Samsung Galaxy Watch5 (40 mm, Bluetooth) / Apple Watch Series 6 (40 mm, GPS)

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.

Apple Watch Series 6 (40 mm, GPS): Apple Watch Series 6, 40 mm aluminium case, GPS (2020). The 44 mm and GPS + Cellular versions, stainless steel/titanium cases and the Nike and Hermès editions are separate.

SpecificationSamsung Galaxy Watch5 (40 mm, Bluetooth)Apple Watch Series 6 (40 mm, GPS)
Release year20222020
Display1.2-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		Always-On Retina LTPO OLED; 324 × 394 pixels, 759 mm² display area; 1000 nits

The Always-On display keeps the time and complications visible with the wrist down.

Apple
Case and coloursArmor Aluminum case with Sport Band; Graphite, Pink Gold, Silver Samsung—
Size and weight39.3 × 40.4 × 9.8 mm; 28.7 g (without strap) Samsung40 × 34 × 10.7 mm; 30.5 g (aluminium, without band) Apple
ProcessorExynos W920, dual-core 1.18 GHz Samsung—
Memory and storage1.5 GB RAM; 16 GB internal storage Samsung—
Battery and charging284 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		Built-in lithium-ion battery; up to 18 hours; magnetic charging cable (1 m)

The 18-hour figure comes from Apple’s August 2020 testing with pre-production watches paired to an iPhone; it varies with use.

Apple
SoftwareAt 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		—
SensorsSamsung 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		—
ConnectivityBluetooth 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		—
Durability5ATM + IP68; MIL-STD-810H

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

Samsung		—
Case and version—40 mm aluminium case, GPS; Silver, Space Gray, Gold, Blue, (PRODUCT)RED

Stainless steel and titanium cases were only sold in the GPS + Cellular version. The 44 mm model uses the same chip but has a different display and weight.

Apple
Water resistance—50 metres (ISO 22810:2010)

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

Apple
Chip—S6 SiP with 64-bit dual-core processor; W3 wireless chip; U1 Ultra Wideband chip

Ultra Wideband availability varies by region.

Apple
Storage—32 GB Apple
Health sensors—Blood oxygen sensor (Blood Oxygen app), electrical heart sensor (ECG app), third-generation optical heart sensor

Apple states Blood Oxygen measurements are not for medical use and are only designed for general fitness and wellness. The ECG app is not intended for people under 22.

Apple
Other sensors and safety—Always-on altimeter, compass, accelerometer up to 32 g with fall detection, gyroscope, ambient light sensor; Emergency SOS

On the GPS model, Emergency SOS needs the iPhone nearby; otherwise the watch must be on a known Wi‑Fi network with Wi‑Fi Calling on. International emergency calling is only on the cellular model.

Apple
Wireless—Wi‑Fi 802.11b/g/n 2.4 and 5 GHz; Bluetooth 5.0

LTE and UMTS are only on GPS + Cellular models.

Apple
Other—Speaker, microphone, Apple Pay, GymKit; ceramic and sapphire crystal back Apple
Compatibility—Requires an iPhone 6s or later with iOS 14 or later Apple