Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 is the latest smartwatch by the Korean tech giant (released in August 2022), and it carries almost the same features and design philosophy as its predecessor, the Galaxy Watch 4.
The smartwatch aims to bring the same connected experience to Android Users as Apple Watch to iPhone users. It is powered by Google’s Wear 3.0 allowing you to tap into a large collection of third-party apps second only to WatchOS.
The watch can make a contactless payment, can summon a voice assistant to control IoT devices, and more importantly, can make calls and send texts without a phone. Of course, you get the same set of features on the Apple Watch.
The main difference between Galaxy Watch 5 and Apple Watch 7 is the operating system and subsequently the supported smartphones. Apple Watch 7 runs WatchOS and works with iPhone only; whereas, Galaxy Watch 5/5 Pro runs WearOS and supports only Android phones with most of the premium features locked only for Samsung Phone users.
Though both smartwatches cater to a different audience, this Galaxy Watch 5 vs Apple Watch 7 face-off will help you to know how these smartwatches stack up against each other. You will also get to know which company is leading the way in the wearable industry.
Table of Contents
Galaxy Watch 5 vs Apple Watch 7: General Comparison
| Galaxy Watch 5 | Galaxy Watch 5 Pro | Apple Watch 7 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Release Date | August 10, 2022 | August 10, 2022 | Oct 15, 2021 |
| Predecessor | Galaxy Watch 4 | Galaxy Watch 4 Classic | Apple Watch Series 6 |
| Company | Samsung | Samsung | Apple |
| Operating System | WearOS (One UI) | WearOS (One UI) | WatchOS |
| Compatible Smartphones | Android (Works best with Samsung) | Android (Works best with Samsung) | iPhone (Works best with iPhone 13) |
| Competition | Fitbit Sense, Ticwatch Pro 4G, Garmin Venu 2 | Garmin Fenix 7, Garmin Instinct 2, Polar Vantage 2 | Galaxy Watch 4, Fitbit Versa 3, Fossil Gen 6 |
| Sensors | Samsung BioActive Sensor (Optical Heart Rate + Electrical Heart Signal + Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis), Temperature Sensor, Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyro Sensor, Geomagnetic Sensor, Light Sensor | Samsung BioActive Sensor (Optical Heart Rate + Electrical Heart Signal + Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis), Temperature Sensor, Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyro Sensor, Geomagnetic Sensor, Light Sensor | Accelerometer, gyro, heart rate, barometer, Electrical Heart Signal + Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis, always-on altimeter, compass, SpO2, Ambient Light Sensor |
Price and Value:
| Galaxy Watch 5 | Galaxy Watch 5 Pro | Apple Watch 7 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth/GPS | 40mm: $279 | 44mm: $299 | $449 | 41mm: $399 | 45mm: $429 |
| LTE | 40mm: 329 | 44mm: $349 | $499 | 41mm: $499 | 45mm: $529 |
Let’s start with the Galaxy Watch First. GW5 starts at around $279 for a 40mm Bluetooth model, and as you can find in the table above, you will pay a $20-50 premium if you choose a large size to match your wrist or LTE connectivity to get true standalone experience.
Galaxy Watch 5 Pro is available in one size (45mm) and it also has a $50 difference between its LTE and Bluetooth model.
Just like Samsung, Apple also tiered the pricing of AW7 based on its sizes and connectivity (LTE or GPS). However, Apple also takes into account the casing material of the watch and charges a heavy premium for more durable cases.
The aluminum casing is the standard, and the prices mentioned in the above table are for the base model. However, if you go with the stainless steel or Titanium model, you might have to pay around $700-800 USD.
Winner: Galaxy Watch 5/5 Pro
Design & Display:
| Galaxy Watch 5 | Galaxy Watch 5 Pro | Apple Watch 7 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 40mm: 39.3 x 40.4 x 9.8 mm |44mm: 43.3 x 44.4 x 9.8 mm, 33.5g | 45.4 x 45.4 x 10.5 mm | 41mm: 41 x 35 x 10.7 mm | 45mm: 45 x 38 x 10.7 mm |
| Buttons | 2 Buttons | 2 Buttons | 2 Buttons (Digital Crown + Side Button)) |
| Weight | 40mm: 28.7g | 44mm: 33.5g | 46.5g | 41mm: Aluminum: 32.0g, Stainless Steel: 42.3g, Titanium: 37.0g | 45mm: Aluminum: 38.8g, Stainless Steel: 51.5g, Titanium: 45.1g |
| Colors | Graphite, Silver, Sapphire, Pink Gold | Black Titanium, Gray Titanium | Midnight, Starlight, Green, Blue, RED |
| Band Size | 20mm (M/L) | 20mm (M/L) | 41mm: 22mm | 45mm: 24mm |
| Casing Material | Aluminum | Titanium | Aluminum, Stainless Steel, Titanium |
| Strap Material | Silicone | Silicone | Silicone |
| Screen (Resolution) | 40mm: 1.2 inches Super AMOLED (396×396 Pixels) | 44mm: 1.4 inches, Super AMOLED (450×450 Pixels) | 1.4 inches, Super AMOLED, 450×450 Pixels | 41mm: Retina LTPO OLED, 352 by 430 pixels | 45mm: Retina LTPO OLED, 396 by 484 pixels | |
| Screen Protection | Sapphire Crystal Glass | Sapphire Crystal Glass | Ion-X strengthened glass, Sapphire Glass (only in Titanium and Stainless steel models) |
| Always-on Display | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Bezel | Touch Rotating Bezel | Physical Rotating Bezel | No |
| Waterproofing | 5 ATM (up to 50m) | Suitable for Shower, Swimming | 5 ATM (up to 50m) | Suitable for Shower, Swimming | 5 ATM (up to 50m) | Suitable for Shower, Swimming |
Apple Watch 7 is famous for its iconic squirrel design with a digital crown and button on one side. The screen-to-bezel ratio is minimum, so a high-resolution Retina display takes up the most real estate. It comes in two sizes(41 & 45mm), three casing materials (Aluminium, Stainless Steel), and an interchangeable strap option.
Galaxy Watch 5 and 5 Pro follow a traditional round design with subtle improvements. The screen resolution matches that of Apple’s retina display, and the touch is highly responsive. Galaxy Watches are considerably lighter in weight in comparison to watches.
The base GW5 model comes in an Aluminium casing and is more susceptible to damage than the standard Apple Watch 7.
However, you can also go for the GW5 Pro variant or iWatch Titanium model by paying a premium if durability is a deal-breaker for you. By the way, Samsung features sapphire glass on all its models giving it a plus point in terms of overall durability.
All these watches are water resistant for up to 50m (5 ATM Rated). So you can shower, bathe and swim with all of them on your wrist.
Winner: Tied
Smartwatch Features:
| Galaxy Watch 5 | Galaxy Watch 5 Pro | Apple Watch 7 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operating System | WearOS | WearOS | WatchOS |
| Connectivity Options | Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi(802.11 a/b/g/n 2.4+5GHz), GPS, LTE | Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n 2.4+5GHz), GPS, LTE | Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS, LTE |
| Processor | Exynos W920 | Exynos W920 | Dual-core processor with Apple S7 chipset |
| RAM | 1.5GB RAM | 1.5GB RAM | 1 GB RAM |
| Storage | 16GB | 16GB | 32 GB |
| Speaker & Mic | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Companion App | Galaxy Wearable | Galaxy Wearable | Watch |
| Contactless Payment (NFC) | Samsung+Google Pay | Samsung+Google Pay | Apple Pay |
| Standalone Calling and Texting | Yes (LTE model) | Yes (LTE model) | Yes (LTE model) |
| Voice Assistant | Bixby, Google Assistant | Bixby, Google Assistant | Yes (Siri) |
| Timer & Alarms | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Popular Apps | Strava, Spotify, Google Maps, Youtube Music, Google Keep, Google Pay, Nike Run Club | Strava, Spotify, Google Maps, Youtube Music, Google Keep, Google Pay, Nike Run Club | Headspace, Strava, Spotify, Mapmyrun, Hole19, Watchto5K, HeartHive, Seven – 7 Minute Workout |
Despite the fact that these watches are running two competing operating systems, they offer more or less the same smarts. You can make calls and send texts on these watches without having them connected to your smartphone.
You can seamlessly switch between your watch and smartphone during calls, and we stand by the mic and speaker performance of these watches. These features are not gimmicks but truly functional.
All these watches have NFC support, which essentially means they can make contactless payments with just a single tap (a useful feature when you don’t want to carry your wallet while out on a run).
There is also support for major music streaming platforms like Spotify, you can download playlists for offline listening or can play them over the internet.
Despite all the features in common, Apple Watch 7 has an upper hand in this battle due mainly to its responsive, fast, and refined user interface.
Anybody familiar with wearable operating systems knows that WearOS is still way behind WatchOS. Samsung’s efforts to personalize the platform by adding top-notch features from retired TizenOS are not enough without Google’s contribution in overhauling it for the good of both partners.
Winner: Apple Watch 7
Health & Fitness:
| Galaxy Watch 5 | Galaxy Watch 5 Pro | Apple Watch 7 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heart Rate Tracking | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Sleep Monitoring | Yes (Advanced) | Yes (Advanced) | Yes (Basic) |
| Stress Tracking | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| ECG Monitoring | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Blood Oxygen Saturation (SpO2) monitoring | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Body Composition | Yes | Yes | No |
| Blood Pressure Tracking | Yes | Yes | NO |
| Workouts | 30+ | 30+ | 50+ |
| Automatic Workout Tracking | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| GPS Tracking | Yes +Glonass/Beidou/Galileo | Yes +Glonass/Beidou/Galileo | Yes + GLONASS/ GALILEO/ QZSS/ BDS |
The health monitoring on these watches is almost identical, and as far as the accuracy is concerned, both Apple and Samsung have got FDA approval for many of their features.
However, there are a few differences to point out here. The native sleep tracking on Apple Watch 7 is pretty basic, and Apple is looking for a solution in the upcoming WatchOS9.
Samsung not only offers advanced sleep tracking but also offers a Body Composition metric that covers overall health and fitness level in terms of your body fat percentage.
The addition of a skin temperature sensor is likely going to contribute to the overall sleep tracking accuracy of the Galaxy Watch 5. The aim is to shrink the space for other wearables like the OURA ring.
As far as sports tracking is concerned, all these watches have the required sensors like an accelerometer, altimeter, gyroscope, compass, and multi-satellite navigation support.
There are plenty of workouts onboard but the metrics covered are pretty basic compared to dedicated sports watches by Garmin, Polar, and Suunto.
Winner: Galaxy Watch 5/5 Pro
Battery Life & Charging:
| Galaxy Watch 5 | Galaxy Watch 5 Pro | Apple Watch 7 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Size | 40mm: 284mAh | 44mm: 410mAh | 590mAh | Not Specified. |
| Expected Battery Performance | Almost 50 hours | Almost 80 hours | Almost 18-20 hours |
| Fast Charging Support | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Almost all WearOS-powered smartwatches share a major drawback: poor battery performance. Both battery size and processor’s power efficiency contribute to overall battery life.
Samsung has addressed this issue by fitting a 15% larger battery in GW5 as compared to its predecessor adding almost 10 hours of performance. This is a remarkable feat if you take into account the size of the watch, which is identical to the Galaxy Watch 4.
Apple Watch 7 stands no chance in this battle with an average battery performance of 15-18 hours which essentially means that you will have to charge it overnight.
All of these watches support ‘Fast Charging’ so they can juice up pretty fast. Galaxy Watch 5 is the company’s first to add this long-awaited feature.
Keep in mind that these battery performance claims are mere estimates for day-to-day use. For power users who tend to use GPS and LTE connectivity for longer hours, the battery performance would definitely take a toll.
Winner: Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro
Apple Watch 7 vs. Samsung Galaxy Watch 5: Ultimate Winner?
AW7 is the top choice for iOS users, while the Galaxy Watch 5 is the current best smartwatch for Android users, especially those who have Samsung phones.
This Apple Watch 7 vs. Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 face-off might not be very useful for those who want to pick a smartwatch for their phones as they are geared towards a distinctively different audience, but it tells us a lot about the latest maneuvers of tech titans in the wearable industry.
In our opinion, Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 is offering more value to its users: it has almost the same smarts, can track more metrics than Apple watch, offers more battery juice, and much more.
If its partner, Google, managed to deliver its performance by making WearOS user-friendly, responsive, and power-efficient, their alliance will definitely dethrone Apple in the industry.