Samsung’s next Galaxy Watch Ultra could bring the battery upgrade many users have been waiting for. The Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 is expected to launch in the coming weeks, and a new report suggests it may arrive with a much larger battery than the 2024 and 2025 models.

According to SamMobile, the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 will use a battery with a rated capacity of 784mAh. Samsung could market this as an 800mAh typical capacity, which would make it around 35% larger than the 590mAh battery used in the current Galaxy Watch Ultra models.

A bigger battery could push the Ultra closer to three days

Samsung currently claims up to two days of battery life on the Galaxy Watch Ultra when users rely on features such as GPS training mode. If the reported battery upgrade is accurate, the Watch Ultra 2 could get much closer to three days of regular use, depending on display settings, workout tracking, cellular use, and health monitoring.

The battery may not be the only efficiency upgrade. The smartwatch is also rumored to use Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Wear Elite chip instead of Samsung’s Exynos W1000, which could help stretch runtime further.

5G support could complicate the battery gains

Another reported change is 5G support. Previous leaks have suggested that Samsung is preparing a 5G version of the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, though availability may initially be limited to markets such as the US and South Korea.

That upgrade could make the watch more capable away from a phone, but it may also affect battery life. Until Samsung announces the device, it is unclear how much of the larger battery will be used to offset 5G power demands. Samsung is also likely to base the Watch Ultra 2’s software on Wear OS 7, which Google recently unveiled at I/O 2026.

The Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 is expected to debut alongside Samsung’s next foldables, which are rumored to arrive in July 2026. So, it looks like we may not have to wait long to find out whether Samsung’s next Ultra watch really delivers the battery jump suggested by the latest reports.

At WWDC 2026, Apple announced watchOS 27, bringing Siri AI, a new Siri app, a dynamic app grid, better Smart Stack suggestions, expanded fitness features, and new health tracking tools to the Apple Watch.

The Apple Watch works best when it helps you get small things done quickly without reaching for your iPhone. watchOS 27 leans into that idea with updates that make it easier to start workouts, find apps, open Wallet passes, and check important information from your wrist. Here’s what’s new.

Siri AI is the main upgrade

One of the biggest additions in watchOS 27 is Siri AI, Apple’s next-generation assistant powered by Apple Intelligence. The upgraded Siri can understand personal context, answer more complex questions, and take action across apps.

On the Apple Watch, these improvements are especially useful because the smaller screen makes typing and navigating apps more cumbersome. Siri AI lets users ask more natural questions, get workout suggestions, access wellness-related information, and carry on back and forth conversations directly from their wrist.

Siri can also pull from personal information when needed. For example, it can help find a saved driver’s license number, a door code stored in Notes, or details from other personal content.

watchOS 27 also adds a dedicated Siri app. Users can continue conversations, start new chats, revisit previous interactions, and pick up conversations started on iPhone. Important conversations can also be pinned for quick access. The assistant can also complete tasks inside apps, such as sharing flight details, playing a trainer-recommended song, changing an Activity ring goal, sending an email, resuming a podcast, or adding music to a workout playlist.

Siri AI is not available in the first beta release, though it is expected to arrive in a subsequent beta update. Additionally, Apple Intelligence features will not initially be available on watchOS in the European Union due to the Digital Markets Act, and Siri AI will not be available in China at launch while Apple works through regulatory requirements.

The app grid and Smart Stack are getting smarter

The Apple Watch app grid now has a dynamic layout that highlights Siri-suggested apps, frequently used apps, and recently opened apps. For users with many installed apps, this update makes it easier to find and open the apps they use most often or are likely to need at that particular moment. That said, accessing the entire app grid is now a two-step process instead of a single press of the Digital Crown.

Smart Stack is also more context-aware. It can surface widgets based on relevant situations, such as birthday reminders, parked-car locations, sleep-alarm suggestions before select holidays, and transit card information. There is also a new tap gesture for Smart Stack. Users can tap their index finger and thumb together twice to open Smart Stack, continue to double-tap to scroll, and use a single tap to open the selected widget.

Workout Buddy gets more useful

Workout Buddy has received several upgrades in watchOS 27. The feature now uses fitness history to deliver more personalized motivation during workouts. Instead of generic encouragement, Workout Buddy provides updates tied to pace, distance, workout duration, and other performance metrics.

Apple is also making the feature more flexible during workouts. Workout Buddy keeps working without users needing to carry their iPhone in a pocket or hand during exercise. However, the feature still requires a paired Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone and Bluetooth headphones or speakers. Users also have the option to use Workout Buddy in Spanish

Indoor run and walk tracking is more accurate

Tracking indoor runs and walks on treadmills is generally more challenging than outdoor tracking as GPS data is unavailable. That is why the new update includes improved motion-tracking algorithms, which help the watch estimate treadmill distance more accurately using wrist movement data.

Health tracking expands with menopause support

Cycle Tracking has been part of the Apple Watch and Health app for several years, allowing users to log menstrual cycles, track symptoms, and receive predictions about upcoming periods and fertile windows. The feature is designed to help users better understand changes in their reproductive health over time.

With watchOS 27, Apple is expanding Cycle Tracking with new perimenopause and menopause support. The Health app can now notify users when logged cycle patterns may indicate possible perimenopause and provides symptom tracking tools along with educational resources.

Find My gets a unified app

The new Find My update brings all location-tracking features under a single roof. Instead of using separate apps to locate people, Apple devices, and AirTag-equipped items, watchOS 27 combines Find Devices, Find People, and Find Items into one unified Find My app with a more map-focused interface. This is a nice quality-of-life change for the app since it now requires fewer taps to keep track of everyone and all your things.

Wallet adds support for custom passes

Wallet is also more useful for everyday cards that do not already have official Apple Wallet support. Users can create custom passes on their iOS 27 devices and sync them to the Apple Watch. For example, it can be used for memberships and cards that use QR codes or barcodes, such as library cards and gym memberships. These passes can be stored in Wallet and pinned to Smart Stack for quicker access.

Call Context surfaces important information during calls

Calls with businesses often require confirmation numbers, booking details, or information buried in Mail or Messages. watchOS 27 has added Call Context to handle that. The feature surfaces relevant information while users are on a call with a business. For example, a flight confirmation code stored in Mail can appear automatically during a call with an airline.

Liquid Glass and other small fixes

The Apple Watch display is small, so readability matters more here than on most other Apple devices. The new software refines Apple’s Liquid Glass design language with more consistent refraction effects and improved contrast, which should improve readability across notifications, widgets, controls, and apps.

Several smaller improvements are included as well. Music playback is now faster, step counts in the Fitness app are synced more accurately with data from the Health app, and the watch can suggest battery-saving adjustments to help extend battery life. Apple has also made it easier to mute notifications, allowing users to select a notification and access the mute option from the bottom-right corner of the screen. Sleep tracking is also said to be more accurate, although Apple has not yet shared specific details about the improvements.

Apple is also expanding child safety features. Through Child Accounts and Apple Watch For Your Kids, parents can set up an Apple Watch for a child who does not have an iPhone, allowing the device to be used for communication and safety features.

Which Apple Watch models support watchOS 27?

watchOS 27 requires an iPhone 11 or later, or an iPhone SE (2nd generation) or later, running iOS 27.

The compatible Apple Watch models are:

• Apple Watch SE 3
• Apple Watch Series 9
• Apple Watch Series 10
• Apple Watch Series 11
• Apple Watch Ultra 2
• Apple Watch Ultra 3

The cutoff is stricter than usual. Apple Watch Series 8, the first-generation Apple Watch Ultra, and Apple Watch SE (2nd generation) will not receive watchOS 27, even though they were supported by the previous major update. This means Apple is drawing the line at watches equipped with the S9 chip or newer.

When can you download watchOS 27?

watchOS 27 will be released publically for elligible watches this fall. The company has already made watchOS 27 available for developer testing. Siri AI will arrive in a future watchOS 27 beta before its broader rollout later this year. A public beta is expected ahead of the final release.

Installing developer software on a primary device carries risks. Apple Watch software is particularly difficult to roll back compared with iPhone or iPad software, so most users are better off waiting for the public beta or the final release.

This weekend, we have three Hulu shows that prove that best TV shows don’t always come with the most noise. A contract killer who’ll make you laugh and squirm in equal measure, a Silicon Valley thriller that wants to break your brain, and a 90s mystery that keeps rewriting itself — all worth your time.

We also have guides to the best new movies to stream, the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, the best free movies, and the best movies on Amazon Prime Video.

Mr. Inbetween (2018–2021)

• Genre: Dark Comedy, Crime, Drama
• IMDB rating: 8.7/10
• Rotten Tomatoes (critics): 95%

Ray Shoesmith is a contract killer living in Sydney who also happens to be a devoted dad, a loyal friend, and a surprisingly thoughtful boyfriend. This Australian dark comedy show follows Ray as he navigates the very ordinary messiness of family life alongside the deeply unordinary demands of being a contract killer.

Scott Ryan, who created the show and plays Ray, writes dialogue that crackles with dry wit. Each episode runs around 25 minutes, making it one of the most binge-worthy shows on Hulu. I really like how the show never tries to explain or excuse Ray, trusting you to sit with the contradiction of liking someone who does terrible things for a living.

You can watch Mr. Inbetween on Hulu.

Devs (2020)

• Genre: Sci-fi, Mystery, Thriller
• IMDB rating: 7.6/10
• Rotten Tomatoes (critics): 84%

When a young software engineer’s boyfriend dies under suspicious circumstances at her Silicon Valley employer, she starts pulling on a thread that unravels something far stranger than corporate conspiracy. Alex Garland, the writer-director behind Ex Machina and Annihilation, wrote and directed every episode of this eight-part miniseries.

Devs is dense, philosophical, and visually unlike other TV series. It wrestles with free will, quantum mechanics, and what it means to know the future with the kind of seriousness that demands your full attention. I really like how the show uses the cold architecture of Silicon Valley as a backdrop for questions that are ancient.

You can watch Devs on Hulu.

Cruel Summer (2021)

• Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Drama
• IMDB rating: 7.4/10
• Rotten Tomatoes (critics): 94%

Set across three consecutive summers in a small Texas town in the 1990s, Cruel Summer follows two teenage girls whose lives become violently entangled after one of them goes missing. Each episode revisits the same date across 1993, 1994, and 1995, letting you watch how the same events look completely different depending on whose perspective you’re in.

Chiara Aurelia and Olivia Holt both deliver gripping performances, holding the show together across its shifting loyalties and unreliable timelines. The 90s setting gives it a specific, nostalgic feel, and I really like how the structure forces you to constantly revise what you think you know about both characters before the episode is even over.

You can watch Cruel Summer on Hulu.

Summer and science fiction have always been a natural pairing. The season is synonymous with blockbuster entertainment, and sci-fi continues to be one of the best genres for delivering larger-than-life action, ambitious storytelling, and unforgettable worlds. Whether you’re in the mood for futuristic adventures, mind-bending concepts, or spectacular visual effects, there’s no shortage of great options on Netflix.

The streaming service’s sci-fi library is constantly evolving, with a mix of modern hits, acclaimed originals, and crowd-pleasing adventures available to watch. If you’re looking for something exciting to stream during the hottest months of the year, these are the Netflix sci-fi movies worth adding to your watchlist.

The Creator (2023)

One of the most visually stunning sci-fi movies of the past few years, The Creator imagines a future where humanity is locked in a war against artificial intelligence. John David Washington stars as Joshua, a former special forces agent who is sent to track down a mysterious weapon that could end the conflict. His mission takes an unexpected turn when he discovers that the weapon is actually an AI child with the power to change the course of the war.

Director Gareth Edwards, best known for Rogue One and Godzilla, brings an impressive sense of scale to the film, creating a futuristic world that feels both immersive and believable. While The Creator explores familiar themes about artificial intelligence and humanity’s relationship with technology, its breathtaking visuals and ambitious world-building help it stand out from many of its sci-fi peers. If you’re looking for a big-screen sci-fi experience to kick off your summer streaming lineup, this is an easy place to start.

Godzilla Minus One (2023)

Few recent blockbusters have exceeded expectations the way Godzilla Minus One did. What could have been another effects-driven monster movie instead became a critically acclaimed hit thanks to its emotional storytelling, memorable characters, and stunning visual effects. Set in post-war Japan, the film follows a former kamikaze pilot whose personal struggles become intertwined with the arrival of Godzilla.

The film is a great return to form for the Godzilla franchise and takes viewers back to that epic Godzilla-destroys-a-city vibe that made the monster so popular to begin with. The MonsterVerse is great, but not everyone is a fan of the new kaiju-focused Hollow Earth plotline. The film serves as a reminder of why Godzilla became a global phenomenon in the first place. While recent entries have leaned into larger franchise storytelling, Godzilla Minus One keeps the focus on the monster’s destructive power and the people forced to survive in its wake. Combined with its Oscar-winning visual effects and emotional storytelling, the result is one of the strongest Godzilla movies in decades and an easy recommendation for sci-fi fans.

Atlas (2024)

Jennifer Lopez headlines Atlas, a sci-fi action movie that knows exactly what kind of entertainment it wants to be. The film follows Atlas Shepherd, a brilliant analyst who finds herself stranded on a hostile planet and forced to rely on a powerful AI-controlled mech suit to complete her mission. If giant robots, futuristic battles, and large-scale action sequences sound appealing, Atlas delivers plenty of all three.

While the movie leans heavily into familiar AI-versus-humanity territory, its fast pace and blockbuster-style action keep things moving. Between its mech combat, futuristic setting, and easy-to-follow story, Atlas is the kind of sci-fi adventure that’s perfect for a relaxed summer movie night when you’re looking for pure entertainment rather than something overly demanding.

Back to the Future (1985)

Back to the Future is a classic for a reason: It’s just so damn good. In the film, Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) goes back to the year 1955 thanks to a time-traveling DeLorean invented by Emmet “Doc” Brown (Christopher Lloyd). The movie is one of those family-friendly films that somehow didn’t feel childish or hokey, making it a nostalgic classic that many of us grew up with.

There’s also something oddly wholesome about it. While so many time travel stories involve dystopian hellscapes or the looming destruction of mankind, Back to the Future never feels melodramatic or depressing. Back to the Future Part II and Part III are also streaming on Netflix, so fans can dive further into the franchise if they want.

Don’t Look Up (2021)

Don’t Look Up‘s cast is an absolute who’s who of Hollywood and includes everyone from Leonardo DiCaprio to Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep, Cate Blanchett, Tyler Perry, Timothée Chalamet, Jonah Hill, and Ariana Grande, to name just a few. The star-studded faces alone are enough to keep the movie interesting since a new star seems to pop up in every scene.

However, the film also has a story to tell. Inspired by America’s then political and cultural landscape, Don’t Look Up follows two scientists who discover that a rogue comet is hurling toward Earth and will kill everyone. However, the U.S. president (Streep) doesn’t seem to care about facts, and the American public is more interested in scandals than their impending doom. Don’t Look Up received four Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, and is a great summer watch thanks to its brilliant dark humor and talented cast.

The Apple Watch already has one of the best displays on any smartwatch, but the company is reportedly working on something that could make it meaningfully better. 

According to industry sources cited by The Elec, LG Display is currently developing and validating a new display backplane technology. It is called high-mobility oxide, or HMO, and the company is making it on its sixth-generation OLED production lines. 

How does HMO matter for Apple Watch battery life?

Every OLED display needs a backplane, which is the layer of transistors that controls each pixel. 

The current gold standard for Apple Watch panels is LTPO, which improves battery life by allowing the screen to dynamically drop its refresh rate to 1Hz when not being used actively.  

HMO, on the other hand, takes a different approach. It maximizes the inherent low-power advantages of oxide transistor technology without the complex manufacturing steps involved in making LTPO.

The new technology doesn’t require laser crystallization or ion implantation, which, in theory, should result in a display that draws even less power while costing less to produce. In simple words, the Apple Watch models using the technology could last substantially longer than the ones that rely on LTPO technology. 

Apple is evaluating HMO as a potential successor to its LTPO technology for Apple Watch displays. If everything pans out well, we might see the same technology on future iPhone displays. 

When could HMO reach an actual Apple Watch?

The challenge comes down to how quickly the transistors inside the display can switch on and off. 

Today’s mass-produced oxide panels aren’t fast enough for the kind of high-resolution, high-refresh-rate displays Apple demands, and LG Display needs to close that gap significantly before HMO is ready for production at scale. Getting there consistently across a full-sized panel, without sacrificing reliability, is the challenging part.

The report suggests that LG Display could supply the technology for smartwatch applications as early as next year, putting an optimistic timeline for an Apple Watch with an HMO display at 2027 or later. However, I won’t be surprised if it is delayed to 2028.

Keep in mind that everything here comes from industry sources cited by The Elec, and nothing has been confirmed by either Apple or LG Display.