What to Know About finally, Motorola is taking smartwatches seriously again
After being one of the first brands to really go all-in on the smartwatch concept with the rather brilliant (although sometimes divisive) Moto 360 range, Motorola lost its place in the market to other competitors, and following the lacklustre response to this year’s Moto Watch, the company now seems to be set for a course correction.
Enter the Moto Watch Ultra, announced at IFA 2026 in Berlin.
No, this isn’t a competitor to the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 despite the name. Rather, it’s a potential return to form for Motorola, going head-to-head with the Galaxy Watch 9 and the Pixel Watch 5 in offering consumers a much-needed alternative in the Wear OS space, particularly now that OnePlus is no longer competing.
The fact that the Moto Watch Ultra is using Google’s platform is a big deal, particularly after the Moto Watch went down the same route as the original (and dreadful) OnePlus Watch, in having its own proprietary software. One aspect that the brand has carried over, however, is a partnership with Polar for all things fitness tracking.
Motorola
Polar has already established itself as a solid competitor to the likes of Garmin and Coros, particularly in how it offers easy-to-follow guidance on when you should be exercising and when you should be prioritising rest. To have that software available on a Wear OS watch could give Motorola a leg up on the competition.
There’s also a dedicated Running Coach mode built-in to help users who are just starting out on their fitness journey or who might be hoping to sign up for a 10K or even a marathon. This features alongside a mode called Serene, which Motorola describes as offering guided breathing to help promote mindfulness alongside exercise.
As previously leaked, there’s just one 46mm stainless steel size for the Motorola Watch Ultra, but given that it’s priced at £369, it’s technically a better value option for those who want to have a larger watch. By comparison, the 45mm Pixel Watch 5 costs £399 for the cheaper, Wi-Fi-only model.
What you get for your money
The Watch Ultra is the first Motorola smartwatch to offer LTE connectivity and also comes with Google Pay, dual-band GPS, IP68 and 5ATM ratings and Corning Gorilla Glass 3 covering the 1.5-inch OLED screen (no flat tyre in sight) with up to 2700 nits of brightness.
Everything is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 and this seems to be the stand-out cost-cutting measure as the chipset was introduced back in 2022.
Motorola
Motorola is also keen to note that the Watch Ultra offers access to Motorola Qira, which is the brand’s answer to Google Gemini. Admittedly, we’re not quite sure that Qira could outdo Gemini given just how much functionality Google has afforded its AI service, but it may still be useful and Gemini is also onboard as part of Wear OS 6.
Battery life is set for roughly two days when the always-on display is toggled, which puts the device in the same league as the Galaxy Watch 9.
Motorola has said that the Moto Watch Ultra will go on sale in the UK and Ireland on 18 September and will also be available in Europe, the Middle East, Latin America and Asia-Pacific in the coming weeks. It will be available in two colours (black or silver), with four different straps (22mm universal) as follows.
- Pantone Black Beauty (silicone)
- Pantone Black Beauty (leather)
- Pantone Mountain View (silicone)
- Pantone Nathutch (leather)
It sounds like the USA will miss out on the device, but stay tuned for our full review to see whether the wearable has what it takes to tackle the best smartwatches.
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