The release of the Apple Watch Ultra and Galaxy Watch5 Pro has spiked fierce debate among smartwatch enthusiasts. With its rugged design and advanced sensors, the Ultra seems positioned as the ultimate adventure watch. Meanwhile, the Galaxy Watch5 Pro offers solid performance and battery life at a more affordable price point. So which one should you choose?
To help you decide, I‘ve done an in-depth feature-by-feature comparison of the two industry titans below. Read on to see how they stack up across 10 key categories – from design and durability to fitness tracking, safety features and more. Let‘s dive in and settle this heated smartwatch showdown once and for all!
Apple Watch Ultra vs. Galaxy Watch5 Pro: Side-by-Side Comparison
| Apple Watch Ultra | Galaxy Watch5 Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | The Apple Watch Ultra is the latest rugged Apple smartwatch made for extreme sports and outdoor adventures. | The Galaxy Watch5 Pro is Samsung‘s newest flagship smartwatch made for fitness and daily wear. |
| Price | More expensive ($799) | More affordable ($399) |
| Storage | 32GB storage | 16GB storage + 1.5GB RAM |
| Case material | Grade 5 titanium, making it highly scratch and corrosion resistant | Titanium |
| Battery life | Up to 36 hours | Up to 80 hours |
| Display | Larger 1.93" display, 2000 nits max brightness (excellent visibility outdoors) | 1.4" display, 1000 nits max brightness (good visibility) |
| Size | 49mm case diameter – one of the largest smartwatches available | 45mm case diameter – also quite large |
| Weight | Heavier at 61.3g without strap | Lighter at 46.5g without strap |
| Water rating | 100m water resistance rating – best suited for scuba diving and water sports | 50m water resistance rating – good for swimming, shallow diving |
| Fitness tracking | Advanced metrics like running power and real-time performance insights. More sport modes than Galaxy Watch5 Pro | Comprehensive activity tracking and training analysis. Over 90 sport modes |
| GPS | Dual frequency GPS using L1 and L5 for most accurate location tracking | GPS sensors to track real-time location. Accuracy can be inconsistent at times |
| Safety features | Fall detection triggers emergency SOS after 20 sec. Car crash detection available. Loud 86dB siren audible up to 180m away | Fall detection triggers emergency SOS to chosen contacts after 60 sec |
| Compatibility | Only works with iPhone 6s and later | Works with any modern Android phone that supports the Galaxy Wear app |
Design and Display
Right off the bat, these two watches boast very different aesthetics. The Apple Watch Ultra has a large, squared-off design with a unique Action button on the side. This gives it a rugged, almost industrial look.
The Galaxy Watch5 Pro on the other hand features the traditional circular face that Samsung smartwatches are known for. It has a sleeker, more refined appearance reminiscent of a classic wristwatch.
In terms of sheer screen real estate, the Ultra‘s 1.93-inch display dwarfs the 1.4-inch display on the Galaxy Watch5 Pro. And with a searing 2,000 nit max brightness, the Ultra offers peerless visibility even under direct sunlight. So for data-rich watch faces and outdoor legibility, Apple‘s flagship is the undisputed winner.
Both watches do share super durable sapphire crystal glass face covers to withstand scratches and impacts. And their housings are made from premium grade 5 titanium for unbeatable strength and corrosion resistance.
When it comes to size, these truly live up to the "ultra" and "pro" names – coming in at 49mm and 45mm diameters respectively, they are veritable chunks! So people with slimmer wrists may find them overly large and unwieldy. But their imposing footprints allow for those spacious displays and long-lasting batteries packed inside.
Battery Life
Speaking of battery life, this is an area where the Galaxy Watch5 Pro pulls strongly ahead. While the Apple Watch Ultra promises up to 36 hours of run time, the Galaxy Watch5 Pro boasts a staggering 80 hours of juice per charge.
This almost 3X longer runtime is thanks the Galaxy‘s larger 590 mAh battery compared to the Ultra‘s 542 mAh unit. And superior power efficiency optimization in Samsung‘s operating system.
Both watches do support fast charging to juice back up quickly. But if long battery life is critical for you, the Galaxy Watch5 Pro has a clear edge here. You can easily go days without worrying about charging compared to needing to charge the Ultra overnight.
Health and Fitness Tracking
As advanced health and fitness companions, both watches come packed with sensors to track key metrics 24/7. This includes heart rate, blood oxygen levels, sleep patterns and more.
The Apple Watch Ultra features specially designed Workout and Compass apps to provide detailed performance stats to help you train more effectively. This includes running power, vertical oscillation and ground contact time.
Meanwhile, the Galaxy Watch5 Pro offers body composition measurements like skeletal muscle mass and basal metabolic rate. So you can better understand your overall fitness and health.
For tracking outdoor workouts, the Ultra leverages dual-band GPS support for more precise mapping of runs, rides and hikes. However, the Galaxy Watch5 Pro counterpunches with over 90 built-in sport modes – far more than the Apple Watch.
So when it comes to health insights and fitness versatility, choosing a winner isn‘t straightforward. The Apple Watch Ultra excels for outdoor athletes wanting rich performance metrics in real time. But the Galaxy Watch5 Pro appeals more to gym rats and weekend warriors looking to log their wide-ranging activities.
Durability and Water Resistance
Here‘s where the Apple Watch Ultra clearly justifies its name and price tag: sheer ruggedness and durability. It carries an IP6X dust resistance rating plus 100m water resistance rating. This enables you to confidently use it for recreational scuba diving, high speed water sports and the most demanding adventures.
The Galaxy Watch5 Pro sports an IP68 water resistance rating and MIL-STD-810H shock protection. So it can handle splashes, rain and swimming without issues. But for extreme activities involving depths beyond 50 meters, the Ultra is the undisputed king.
Both watches also include sapphire crystal displays guards and titanium housing for impressive scratch and scrape resistance in daily use. So neither should show signs of cosmetic wear and tear too easily.
Safety Features
Modern smartwatches aren‘t just about fitness – they also provide peace of mind through advanced safety features. Both the Ultra and Galaxy Watch5 Pro watches can detect falls and initiate emergency response.
However, Apple has taken things further with the Ultra. If you suffer a dangerous tumble, it will trigger an SOS call to emergency services after just 20 seconds unless cancelled. The Galaxy Watch5 Pro will send a shorter SOS message to designated contacts after 60 seconds instead.
Exclusively, the Apple Watch Ultra also packs a car crash detection algorithm that can automatically dial emergency services if you ever get into an accident. And it comes with an integrated 86 decibel siren audible over 600 feet away – handy for signaling rescuers if stranded.
So for personal safety, the Ultra does go several steps beyond Samsung‘s offering thanks to Apple‘s innovative attention to detail.
Smartwatch Experience
As smartwatches, both models allow you to receive phone notifications, track daily activity, control music playback, use built-in apps and more while keeping your phone tucked away.
The Apple Watch Ultra experience is powered by watchOS 9, Apple‘s polished smartwatch operating system. This delivers smooth, responsive performance and seamless integration with other Apple devices. Settings and customizations sync across your iPhone and Ultra watch automatically.
The Galaxy Watch5 Pro runs Samsung‘s Wear OS Powered by Samsung (say that five times fast!). This provides excellent core smartwatch functionality paired with Samsung ecosystem integration. It also offers wider compatibility – pairing effortlessly with most modern Android phones where the Ultra only works with iPhones.
Both allow you to access apps, settings and features directly on the watch as well as on a connected phone. Which OS is ideal comes down to what other devices you use. For iPhone owners, the Apple Watch Ultra will likely feel more intuitive while Android users will appreciate Wear OS on the Galaxy Watch5 Pro.
Pricing and Value
Of course, any purchasing decision eventually boils down to price and perceived value. At $799, the Apple Watch Ultra commands a steep premium over the $399 Galaxy Watch5 Pro.
You are certainly paying for the Ultra‘s larger, brighter display, rugged titanium design and advanced sensor technology. Safety features like crash detection and emergency siring also come at a cost. And for serious athletes, the rich performance metrics justify the investment.
But if you don‘t demand cutting-edge sensors or regular deep water excursions, the Galaxy Watch5 Pro gets you 80% of the functionality at half the price. Factor in seamless Android compatibility and its industry leading 80 hour battery life too.
Ultimately, spending $400 more on sheer ruggedness and niche features may not make sense for everyone. Casual smartwatch users happy with daily step counting, workout logging and notifications will find the Galaxy Watch5 Pro to be a smarter value choice.
Which One Should You Buy?
So when all‘s said and done in this head-to-head matchup, which model comes out on top – the Apple Watch Ultra or Galaxy Watch5 Pro?
For hardcore athletes, extreme sports enthusiasts and outdoor explorers needing max durability and sensors, the Apple Watch Ultra is the clear winner. Its unrivaled water resistance rating, dual GPS band precision and bleeding edge safety tech make it the ultimate adventure partner.
But for more casual use cases focused on all-day wearability and value, the Galaxy Watch5 Pro carries the day. You still get robust fitness tracking, seamless Android integration and battery life that goes the distance – all at half the price.
Hopefully this detailed comparison has helped bring the key pros, cons and differences between these flagship watches into sharp focus. You really can‘t go wrong either way – both are amazing feats of engineering that represent the state of the smartwatch art today. It just comes down to balancing your needs and budget.
And with exciting software updates down the road, both the Apple Watch Ultra and Galaxy Watch5 Pro will only get smarter and more capable. It‘s going to be very interesting seeing how Apple and Samsung aim to one-up each other in future generations!
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