LONDON — Samsung Electronics' new Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 and Galaxy Watch 9 will be powered by Qualcomm application processors (APs) for the first time, marking another step away from the company’s in-house Exynos APs. The move highlights Samsung's continued reliance on Qualcomm’s logic chips, eroding one of the Korean tech giant's key competitive strengths as a company that develops both devices and the semiconductors that power them. During Galaxy Unpacked 2026 in London, Wednesday, Samsung Electronics unveiled the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 and Galaxy Watch 9, the company's first smartwatches powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon Wear Elite APs. So far, Samsung has used Exynos W application processors designed by its Device Solutions Division for the Galaxy Watch lineup. This year, however, the premium Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 and the mainstream Galaxy Watch 9 are both powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon Wear Elite, with Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon taking the stage at the launch event to highlight the companies' deepening partnership. “The Qualcomm and Samsung partnership is also expanding into sm