Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 vs Apple Watch Series 8: Which wearable should you buy?

This should come as no surprise to read, as it’s something I put in most of my wearables reviews, the Apple Watch has been designed to work exclusively with your iPhone.

And in that same vein, Android wearables like the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 are purpose built to work closely with Android phones. While they do technically have compatibility with the iPhone, the feature set is restricted. Keep that in mind when you make your purchase decisions.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 vs Apple Watch Series 8 price and value

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 comes in four variations — two of which are the Classic model with the return of the fan-favorite rotating bezel. 

• Galaxy Watch 6 40mm: $299
• Galaxy Watch 6 44mm: $329
• Galaxy Watch 6 Classic 43mm: $399
• Galaxy Watch 6 Classic 47mm: $429

Meanwhile, the Apple Watch Series 8 has a ton of different finishes and price tags. So I’ll stick to the cheapest of each configuration. 

• Aluminum GPS 41mm: $399
• Aluminum GPS 44mm: $429
• Aluminum GPS + Cellular 41mm: $499
• Aluminum GPS + Cellular 44mm: $529

It’s clear that when it comes to value for money, Samsung has Apple beat with a lower price point. 

Winner: Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 

Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 vs Apple Watch Series 8 design

To say you’re getting more of the same in the Series 8 would be an understatement. Outside of the new color finishes, it is identical in bubbly aesthetics and size to the Series 7.

The 41mm model measures in at 1.6 x 1.5 x 0.4 inches, whereas the 45mm sports the same thickness, but sees its other dimensions increase to 1.8 x 1.5 inches. Weight-wise, we need to break this down further.

But while I have gotten used to the squared off aesthetic of the Apple Watch, I’ll always be more of a fan of the traditional timepiece. That is what the Watch 6 and Watch 6 Classic offers. The build quality is premium in nature, and there are small tweaks all over the place to make this signature device all the more beautiful — including a 30% slimmer bezel on the 6, and a 15% thinner edge on the Watch 6 Classic.

Oh, and that bezel on the Classic? It rotates! I know a lot of people (me included) have been requesting the return of this, and the UI is so much slicker to move around because of it.

Going into specific measurements: 

• Galaxy Watch 6 40mm: 1.2 x 1.6 x 0.4 inches, 1.0 ounces
• Galaxy Watch 6 44mm: 1.7 x 1.75 x 0.4 inches, 1.2 ounces
• Galaxy Watch 6 Classic 43mm: 1.7 x 1.7 x 0.4 inches, 1.8 ounces
• Galaxy Watch 6 Classic 47mm: 1.8 x 1.8 x 0.4 inches, 2.1 ounces

This will come down to individual taste, but I know what I prefer. 

Winner: Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 

Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 vs Apple Watch Series 8 display

Both of these watches pack impressive OLED panels. On the Series 8, Apple’s giving you either a 1.7 or 1.9-inch Retina LTPO panel with a 326 ppi density. As for the Galaxy Watch 6, you’re getting a slightly sharper 377 ppi across either the 1.3 or 1.5 inch Super AMOLED panels.

At this size, the sharpness of each screen is going to be barely noticeable, and you already know that with OLED technology, each of these screens are super vivid too.

Winner: Tie 

Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 vs Apple Watch Series 8 health & fitness tracking

Health and fitness tracking are integral to the Apple Watch Series 8 and Samsung Galaxy Watch 6. Both of them pack sleep tracking, temperature sensors, heart rate monitors, and the simplistic UIs to make the most of all of them.

The big new additions that Samsung brings to the table are in depth analysis of sleep score factors, personalized heart rate zones, and even a body composition tracker to keep an eye on the likes of skeletal muscle, basal metabolic rate, and even body fat percentage.

Both of these offer a comprehensive suite of methods to track your health and fitness.

Winner: Tie 

Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 vs Apple Watch Series 8 battery life and charging

The Apple Watch Series 8 saw an upgrade to the battery life over the Series 7, which starts with the 282 mAh (or 308 mAh in the 44mm) battery that is able to hit a promised life of up to 18 hours. On top of that, a new low power mode is able to keep much of the functionality, but extend that longevity to 36 hours.

In the Galaxy Watch 6, the battery capacity has been increased to up to 425 mAh, and the stamina has been claimed to run at up to 40 hours. If true, this would be a significant jump over the Apple Watch. But we’ll see what this is like through testing.

Winner: Undecided 

Outlook

So here is where we’re at: The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 is basically the Android version of the Apple Watch Series 8 — packing a lot of the same hardware and software capabilities.

Which one you should buy comes down to not just the phone you use, but when looking at the specifications on offer and the price, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 seems to pip Apple at the post.

We’ll wait until we’ve had more hands-on time with the Watch 6 to give a fuller opinion on who is the clear winner, but things are looking good for Samsung right now.