Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro
Premium Android watch
Samsung makes the most effective smartwatches that Android customers can purchase, and the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro targets hardcore customers who need multi-day battery life per cost, or to securely use options like music streaming and always-listening Google Assistant with out the battery dying in a number of hours.
For3-day battery lifeGoogle Assistant supportOffline GPX mapsBody composition informationLighter than the UltraIn opposition toSamsung Health considerably restricted for healthOnly 16GB of storageTemperature sensor is not energetic but
Premium health watch
$800 for a smartwatch?! Apple did its greatest to justify paying double for its superpowered watch by making it a rugged, highly effective behemoth. It balances way of life and health options nicely, so anybody from a climbing professional to a work-at-home sort will profit from it.
For1.9-inch, 2,000-nit showCrown higher than digital bezel for healthActive temperature sensorDual-frequency GPS trackingBetter for water sportsCellular information built-inAgainstPainfully costlyToo massive or heavy for some wristsNo offline maps
Both the Apple Watch Ultra and Galaxy Watch 5 Pro are the primary of their type. Apple had by no means earlier than produced a premium flagship watch focusing on critical athletes earlier than; Samsung had made “Active” watches, however by no means such an enormous “Pro” mannequin with such lengthy battery life earlier than. But are both of them price shopping for?To spoil the conclusion a bit, the Apple Watch Ultra is the “better” watch of the 2, however that is to be anticipated when it prices practically twice as a lot. Apple packed it with a ton of unique instruments that make it well-suited for outdoorsy of us, whereas additionally giving it perks that sedentary customers will get pleasure from — however at an eye-watering value. The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, too, may be very costly however would not have fairly the identical exclusivity of options in comparison with the Galaxy Watch 5. With all that preamble out of the way in which, let’s discover how the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro vs. Apple Watch Ultra comparability shakes out, and which watch is the higher buy for you.Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro vs. Apple Watch Ultra: Design, show, and bandsWhy you possibly can belief Android Central
Our professional reviewers spend hours testing and evaluating services and products so you possibly can select the most effective for you. Find out extra about how we check.(Image credit score: Andrew Myrick / Android Central)Both of those watches might simply be described as too massive and heavy relying in your wrist dimension and preferences. Certainly, should you examine the cosy, skinny Apple Watch 8 towards the Ultra (opens in new tab), or the Galaxy Watch 5 towards the Pro, the bigger watches lose that glossy enchantment for a extra rugged design.Both watches have a titanium case, sapphire glass, and a raised bezel that protects the show throughout falls. Both are IP6X dust-proof and have MIL-STD-810H safety, although solely Apple has specified that the watch has been examined for Altitude, High Temperature, Low Temperature, Temperature Shock, Immersion, Freeze/Thaw, Shock, and Vibration.The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro is the one watch with an official IPX8 water resistance ranking, together with 5ATM (50 meter) water resistance. But the Apple Watch Ultra has a WR100 ranking (aka 100 meters) and has been accepted for scuba diving right down to 40 meters and “high-speed water sports,” plus a EN 13319 ranking that makes it totally accepted for divers. Most water resistant units aren’t truly ready for conditions the place water might influence the machine at excessive speeds, so the Apple Watch Ultra is the superior choice for followers of swimming, diving, and different water sports activities — even when the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro works completely nicely for informal pool use.The Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro (Image credit score: Michael Hicks / Android Central)Unlike the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic, the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro has no bodily rotating bezel, which made it simple to scroll by way of menus and gave the watch a basic look. The Watch 5 Pro depends on a digital contact bezel across the fringe of the 1.4-inch show, so you possibly can scroll by way of choices by sliding your finger in a circle. You even have two devoted facet buttons for choosing or backing out, in addition to double-tap or long-press shortcuts like pulling up Google Assistant or Google Wallet. The Apple Watch Ultra (opens in new tab), like all Apple Watches, has a Digital Crown, nevertheless it’s been redesigned with a bigger diameter and coarser grooves that our iMore colleagues have mentioned makes it far simpler to make use of than the usual, petite crown. It additionally has a brand new, bright-orange Action Button along with the again button, which could be arrange for any customized shortcut like beginning a exercise or turning on the flashlight characteristic.When it involves an precise exercise, we a lot want having the crown for navigating by way of menus to making an attempt to swipe or scroll by way of them with sweaty fingertips on the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, one thing our reviewer famous may very well be “annoying as heck” to cope with.The Apple Watch Ultra (Image credit score: Andrew Myrick / Android Central)Both watches have massive shows, however the 1.9-inch Apple Watch Ultra does provide you with extra total area than the 1.4-inch Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, and 17 extra pixels per inch (ppi), too. The sq. form implies that the Ultra is much less more likely to reduce off textual content on the corners. In addition, the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro provides you a good 1,000 nits of brightness, however the Ultra doubles as much as 2,000. For name high quality, the Apple Watch Ultra has a three-microphone array with beamforming and wind noise mitigation, plus a dual-speaker system that provides it loads of quantity for loud environments. For comparability, we would name the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro fairly normal relating to its mic and speaker. The Apple Watch Ultra has a number of benefits over the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro in its design, however it’s the heavier of the 2, weighing about 15g/0.5oz extra with out taking the band under consideration. The Pro’s default magnetic D-Buckle Sport band is sort of heavy — it’s possible you’ll need to contemplate different Galaxy Watch 5 Pro bands as a substitute — whereas the Ultra’s Trail and Alpine Loops are allegedly a bit lighter, so that will shut the hole a bit. Both of those watches are heavier than virtually anything in the marketplace right this moment, making them ill-suited for sleep monitoring — which about two-thirds of our readers use. But for on a regular basis use, they’re snug sufficient in case you have medium-to-large wrists.Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro vs. Apple Watch Ultra: Hardware and battery lifeSwipe to scroll horizontallyCategorySamsung Galaxy Watch 5 ProApple Watch UltraDisplay1.4″ Super AMOLED (450×450, 321ppi)1.92-inch (502×410, 338ppi)BrightnessUp to 1,000 nitsUp to 2,000 nitsMaterialTitaniumTitaniumBandsRidge-Sport, D-Buckle Sport, Global Goals, Sport, Extreme Sport, Hybrid Leather-basedAlpine Loop, Trail Loop, Ocean BandNavigationTouchscreen, two buttons, digital bezelTouchscreen, rotating crown, two buttonsProcessorExynos W920Apple S8Memory16GB; 1.5GB RAM32GBBattery590mAh; Up to 80 hours542mAh; Up to 36 hoursWireless chargingYes (Qi)Yes (proprietary)ConnectivityBluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n 2.4+5GHz, NFC, GPS/Glonass/Beidou/Galileo, LTE (non-compulsory)LTE (included), Dual-band GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS, Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi, NFC, Ultra widebandSensorsSamsung BioActive Sensor (Optical Heart Rate + Electrical Heart Signal + Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis), Temperature Sensor, Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyro Sensor, Geomagnetic Sensor, Light SensorAccelerometer, ambient gentle, barometer/altimeter, compass, ECG, gyroscope, coronary heart charge monitor, pulse oximeter, thermometerCompatibilityAndroid (Google Assistant, Bixby)iOS (Siri)Protection5ATM, IP68, MIL-STD-810HIP6X, MIL-STD-810H, 10ATMDimensions45.4 x 45.4 x 15mm49 x 44 x 14.4mmWeight46.5g (with out strap)61.3g (with out strap)Another similarity between these two watches: each used the identical chipset discovered of their cheaper and older siblings, however each have speedy efficiency despite this. Samsung used the Exynos W920 chip discovered within the Galaxy Watch 5 and Galaxy Watch 4, paired with a good 1.5GB of RAM. For context, most Android watches have simply 1GB of RAM, with solely the Pixel Watch beating it with 2GB. Our reviewer mentioned this is sufficient to provide you with an “immediate response to any tap or swipe,” with no points with efficiency or loading instances.The Apple Watch Ultra has a “new” Apple S8 chip which is actually no totally different from the S7 discovered within the Apple Watch Series 7, however the brand new flagship watch is simply as quick and fluid as the remainder of the lineup. We do not have benchmarks to match its velocity with the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, so let’s merely settle to say that each are wonderful on this class.One factor you’ll respect in regards to the Apple Watch Ultra is that it has double the cupboard space for apps and music at 32GB, making the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro’s 16GB look a bit paltry by comparability.(Image credit score: Michael Hicks / Android Central)Where the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro clearly wins is in battery life. Samsung gave it an 80-hour estimate per cost, and that is fairly correct from our exams for traditional utilization. If you activate steady coronary heart charge and blood oxygen monitoring with sleep monitoring, it lasts about three days; add within the always-on show, music streaming, always-listening Google Assistant, and GPS monitoring, and it will be nearer to 24-30 hours. For most individuals, a minimum of two days per cost is completely cheap, or three should you solely monitor SpO2 information at night time.The Apple Watch Ultra “only” hits 36 hours per cost, although in comparison with the 18-hour Apple Watch Series 8, that is fairly wonderful. iMore’s reviewer did handle to hit that quantity, and famous {that a} 60-hour low-power mode will likely be added through software program replace. But that quantity basically means you should use the look ahead to a full day and night time, then the next day earlier than charging it simply previous to bedtime the subsequent day.If you are shopping for this for health, you will have to understand how lengthy it’s going to final with GPS monitoring. The Apple Watch Ultra reportedly lasts 12 hours with GPS or 10 with GPS and LTE; the one complication is that the quantity will go down should you use dual-frequency GPS. The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro can reportedly final 20 hours with GPS related, displaying the good thing about its extra strong battery.Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro vs. Apple Watch Ultra: Fitness and sensors(Image credit score: Joe Wituschek / iMore)Whether you purchase the Apple Watch Ultra or Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, you get an accelerometer and gyroscope for correct wrist monitoring, an altimeter to measure effort at elevation, an ambient gentle sensor to regulate visibility primarily based in your environment, a compass to information you within the wilderness, and all the main GNSS monitoring methods. Only the Apple Watch Ultra has dual-frequency GPS, which suggests it makes use of each L1 and L5 satellite tv for pc indicators with a purpose to have a number of angles in your place at any time; this enables your watch to higher monitor you should you’re someplace close to main obstructions like buildings, mountains, or foliage. While we personally have not examined this characteristic on Apple’s watch, we have discovered that it had a serious optimistic impact on accuracy on health watches just like the Garmin Forerunner 255 and Coros Apex 2 Pro. And the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro’s GPS monitoring, against this, “frequently breaks off at odd angles when something interferes with the signal” in accordance with our reviewer.Apple additionally added higher health instruments for guided exercises due to the brand new watchOS 9. The Apple Watch Ultra can measure your coronary heart charge zone, operating energy, and operating type throughout a run, then create Custom Workouts that problem you to run a sure distance whereas sustaining the suitable tempo, coronary heart charge, or cadence. Samsung technically has an previous “Running Coach” characteristic to information you to maintain a sure tempo, however there are just a few mounted choices. And whereas it does measure sure stats like cadence and coronary heart charge zones, you possibly can’t entry that information throughout a run. Its solely main benefit is that it helps you to obtain offline GPX maps, one thing the Apple Watch Ultra cannot do. (Image credit score: Michael Hicks / Android Central)Health sensors are the opposite essential a part of the equation, and each watches sport optical coronary heart charge screens, a blood oxygen sensor, an electrocardiogram (ECG), and a temperature sensor — although Samsung nonetheless hasn’t activated the latter a number of months after launch, a irritating state of affairs. If you are in search of exclusives, the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro has a Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis sensor that detects your physique composition. You get the identical information you’d usually get on a sensible scale — skeletal muscle, basal metabolic charge, and physique water and physique fats proportion — besides you solely need to press your fingers on the 2 facet buttons to detect it.As for the Apple Watch Ultra, its acquainted sensors obtained upgraded in comparison with most watches. The accelerometer detects “up to 256 g-forces with Fall Detection and Crash Detection,” the “high dynamic range gyroscope” is supposedly extra correct for detecting particular movement, and the temperature sensor can detect the water temperature round you, in addition to air and pores and skin temperatures.Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro vs. Apple Watch Ultra: Which must you purchase?(Image credit score: Andrew Myrick / Android Central)Most folks keep on with both iOS or Android, so in that case, you possibly can merely select whichever watch works along with your chosen ecosystem. But should you simply need to know should you’re shopping for the most effective health smartwatch accessible, or may contemplate switching for the suitable cellphone/watch combo, then that is one other dialogue.My colleague, Andrew Myrick, purchased each the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro and Apple Watch Ultra out of pocket. As I might solely converse to Samsung’s watch (having reviewed it), I requested him which he would advocate. He advised me, “ignoring price, it would be the Watch Ultra. Multi-day battery life, flat display with no bezel getting in the way.” He additionally mentioned that “it’s impossible to recommend given the price,” however that “it’s easily my favorite smartwatch ever.” Talk a few paradox, there!iMore additionally really helpful the Apple Watch Ultra in its assessment over the Series 8, praising all of the methods it is a greater machine for normal customers in addition to critical athletes. The large show and longer-than-usual battery life make it a compelling selection. But it’s totally troublesome to get previous the $800 price ticket.The Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, in the meantime, has a few fitness-focused perks, however ultimately it is rather more of a premium Android look ahead to battery life and efficiency than it’s a health watch. It’s rather more reasonably priced than the Apple Watch Ultra, nevertheless it’s arguably not a “Pro” watch exterior of its identify.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro
Choose the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro for its multi-day battery, offline maps, Google Assistant help, massive and shiny show, and entry to tons of nice Play Store apps. Don’t select the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro in order for you one thing light-weight or want strong health software program.
Choose the Apple Watch Ultra in order for you a beautiful and shiny show, software program that takes full benefit of its superior sensors, a battery you possibly can rely on, and a rugged design that may deal with virtually something you throw at it. Don’t select the Apple Watch Ultra should you’re brief on cash.