Samsung's Galaxy Watch 9 beat luxury timepieces? A run through a London park put it to the test

The Galaxy Watch series unveiled at Galaxy Unpacked 2026, held at Old Billingsgate in London on Wednesday (local time). [Ko Jae-woo]

LONDON — "Your body weight has decreased by 0.5%. Please drink water." (Galaxy Watch 9 alert)

Running through St. James's Park in London on Thursday (local time), this reporter was focused on nothing but the path ahead when the Galaxy Watch 9 chimed in with a hydration reminder. A sweat-soaked shirt made the prompt feel well-timed — the thirst was already real.

After entering basic physical data — height and weight — into the Galaxy Watch 9, the device began recommending personalized workout routines and delivering detailed post-exercise analysis.

The Galaxy Watch series unveiled at Galaxy Unpacked 2026 has drawn praise for outperforming luxury timepieces, thanks to expanded support for running, everyday health management and digital health features. The Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 and Galaxy Watch 9, in particular, have attracted attention for their specialized running capabilities.

Journalists covering Galaxy Unpacked 2026 run through St. James's Park in London on Thursday (local time) wearing the Galaxy Watch 9, joined by YouTuber BulluJuice, who has 10 million subscribers. [Galaxy Unpacked 2026 press pool]

Working from a preset profile of 172 centimeters and 74 kilograms, the Galaxy Watch 9 tailored its workout recommendations to the individual. For heart rate zones, it calculated target ranges using age, height, weight, real-time measurements taken during exercise, Samsung Health maximum heart rate, heart rate reserve, and aerobic and anaerobic thresholds.

When the watch detected that the user had reached Zone 5, it advised against training at that intensity, warning of an elevated injury risk.

A sample image showing Galaxy Watch 9 heart rate zone data. [Samsung Electronics]

During the run, the watch helped regulate pace and prompted hydration. A body fitness index function flagged that the pace over the previous minute was 12 seconds faster than the target, while a daily aerobic load feature monitored exertion to help prevent fatigue and injury during moderate-to-high-intensity exercise.

Whenever the workout load exceeded what the user's fitness level could handle — flagged by the Samsung Health running coach function, which suggests training suited to the user's condition — an alert fired immediately. "Your current pace is faster than your target. Please slow down," the Galaxy Watch 9 warned this reporter, who had been pushing too hard.

A sample image showing Galaxy Watch 9 features displayed on a Galaxy Z Fold 8. [Galaxy Unpacked 2026 press pool]

After completing a 2.23-kilometer run, a full breakdown appeared on the smartphone screen: workout time (18 minutes 40 seconds), average pace (8 minutes 22 seconds per kilometer), average heart rate (128 bpm), calories burned (214 kcal), average cadence at 141 spm, and elevation gain of 14 meters.

A nutrition alert function newly added to the Galaxy Watch 9 also measured sweat loss relative to body weight and offered hydration guidance. One prompt read: "Your body weight has decreased by 2.5%. Drink a sports beverage."

The body fitness index, daily aerobic load and nutrition alert functions are all new features exclusive to the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 and Galaxy Watch 9.

ko@heraldcorp.com