Apple Watch SE 3 (44 mm, GPS) / Samsung Galaxy Watch5 (40 mm, Bluetooth)

Apple Watch SE 3 (44 mm, GPS): 44 mm GPS · aluminium case (Midnight / Starlight)

Samsung Galaxy Watch5 (40 mm, Bluetooth): The 40 mm aluminium Bluetooth version of the Galaxy Watch5, in Graphite, Pink Gold and Silver. The 44 mm version has a larger screen and battery; the titanium Galaxy Watch5 Pro is a separate model.

SpecificationApple Watch SE 3 (44 mm, GPS)Samsung Galaxy Watch5 (40 mm, Bluetooth)
Release year20252022
AnnouncementSeptember 9, 2025; on sale from September 19, 2025 Apple—
Case44 mm aluminium; 44 × 38 × 10.7 mm

A 40 mm version also exists with different size, display and battery values.

Apple		—
Weight32.9 g (GPS) Apple—
DisplayAlways-On Retina, LTPO OLED; 368 × 448 pixels, 977 mm², 326 ppi

Because the LTPO panel can lower its refresh rate, the display keeps showing the time and notifications with the wrist down; this is the first SE with Always-On.

Apple		1.2-inch (30.4 mm) Super AMOLED, 396 × 396 pixels; full-colour Always On Display; sapphire crystal

Sapphire crystal is a glass material that strongly resists scratching. The 44 mm version has a 1.4-inch, 450 × 450 screen.

Samsung
Brightness1,000 nits peak; 2 nits minimum Apple—
Front glassIon-X glass

Apple claims 4x better crack resistance than the SE 2.

Apple		—
ProcessorApple S10 SiP; 64-bit dual-core processor, 4-core Neural Engine

The S10 enables the Always-On display, double tap and wrist flick gestures, on-device Siri and fast charging.

Apple		Exynos W920, dual-core 1.18 GHz Samsung
Storage64 GB Apple—
SensorsSecond-generation optical heart sensor, temperature sensor, compass, always-on altimeter, high-g accelerometer, high dynamic range gyroscope, ambient light sensor

There is no ECG or blood oxygen sensor. The temperature sensor is not intended for medical use.

Apple		Samsung BioActive Sensor (optical heart rate, electrical heart signal, bioelectrical impedance analysis); temperature sensor; accelerometer, barometer, gyro, geomagnetic and light sensors

The electrical heart signal is used for ECG and bioelectrical impedance for body composition estimates; availability of these features varies by country.

Samsung
Health featuresHeart rate and rhythm notifications, sleep apnoea notifications, sleep stages and sleep score, cycle tracking

Feature availability varies by country.

Apple		—
GesturesDouble tap; wrist flick (watchOS 26)

Wrist flick dismisses notifications and calls, silences alarms and returns to the watch face with one hand.

Apple		—
SpeakerYes; can play music and podcasts Apple—
Water resistance50 metres (ISO 22810:2010); swimproof Apple—
WirelessWi-Fi 4 (802.11n, 2.4 GHz only); Bluetooth 5.3 Apple—
LocationL1 GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, BeiDou

This is single-frequency (L1) GPS; position can drift under trees and between tall buildings.

Apple		—
Battery lifeUp to 18 hours of normal use; up to 32 hours in Low Power Mode

In Apple's test the watch stays connected to an iPhone over Bluetooth throughout; results vary with use and settings.

Apple		—
ChargingFast charging: about 80% in 45 minutes; 15 minutes gives up to 8 hours of use

Times are with the included Apple Watch Magnetic Fast Charger to USB-C Cable; no adapter is included.

Apple		—
CompatibilityiPhone 11 or later, iPhone SE (2nd generation) or later Apple—
Colour optionsMidnight or Starlight aluminium case Apple—
Case and colours—Armor Aluminum case with Sport Band; Graphite, Pink Gold, Silver Samsung
Size and weight—39.3 × 40.4 × 9.8 mm; 28.7 g (without strap) Samsung
Memory and storage—1.5 GB RAM; 16 GB internal storage Samsung
Battery and charging—284 mAh (typical); faster WPC-based wireless charging

WPC is the body behind the Qi wireless charging standard. The 44 mm version has a 410 mAh battery.

Samsung
Software—At launch Wear OS Powered by Samsung (Wear OS 3.5) with One UI Watch 4.5

The watch works with phones running Android 8.0 or later with more than 1.5 GB of RAM; it cannot be used with an iPhone.

Samsung
Connectivity—Bluetooth 5.2; Wi‑Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n 2.4 + 5 GHz; NFC; GPS/GLONASS/BeiDou/Galileo

This version has no LTE; the LTE version is sold separately.

Samsung
Durability—5ATM + IP68; MIL-STD-810H

5ATM suits shallow-water activities such as swimming, not diving.

Samsung