Motorola has officially unveiled the Moto Watch Ultra at the ongoing IFA 2026 show in Berlin, making a return to the premium smartwatch market. The company stepped away from the category back in 2016, and although the Moto 360 name returned in 2019, that watch was developed by eBuyNow under licence rather than Motorola.
Unlike the Moto Watch launched earlier this year, which uses an RTOS-based platform, the Watch Ultra runs Wear OS by Google. That gives it access to the Google Play Store and apps including Google Maps, Google Messages, YouTube Music, and Gemini. Motorola also announced the Edge 70 Plus and the Motorola Razr with Crystals by Swarovski at the Berlin show.
What does the Moto Watch Ultra actually offer?
The Watch Ultra has LTE eSIM support, which allows it to make and receive calls, send text messages, and manage notifications over a cellular connection. There is also dual-band GPS for location tracking and Google Wallet support for contactless payments.
Motorola is once again working with Polar for health and fitness tracking. Sleep Plus Stages records light, deep, and REM sleep, while Nightly Recharge looks at sleep quality and autonomic nervous system recovery. Other tools cover activity intensity, calories, breathing exercises, and guided running and walking workouts through Running Coach. The watch also supports Motorola Qira when connected to compatible Motorola and Lenovo devices. A Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 handles the processing.
Is the hardware worthy of the Ultra name?
Motorola has used a 46mm stainless steel case paired with a 1.5-inch OLED display rated for up to 2,700 nits of brightness. The screen supports an always-on mode, while standard 22mm band compatibility means owners can use third-party straps.
The watch carries both IP68 and 5ATM ratings, with the latter covering water pressure equivalent to a depth of 50 metres under Motorola’s test conditions. Gorilla Glass 3 protects the display. Motorola claims up to two days of battery life with the always-on display disabled. A 15-minute charge is rated to provide up to 24 hours of use, although actual endurance will depend on settings and usage.
The Moto Watch Ultra starts at €429 and will roll out across Europe, the Middle East, Latin America, North America, and Asia-Pacific over the coming weeks. At this price point, it undercuts the Galaxy Watch 9 by €10. However, it is €10 more expensive than the recently launched Pixel Watch 5.
