Newer, higher
The Galaxy Watch 6 took the Watch 5 template and added a brand new Exynos chip, extra RAM, and a bigger, brighter show with out getting any bigger. It has higher battery life and a extra sturdy design than the Apple Watch, plus a extra reasonably priced value (except you purchase the Watch 6 Classic).
ForLonger battery lifeMilitary-grade protectionThinner, lighter designMore RAMCheaper checklist priceAgainstTouch bezel as an alternative of crownOnly 16GB storageFewer health instruments
Next-gen efficiency
Don’t let its an identical design idiot you. The Apple Watch Series 9 has a brand new, quicker chip for the primary time in 4 generations, plus a twice-as-bright show and a whopping 64GB of storage. It nonetheless has that unlucky 18-hour battery life, however at the very least its quick charging mitigates the issue.
ForRotating crownQuadruple the storageLonger software program assistUltra WidebandOn-device Siri commandsAgainstShort battery lifeMore expensiveLess sturdy design
The Apple Watch Series 9 and Galaxy Watch 6 each look remarkably near their predecessors, solely with some vital efficiency boosts and software program updates beneath the hood.Still, typically talking, that is mainly the identical battle we have seen since Samsung switched to Wear OS. It’s the most effective (or solely) Apple Watch versus the most effective Android watch, and every has strengths and weaknesses which have persevered throughout generations. There aren’t many surprises right here.Still, for those who’re a smartwatch fan contemplating switching ecosystems, or for those who simply need the satisfaction of understanding your favourite model “wins” this battle, learn on to see how the Apple Watch Series 9 vs. Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 evaluate.Apple Watch Series 9 vs. Samsung Galaxy Watch 6: Display and batteryWhy you may belief Android Central
Our knowledgeable reviewers spend hours testing and evaluating services so you may select the most effective for you. Find out extra about how we check.The 1.5-inch Watch 6 Classic and 1.3-inch Watch 6 (Image credit score: Michael Hicks / Android Central)Apple’s show dimension and backbone have remained unchanged because the Series 7, when it shrunk the show border to the very edge. You’re selecting between a 1.6-inch (352×430) or 1.8-inch (396×484) LTPO OLED show with the identical pixels per inch (about 326).The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 and Watch 6 Classic are available two show sizes: 1.3-inch (432 x 432) and 1.5-inch (480×480). Even although the inch sizes are “smaller” than Apple’s, the pixels per inch are near-identical between them. And like Apple’s Series 7, the Galaxy Watch 6 shrunk the show border in comparison with the Watch 5, providing you with an additional 0.1-inch of display for both dimension and leaving little wasted house.Samsung had the sting over the Series 8 with its 2,000-nit brightness, however now Apple has matched that quantity with the Series 9. Both are completely readable and colourful outside in totally sunny circumstances; the one factor to notice is that extended high-brightness use will burn by means of the battery, which can have an effect on Apple’s watch greater than Samsung’s.With each watches fixing their show weak factors, you primarily should determine for those who choose a squircle or round design. The Apple Watch show extra simply exhibits a lot of information with out it getting reduce off on the corners; some see its design as a standing image, whereas others assume it seems low cost.(Image credit score: Apple)The Galaxy Watch 6 show has a conventional look, together with a capacitive bezel alongside the sting for scrolling by means of apps together with your finger. Our reviewer was impressed at how responsive it was in comparison with the final technology, however you continue to have to just accept the shortage of a bodily bezel or crown for extra exact controls.Both watches have an Always-On Display (AOD) setting with a low, battery-saving refresh price. Samsung estimates the Galaxy Watch 6 lasts 30 hours with AOD lively, whereas the Series 9 maxes out at 18 with out it and has no AOD estimate.Apple does say that the Series 9 will final 11 hours taking part in saved music recordsdata or seven hours with GPS monitoring; we’re at present reviewing the Series 9 to see how this holds up, however real-world use could also be decrease. In phrases of lively, heavy-duty actions like this, the Galaxy Watch 6 would not have as a lot of an edge. In truth, an hour of GPS exercise usually burned by means of about 20–25% of the battery in our reviewer’s checks. It merely lasts longer as a stand-by gadget.Thankfully, whichever watch you select, you are getting fairly quick charging. The Galaxy Watch 6 can go from 0 to 50% in 30 minutes, 75% in 45 minutes, or 100% in about 75 minutes. The Apple Watch Series 9 hits 80% in 45 minutes or 100% in 75 minutes.Apple Watch Series 9 vs. Samsung Galaxy Watch 6: Hardware, sensors, and designSwipe to scroll horizontallyCategorySamsung Galaxy Watch 6Apple Watch Series 9Display1.3-inch (432×432), 1.5-inch (480×480) Super AMOLED1.6-inch (352×430), 1.8-inch (396×484) Retina LTPO OLEDBrightness2,000 nits2,000 nitsProcessorSamsung Exynos W930 (1.4GHz)S9 SiP (64-bit, 4-core neural engine)RAM2GBUnknownStorage16GB64GBNavigationTouchscreen, two buttons, digital bezelTouchscreen, one crown, one buttonBattery300mAh or 425mAh; Up to 40 hours282mAh or 308mAh; Up to 18 hoursWireless chargingYesYesSensorsSamsung BioActive Sensor (Optical Heart Rate + Electrical Heart Signal + Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis), Temperature Sensor, Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyro Sensor, Geomagnetic Sensor, Light SensorAccelerometer, ambient mild, barometer/altimeter, compass, ECG, gyroscope, coronary heart price monitor, pulse oximeter, thermometerConnectivityLTE (non-obligatory), Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi 2.4/5GHz, NFC, GPS/ GLONASS/ GALILEO/ BeidouLTE (non-obligatory), GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BeiDou, QZSS, Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi, NFC, UWB 2CompatibilityAndroid (Google Assistant or Bixby)iOS (Siri)Durability5ATM, IP68, MIL-STD-810H, Sapphire GlassIP6X, WR50, Ion-X entrance glassMaterialsAluminumAluminum or stainless steelDimensions38.8 x 40.4 x 9.0 mm; 42.8 x 44.4 x 9.0 mm41 x 35 x 10.7mm; 45 x 38 x 10.7mmWeight (w/out strap)28.7g or 33.3g31.9g or 38.7g (aluminum)ColoursGraphite, Gold (40mm); Graphite, Silver (44mm)Midnight, Starlight, Silver, Pink (PRODUCT)REDBoth the Galaxy Watch 6 and Apple Watch Series 9 acquired new processors with this technology after utilizing the identical {hardware} for the final couple of generations. Unlike telephone processors, although, it is tough to benchmark efficiency for watches, so it is tough to say if both is “faster” than the opposite.Compared to the Galaxy Watch 5, the Watch 6 has 33% extra RAM and a quicker clock velocity (1.4GHz vs. 1.18GHz), which Samsung says enables you to swap between apps 25% quicker. As for Apple, the brand new S9 chip “can process machine learning tasks up to twice as fast” because of the brand new neural core, together with a 30%-faster GPU and 60% extra transistors than the Watch 8 CPU.Beyond all of the inscrutable tech-speak, there are two key takeaways right here. One: each Apple and Samsung wait a number of generations between CPU updates, so shopping for both one means you will not miss out on higher efficiency down the road. And two: you are getting a nearly lag-free expertise whichever smartwatch you select. Our Galaxy Watch 6 reviewer was very impressed with its efficiency, and whereas we have not reviewed the Series 9 but, the Series 8 carried out very properly regardless of utilizing an previous chip.There’s just one key {hardware} level the place the Apple Watch Series 9 simply beats the Galaxy Watch 6: storage. Samsung has caught to 16GB because the Galaxy Watch 4, whereas Apple jumped from 32GB final technology to 64GB with the Series 9. You could not want a ton of watch storage, however the Apple Watch is best for those who’re somebody who downloads gigabytes of music, podcasts, or audiobooks to your watch and streams it by means of wi-fi earbuds.(Image credit score: Michael Hicks / Android Central)Performance apart, each watches share a lot of the similar connectivity requirements, well being sensors, GPS monitoring, and so forth.Both the Galaxy Watch 6 and Apple Watch Series 9 have coronary heart price sensors with passive AFib detection, ECG sensors with lively AFib detection, and pulse oxygen and pores and skin temperature readings for monitoring well being and sleep high quality. Samsung’s one unique is the BIA sensor for measuring physique composition, although our reviewer discovered that it did not all the time give correct physique fats percentages in comparison with a wise scale.Both additionally sport the identical satellite tv for pc methods, together with L1 GPS alerts. Unfortunately, neither watch has dual-frequency monitoring for extra correct monitoring, although Apple makes use of Apple Maps information to try to appropriate your exercise map summaries.Beyond that, every watch has an accelerometer and gyroscope for monitoring wrist motion, an altimeter for elevation, a compass for following instructions, and an ambient mild sensor for adjusting display brightness to your environment.Both watches include Bluetooth 5.3, fundamental Wi-Fi connectivity for downloads, NFC for cellular funds with their respective Wallet apps, and an non-obligatory improve to LTE with all the standard carriers. Only the Apple Watch has Ultra Wideband, which you should utilize for Precision Finding together with your iPhone if the Apple Watch goes lacking.Apple Watch Series 9 vs. Samsung Galaxy Watch 6: Software and options(Image credit score: Apple)The Galaxy Watch 6 runs One UI 5 Watch primarily based on Wear OS 4, whereas the Apple Watch Series 9 makes use of watchOS 10. Samsung offers 4 years of software program assist for its watches, whereas Apple usually presents at the very least 5 years of assist.The finest Wear OS apps and the finest Apple Watch apps have loads of overlap. Even although some builders are likely to prioritize Apple Watch apps due to their excessive gross sales, you may nonetheless discover high-quality apps on Wear OS from main builders, particularly because it has turn out to be extra fashionable and higher supported lately.Apple made a giant splash with its new accessibility device that permits you to use hand gestures like a double faucet to pick out issues on the Apple Watch. However, you could not have identified that Wear OS watches have had comparable accessibility instruments for years. We wrote a information on find out how to use double faucet on a Galaxy Watch for reference.In phrases of health instruments, Apple Fitness has gotten a reasonably large revamp within the final couple of years for operating and biking. Samsung closed the hole a bit with the Watch 6, including personalised coronary heart price zones for operating and a Track Run exercise, however it would not have the identical biking instruments as watchOS 10. Also, Samsung Health would not have a paid possibility like Apple Fitness+ to get extra guided exercises tied on to your watch’s well being information, if that is one thing you need.You get Google Assistant on the Galaxy Watch 6 or Siri on the Apple Watch Series 9. While we’re far more a fan of Google Assistant, Apple added on-device Siri processing to the Series 9 because of the S9 chip revamp; other than quicker responses, Siri can now reply questions associated to your Apple Health information. We’re excited to see if this new-and-improved Siri closes the hole between it and Assistant.Apple Watch Series 9 vs. Samsung Galaxy Watch 6: Which is best?(Image credit score: Michael Hicks / Android Central)Aside from their distinctive designs, the Galaxy Watch 6 and Apple Watch Series 9 have slowly however certainly morphed throughout generations into very comparable units, providing a lot of the similar perks.I do not know if Apple will ever come near Samsung for battery life or discover a strategy to make the squircle design higher protected towards falls. As for Samsung, I assume it might add extra storage and Ultra Wideband in future generations to compete with Apple; it would in all probability proceed to try to shut the health hole, although Apple will not simply sit and anticipate Samsung to catch up on this space.Generally talking, I believe it is secure to say that iPhone and Android telephone house owners can relaxation assured that their watch of selection holds up strongly to the competitors. The Galaxy Watch 6 is the most effective Android watch in the marketplace, with its personal distinctive strengths in comparison with the Apple Watch. And the Apple Watch Series 9 did sufficient to maintain long-time customers completely happy after some stagnant releases within the final couple of years.
Newer, higher
Choose the Galaxy Watch 6 for a speedy and sturdy smartwatch with longer battery life than the Series 9, or improve to the Watch 6 Classic if you would like the rotating bezel as an alternative choice to Apple’s crown. Otherwise, do not buy it for those who’d ever take into account switching to an iPhone.
Next-gen efficiency
Choose the Apple Watch Series 9 for those who’ve been ready for a brand new mannequin with quicker efficiency, a brighter show, and extra room for music storage. Upgrade to the Ultra 2 if you would like a watch that lasts greater than 18 hours, or do not buy both for those who’d ever take into account switching to Android.