The Apple Watch Series 8 and Samsung Galaxy Watch5 Pro both rank among the best smartwatches money can buy today.
Apple‘s latest iteration brings crash detection, temperature sensing and an innovative low-power mode to the recipe. Meanwhile, Samsung‘s heavyweight competitor packs advanced health tracking in a durable titanium body with up to 80 hours of battery life.
But which one should you pick between these flagship wearables? Read this comprehensive head-to-head guide comparing all the key specifications, features and performance metrics before deciding.
Introduction
While both smartwatches cater to the high-end market, they take different approaches. The Apple Watch Series 8 offers a wider range of personalization via size, case and band options to match different tastes. Samsung‘s Galaxy Watch5 Pro on the other hand sticks to a single premium 45mm variant.
More importantly, Apple‘s wearable only works with iPhones. In contrast, Samsung‘s seamlessly pairs with both Android mobiles and iPhones.
Let‘s examine how the two fare across other factors like design, fitness tracking capabilities, battery performance and platform ecosystem.
| Specs | Apple Watch Series 8 | Samsung Galaxy Watch5 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Sizes | 41mm, 45mm | 45mm |
| Display | 1.69" Always-on LTPO OLED(41mm) 1.9" Always-on LTPO OLED (45mm) | 1.4” Super AMOLED |
| Resolution | 352 x 430 pixels (41mm) 396 x 484 pixels (45mm) | 450 x 450 pixels |
| Case Material | Aluminum, Stainless Steel | Titanium |
| Processor | Apple S8 SiP | Samsung Exynos W920 |
| RAM | 1GB | 1.5GB |
| Storage | 32GB | 16GB |
| Battery Life | Upto 18 hours | Upto 80 hours |
| Sensors | HRM, ECG, SpO2, Compass, Altimeter, Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Ambient Light | HRM, ECG, SpO2, Barometer, Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Ambient Light |
| Bluetooth | v5.3 | v5.2 |
| WiFi | Yes, dual-band | Yes, dual-band |
| NFC Payments | Apple Pay | Google Pay, Samsung Pay |
| Water Resistance | WR50 | 5ATM + IP68 / MIL-STD-810H |
| Mobile App | Watch (iPhone only) | Galaxy Wearable (Android, iOS) |
| Price | $399+ | $449 |
Design and Display
The Apple Watch Series 8 retains the familiar squarish design with rounded corners but upgraded materials. You can pick between lightweight recycled aluminum or premium stainless steel and titanium casing. It also wins on personalization with two sizes to pick from.
Samsung‘s flagship smartwatch only has a single imposing 45mm size variant. But it oozes durability with a military grade titanium frame capped by durable sapphire crystal glass. The circular dial gives it a classier analog watch aesthetic compared to the Apple Watch‘s digital vibe.
Visually, both watches look striking with excellent fit and finish. But Apple takes customization more seriously – letting you tailor everything from colors, strap designs to watch face.
While the Galaxy Watch5 Pro edges on durability, not everyone may be able to pull off its chunkier profile. The 41mm Apple Watch dials it down for slimmer wrists.
Comparing the Displays
The Galaxy Watch5 Pro squeezes in a 1.4” circular Super AMOLED panel at 450 x 450 pixel resolution. Images and the intuitive One UI interface appear extremely vibrant.
Apple offers more choice, with the smaller 41mm packing a 1.69” LTPO OLED display (352 x 430 pixels) while the larger 45mm Watch8 model gets a roomier 1.9” panel (396 x 484 pixels). Both support always-on mode to glance time/notifications without raising your wrist.
While their LTPO technology enables lower refresh rates for extended battery savings, brightness ratings peak at 1000 nits – meaning better outdoor visibility in bright daylight. The fully circular Galaxy Watch5 Pro bests here for mimicking real watches though.
Health and Activity Tracking
Now to the meaty bit – how well do these rivals track your daily movement, workouts and health?
Both watches cover the gamut with continuous heart rate monitoring, heart rhythm alerts via ECG sensors plus blood oxygen saturation measurements.
The Apple Watch Series 8 goes a bit further with a new skin temperature sensor. It offers deeper insights into women‘s health by predicting ovulation times more accurately.
Samsung‘s Galaxy Watch5 Pro meanwhile focuses on body composition using bioelectrical impedance. It provides super detailed breakdowns spanning skeletal muscle mass, basal metabolic rate, body fat percentage and more.
For activity tracking, built-in GPS lets you map outdoor workouts like runs, rides and hikes without carrying your phone. Both can auto-detect common exercises and track a ton of workouts manually – covering everything from circuit training, dancing, kayaking to skiing and snowboarding!
They also monitor sleep stages overnight, giving you a detailed look into sleep quality.
Overall, they are on an equal footing here – packing advanced hardware to provide granular health insight and extensive activity tracking both day and night.
Smart Features
Beyond health tracking, modern smartwatches excel at notifications, music controls and mobile payments without pulling out your phone. Both send notifications from your paired phone to your wrist seamlessly. And sound quality during calls is decent though the tiny speakers limit loudness.
You can also control music playback on your phone using both watches. Thanks to onboard storage, you can also load up songs to take with you offline when exercising outdoors sans phone.
NFC payments via Apple Pay or Samsung/Google Pay round off the key highlights. Both work reliably for contactless payments.
Where they differ is the Galaxy Watch5 Pro opening up full-fledged app support as part of Google‘s unified Wear OS platform. You can install apps directly on the watch via the Play Store. WhatsApp, Google Maps, Uber, Spotify, LinkedIn etc. all make appearances here in optimized watch-friendly interfaces.
In contrast, the Apple Watch takes a more locked down approach. It relies on installable complications from its App Store rather than full apps. You get broader compatibility spanning iPhones, Android phones and even Windows devices on the Galaxy Watch5 Pro.
Performance and Battery
Blazing fast responsiveness is crucial for any modern wearable. And both watches deliver here with their cutting-edge mobile processors and generous RAM allotments.
The Apple Watch Series 8 runs Apple‘s newest dual-core SiP which brings a 20% speed boost over last year‘s model. Samsung uses its speedy Exynos W920 chip with 1.5GB RAM to keep performance smooth across apps and menus. You‘ll have no trouble with lags or stutters on either.
Storage is surprisingly generous too at 32GB for the Apple Watch 8 – giving you plenty of space to sync playlists for offline playback. But the Galaxy Watch5 Pro halve this at 16GB – likely a factor of size constraints.
Battery life does differ significantly though…
Apple rates the Series 8 models for around 18 hours of run time. While sufficient for nightly charging cycles, you‘ll likely need a mid-day fill-up after tracking a marathon training session or two in a day.
Samsung‘s battery philosophy targets multi-day usage. The massive 590 mAh battery translates to over 3 days of runtime from our experience! And you can jump from 0 to 45% levels in just 30 minutes of charging. less frequent charging cycles help extend its longevity too.
The Galaxy Watch5 Pro is the undisputed marathon runner here. The peace of mind from its multi-day battery life makes it easier to track adventures off-grid or extended health data 24/7.
Software Platform and Ecosystem
Your choice between Wear OS (Samsung) vs WatchOS (Apple) determines which smartphone platform you can use – Android/iOS vs just iOS.
The Galaxy Watch5 Pro supports both Android and iPhones running Android 8.0+ and iOS 11+ respectively. Yet certain connectivity features work better on Galaxy phones. You also need an Android phone to take or make calls from the watch.
Apple greets you with deeper Watch app support, easier pairing and richer notification support on iPhones. Unique features like temperature sensing, crash detection and walkie talkie communication further tilt the scales for iPhone owners.
Both platforms receive software updates regularly adding new health tracking capabilities and optimizations. If you operate largely in Apple‘s walled garden across MacBooks, iPads and iPhones – the seamless connectivity makes it hard to overlook the Apple Watch.
Also, both require dedicated phone apps – Galaxy Wearable (Android/iOS) and Watch app (iOS only) to pair with your smartwatch before use.
Verdict
So coming down to the final question – should you choose the Apple Watch Series 8 or Samsung Galaxy Watch5 Pro?
Choose the Apple Watch Series 8 if:
- You own an iPhone – it has exclusive features and unmatched integration
- Prefer a wider range of personalization via sizes and design combos
- Primarily rely on Apple apps and services
- Find crash detection and temperature sensing useful
Go for the Galaxy Watch5 Pro if:
- You want the freedom to use it with both Android and iOS
- Seek longer ~3 day battery life with fast charging
- Desire a durable, premium titanium build
- Care about body composition stats and deeper health insights
- Prioritize richer app support via Google Play Store
As you can see, picking the right platform depends heavily on your existing devices. Both excel at notifications and activity tracking. The Galaxy Watch5 Pro pushes ahead on battery life while the Apple Watch counters with tighter iPhone ecosystem integration.
Ultimately, choosing the right watch depends on which smartphone platform you personally rely on more in your connected life. Both deliver compelling, highly polished experiences making it hard to go wrong with either!
