Samsung Galaxy Watch8 Classic (46 mm, Bluetooth) / Apple Watch Series 11 (46 mm, GPS)

Samsung Galaxy Watch8 Classic (46 mm, Bluetooth): SM-L500 · 46 mm Bluetooth; the LTE version SM-L505 is a separate model; black or white

Apple Watch Series 11 (46 mm, GPS): 46 mm aluminium case, GPS; Rose Gold, Silver, Space Gray, Jet Black. The 42 mm and GPS + Cellular (A3335, A3337) versions and the titanium cases with sapphire crystal are separate models.

SpecificationSamsung Galaxy Watch8 Classic (46 mm, Bluetooth)Apple Watch Series 11 (46 mm, GPS)
Release year20252025
Case size46 mm; 46.4 × 46 × 10.6 mm (excluding health sensors)

It is sold in one size only.

Samsung		—
Weight63.5 g (without band) Samsung—
Display1.34-inch Super AMOLED, 438 × 438, full-colour Always-On; sapphire crystal

Sapphire crystal is a cover material that resists scratches better than ordinary glass.

Samsung		Always-On Retina, LTPO3 OLED (wide-angle OLED); 416 × 496 pixels, 1196 mm²; 326 ppi; up to 2,000 nits, 1 nit minimum

Because LTPO can drop the refresh rate very low, the display stays dimly on even with the wrist down. Wide-angle OLED is used to reduce brightness loss when the screen is viewed from the side.

Apple
ControlsRotating bezel, Quick Button

The rotating bezel lets you scroll lists and apps without touching the screen; its position is read by a 3D Hall sensor found only on the Classic. Quick Button can be assigned to an app or function.

Samsung		—
ProcessorExynos W1000; 5 cores, 3 nm Samsung—
Memory and storage2 GB RAM, 64 GB storage Samsung—
Battery445 mAh (typical); fast charging, WPC-based wireless charging

Samsung says its charge times were measured with a separately sold 25 W adapter.

Samsung		Up to 24 hours of normal use; up to 38 hours in Low Power Mode; built-in lithium-ion

Times are based on Apple’s usage scenario; workouts, GPS and the Always-On display shorten them.

Apple
Operating systemWear OS Powered by Samsung (Wear OS 6), One UI 8 Watch

Setup and use need an Android 12 or later phone with more than 1.5 GB of memory and Google Mobile Services.

Samsung		—
SensorsBioActive sensor (optical heart rate, electrical heart signal, bioelectrical impedance), temperature, accelerometer, barometer, gyro, geomagnetic, light sensor, 3D Hall sensor

Health features are for general wellness and fitness, not medical diagnosis.

Samsung		—
LocationL1 + L5 dual-frequency GPS; GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo

The second frequency (L5) helps accuracy where signals bounce, such as among tall buildings or under trees.

Samsung		GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, BeiDou; compass, always-on altimeter Apple
ConnectivityBluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi 2.4 and 5 GHz, NFC; no LTE on this model Samsung—
Durability5ATM, IP68, MIL-STD-810H

5ATM suits surface water use such as swimming, not diving or high-speed water sports. Samsung says its MIL-STD-810H testing cycled the watch between –20 °C and 50 °C for 6 hours in total.

Samsung		—
ColoursBlack, white Samsung—
Front glass—Ion-X glass with ceramic coating

According to Apple, the coating gives twice the scratch resistance of the Series 10 Ion-X glass. Titanium cases use sapphire crystal.

Apple
Chip and storage—S10 SiP (64-bit dual-core processor, 4-core Neural Engine); W3 wireless chip; 64 GB Apple
Health sensors—Electrical heart sensor; third-generation optical heart sensor; blood oxygen sensor; temperature sensor

The electrical sensor records a single-lead ECG with the ECG app. According to Apple, blood oxygen and wrist temperature are for general wellness, not medical use.

Apple
Health notifications—Hypertension notifications; sleep apnea notifications; sleep score and sleep stages; irregular rhythm and high/low heart rate notifications

Hypertension notifications do not measure blood pressure; they alert when patterns in the optical sensor data suggest high blood pressure. According to Apple, they are not for users under 22, those already diagnosed with hypertension or pregnant users.

Apple
Water and dust resistance—50 m (ISO 22810:2010); IP6X dust

Suitable for shallow swimming in a pool or the sea; not for scuba diving, waterskiing or high-velocity water sports.

Apple
Wireless—Bluetooth 5.3; Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n) 2.4 and 5 GHz; second-generation Ultra Wideband; Apple Pay, GymKit

This GPS model has no cellular connection; calls and data come through the paired iPhone or Wi-Fi. Ultra Wideband availability varies by country.

Apple
Charging—About 80% in 30 minutes; 8 hours of use from 15 minutes; 8 hours of sleep tracking from 5 minutes

The box includes a Magnetic Fast Charger to USB-C cable; Apple’s fast-charge figures used a separately sold 20 W USB-C adapter.

Apple
Dimensions and weight—46 × 39 × 9.7 mm; 37.8 g; fits 140–245 mm wrists

The 42 mm aluminium GPS version weighs 30.3 g.

Apple
Compatibility—iPhone 11 or later, or iPhone SE (2nd generation or later), running iOS 26 or later

The watch cannot be used with Android phones.

Apple