help proactive health management." Choi Won-joon, chief operating officer (COO) of the Mobile eXperience (MX) business at Samsung Electronics, said, "Intelligent Eyewear is a new touchpoint that naturally recognizes everyday context to deliver a more personalized AI experience."
◇ watch with stronger battery and health features… ultra 2 up to 5,000 nits
The top-tier Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 strengthens the battery, durability, and workout tracking needed for outdoor activities. The everyday Galaxy Watch 9 focuses on providing personalized health management information by analyzing indicators related to sleep, cardiovascular health, and fitness.
The Galaxy Watch Ultra 2's battery capacity is 800 milliampere-hours (mAh), up 35% from the previous model. With the Snapdragon Wear Elite platform, central processing unit (CPU) and graphics processing unit (GPU) performance improved by 32% and 19%, respectively, over the previous model. A newly engineered internal structure reduced thickness by 12% to 10.7 mm. The display supports up to 5,000 nits of brightness for clear visibility even under intense sunlight. While retaining a titanium frame, the dust- and water-resistance rating was raised to IP69K. It also supports 10 ATM water resistance and earned EN13319 certification, an international diving equipment safety standard.
The newly added "trail running" feature tracks altitude, ascent progress, and surface conditions to help users pace themselves and prevent injury. The newly included real-time hydration guide analyzes sweat loss relative to body weight to notify when to drink water. When a dive starts, depth, time, water temperature, and maximum depth can be checked on the wrist in real time. A dedicated app co-developed with diving equipment maker Mares guides ascent and descent speeds and safe decompression times. The app will launch in the second half of this year and will be exclusively available on the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 for the next two years.
The Galaxy Watch 9 retains the existing "cushion design," with a circular screen enclosed by a rectangular body. It uses an aluminum body and a silicone band to reduce weight and improve wrist fit. The 40 mm model has a 390 mAh battery, up 20% from the previous model. It features a display with up to 3,000 nits of brightness and the Snapdragon Wear Elite platform. The newly added "biosignal" feature measures heart rate, heart rate variability, respiration rate, skin temperature, and blood oxygen saturation during sleep. If the measurements change significantly from personal baselines, it alerts the user.
"Heart health score" aggregates sleep, activity, body composition, and vascular stress to present a score and lifestyle improvement suggestions. "Daily aerobic load" analyzes the burden on the heart to advise whether to continue exercising or rest. "Physical fitness index" analyzes exercise performance based on body composition and cardiorespiratory endurance. A hearing feature that detects harmful levels of ambient noise and issues warnings was also added. The sleep apnea detection feature, cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2024, was enhanced to use AI to analyze the severity of breathing disturbances during sleep in greater detail.
◇ galaxy watch prices up to 19.1% higher
Korea list prices for the new Galaxy Watch models rose 7.7% to 19.1% from the previous models. The Galaxy Watch 9 40 mm Bluetooth model is 499,000 won, up 80,000 won from the previous model. The increase rate is 19.1%, the highest among the new models. The Galaxy Watch 9 40 mm LTE model is 529,100 won, up 17.6% from the previous model, and the 44 mm Bluetooth model is 539,000 won, up 17.4%. The 44 mm LTE model is 569,800 won, up 16.4% from the previous model.
The Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 LTE model is priced at 969,100 won. That is up 7.7% from the previous Galaxy Watch Ultra (899,800 won). With demand for AI infrastructure pushing up memory and other semiconductor prices, the rise in component costs, including semiconductors, appears to have been partly reflected in the new product prices.
Samsung Electronics will begin preorders for the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 and Galaxy Watch 9 in Korea starting July 28, with official sales beginning Aug. 7. The Watch Ultra 2 will be released in a single 47 mm size and two colors: titanium silver and titanium gray. The Watch 9 will come in two sizes: 40 mm and 44 mm.
◇ ai glasses that see and hear… translation, navigation, and recording "hands-free"
Intelligent Eyewear is a product similar to regular glasses, equipped with a camera, sensors, a microphone, and speakers. It runs on the Android Extended Reality (XR) platform co-developed by Samsung Electronics and Google, and users can check messages and use translation, navigation, and information recording hands-free through voice, gestures, and visual information.
When a user looks at a person speaking a foreign language or a menu at an overseas restaurant, the eyewear recognizes voice and visual information and delivers real-time translation by voice through Google Gemini. When the camera captures a whiteboard, documents, or a meeting scene, it automatically summarizes key points in the Samsung Notes app on a Galaxy smartphone. It can also recognize the surrounding environment to guide routes or connect the current situation with previous information to continue a seamless conversation.
Inside the frame, Qualcomm's Snapdragon AR1 Gen 1, the camera, sensors, battery, and other core components are distributed. Because it is worn on the face for long periods, Samsung Electronics said it focused on improving weight, thickness, balance, and durability. The battery lasts up to 9 hours on a single charge. With the dedicated charging case, it can be recharged up to seven additional times.
On the day, Samsung Electronics also unveiled two additional designs by global eyewear brands Gentle Monster and Warby Parker. The focus was on creating designs that look natural in everyday life rather than like electronic devices. The Gentle Monster collaboration features a thin black frame combining a straight top line with a rounded bottom. The Warby Parker collaboration uses a brown frame with a gently raised brow line. Fit was also improved by considering key contact points such as the forehead and ears and various face shapes and head sizes.
Including the two designs Samsung Electronics and Google revealed at "Google I/O 2026" in May, Intelligent Eyewear comes in four designs in total. The products are slated for release within the year, and prices have not yet been set.