Samsung launches the Galaxy Watch9 and Ultra2 LTE models in Japan through NTT Docomo, featuring advanced health and outdoor activity tracking, including a first-in-class professional dive mode for the Ultra2.
NTT Docomo has started selling Samsung Electronics Japan’s Galaxy Watch9 LTE and Galaxy Watch Ultra2 LTE in Japan, with both models available from Docomo shops and the Docomo Online Shop from August 7. The launch follows pre-orders that opened on July 23, and Samsung is pairing the release with a promotion that gives buyers a 30% discount coupon for watch bands. According to Samsung and Docomo, the new watches are designed to deliver personalised health insights while supporting both everyday monitoring and training.
The Galaxy Watch9 is pitched as the more general-purpose model in the range, aimed at continuous health tracking. Samsung says it uses a new air-pocket structure to improve comfort, while the watch runs on the Snapdragon Wear Elite processor and carries a 390mAh battery, up 20% from the Galaxy Watch8, according to Samsung’s July 2026 figures. Health tracking is centred on Samsung Health, which combines activity, mindfulness, nutrition, sleep and vital signs. The company also says the watch analyses sleep metrics such as heart rate, heart-rate variability, breathing rate, skin temperature and blood oxygen levels to establish a personal baseline and flag changes earlier.
Samsung says the Galaxy Watch Ultra2 is intended for more demanding users, including runners, swimmers and outdoor athletes. It is the first Galaxy Watch model to use Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Wear Elite Platform, and Samsung says that helps deliver faster processing and more accurate GPS tracking. The watch uses an 800mAh battery, which Samsung says is 35% larger than the previous Ultra model, and offers a peak brightness of 5,000 nits, a level Samsung says is a first for a smartwatch. The company also claims a thinner chassis, a lighter band and a redesigned cushion-style body that integrates the display, bezel and case. Among its specialised features is trail running support with real-time altitude data, climb progress and accumulated ascent and descent, though Samsung says this works only on Android 13 and later and only on the Ultra2.
Samsung is also leaning into outdoor and water-sports use. The Ultra2 automatically logs depth, dive time and water temperature in wet conditions, and it carries EN13319, IP69K and 10ATM ratings. Samsung says a dedicated Ultra2 Diving app, developed with dive-equipment maker Mares, turns the watch into a professional-grade dive computer with data such as ascent and descent speed and safe dive time. The company says that function will be exclusive to the Galaxy Watch Ultra2 among Wear OS smartwatches for two years from late 2026. Buyers who activate the campaign can also receive a Samsung Online Shop coupon for a discounted watch band, but Samsung notes that eligibility depends on purchase and connection timing, Samsung Members app registration and the devices being new and domestic models rather than second-hand or parallel imports.
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