Apple Watch Series 8 vs Samsung Galaxy Watch 6

As Samsung launches the brand new Galaxy Watch 6 series, it's time to compare how the company's latest effort compares to Apple's current model, the Apple Watch Series 8.

This year, Samsung has introduced a couple of new models with the Galaxy Watch 6 and Galaxy Watch 6 Classic. The former is a slightly less expensive option, sacrificing a few key features to help save on cost, while the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic bumps the price, materials, and size a bit.

But, for comparison's sake, we'll take a look at how Samsung's new Galaxy Watch 6 stacks up to the Apple Watch Series 8.

The Apple Watch Series 8 features a square design with rounded edges, keeping up with a familiar design. The watch comes in either a 41mm or 45mm size, with the screen measuring 1.7 inches or 1.9 inches, respectively.

The 41mm Apple Watch Series 8 has a screen resolution of 352x430, and the 45mm model's screen resolution is set at 396x484. Both sizes feature Apple's LTPO OLED Retina always-on display, which can reach up to 1,000 nits of brightness.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 has a more traditional round design in either 40mm or 44mm sizes. The slightly smaller watch features a 1.3-inch Sapphire Display, while the larger model boasts a 1.5-inch Sapphire Display.

The 40mm option has a screen resolution of 432x432, while the 44mm option boasts a 480x480 screen resolution. They are both Super AMOLED panels.

The 41mm Apple Watch Series 8 weighs 31.9g in its GPS-only model and jumps up to 32.2g for the GPS + Cellular option. The Stainless Steel GPS + Cellular option weighs 42.3g.

The 45mm model starts at 38.8g for the aluminum GPS model, while the aluminum GPS + Cellular variant weighs 39.1g.

Meanwhile, the Galaxy Watch 6 weighs 28.7g for the 40mm variant, while the 44mm model weighs 33.3g.

The Apple Watch Series 8 and Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 share a similar material, with the cost-conscious options both featuring aluminum construction. For those wanting to spend a bit more and upgrade the material, the Apple Watch Series 8 also comes in Stainless Steel, while the Galaxy Watch 6 does not (unless you opt for the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic).

The Apple Watch Series 8 features Apple's proprietary 64-bit dual-core S8 "system-in-package", or SiP. It is also equipped with Apple's W3 wireless chip to provide wireless connectivity like WiFi and Bluetooth, and the U1 for Ultra Wideband for spatial awareness and precise location.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 uses the company's proprietary Exynos W930, which is also a dual-core design clocked at 1.4GHz.

The Apple Watch Series 8 is equipped with 32GB of built-in storage and 1GB of RAM. The Galaxy Watch 6 boasts 2GB of RAM and 16GB of built-in storage.

Samsung packed a lot of health and fitness features into its latest smartwatch, with a lot that mirrors those of the Apple Watch.

That includes a brand new sleep experience, which features Advanced Sleep Coaching.

With this feature, Samsung says users can work on building better sleep habits, while it detects snoring, supports planning a sleep schedule, and understands sleep stages.

The Galaxy Watch 6 and Apple Watch Series 8 support skin temperature readings, which it measures while the wearer sleeps. With this feature, the smartwatches can track one's monthly period, fertility windows, and ovation cycles.

The built-in heart rate monitor in the Galaxy Watch 6 can detect irregular heart rhythms like atrial fibrillation, or Afib.

The Galaxy Watch 6 and Apple Watch Series 8 can also automatically detect when you're starting a workout, including running, an outdoor walk, rowing, and more. The smartwatch also supports tracking heart rate zones, which helps maintain heart rates for specific activities.

The Galaxy Watch 6 does feature an extra element the Apple Watch Series 8 doesn't: Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis or BIA sensor. With this feature, the smartwatch can detect Body Mass Index (BMI), body water, skeletal muscle, body fat, and more.

The Apple Watch Series 8 features a 308mAh battery in both variants. The smartwatch is capable of getting up to 18 hours of battery life on a single charge, or it can get up to 30 hours from a single charge if Low Power Mode is activated.

Meanwhile, battery sizes differ a little between the two Galaxy Watch 6 sizes. The 40mm smartwatch features a 300mAh battery, while the 44mm option has a 425mAh battery.

But either way, the Galaxy Watch 6 can get up to 30 hours of battery life when the always-on display feature is switched on, or up to 40 hours of battery life on a single charge when that feature is switched off.

Both the Apple Watch Series 8 and Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 feature Fall Detection. This means that if you're wearing either watch and you happen to fall down, the built-in accelerometer can detect the motion and alert emergency services if necessary.

If a fall has been detected, whether it's a false positive or not, the user can tap a button to dismiss the notification and not have the device alert emergency services.

The Apple Watch Series 8 also supports Crash Detection, which works similarly to Fall Detection, except for car accidents. When an accident is detected, the smartwatch can automatically connect to emergency services unless the user dismisses the prompt.

The Galaxy Watch 6 does not support crash detection.

The aluminum Apple Watch Series 8 is available in several colors: Midnight, Starlight, Silver, and (PRODUCT)RED. The Stainless Steel variant comes in Gold, Silver, and Graphite.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 is available in Graphite and Gold in the 40mm size, while the 44mm option comes in Graphite and Silver.

The aluminum Apple Watch Series 8 starts at $399 for the 41mm GPS-only model and jumps up to $429 for the GPS + Cellular variant. The price starts at $699 for the 41mm option that comes standard with GPS + Cellular and is $749 for the 45mm option.

The 40mm Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 starts at $299.99 for the Bluetooth/WiFi model, and $349.99 for the model with built-in LTE. The 44mm starts at $329.99 for the GPS/WiFi model and costs $379.99 for the LTE-equipped variant.

If you're an Apple user and you're in the market for a smartwatch, the Apple Watch is the way to go for most people. The built-in synchronicity between Apple's devices is second-to-none, and the Apple Watch serves as a natural extension of Apple's other platforms.

Plus, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 doesn't support iOS anyway.

If you're an Android user who doesn't use Samsung-branded smartphones, though, there are a variety of other options to consider. But if you're looking for that seamless, single-ecosystem experience and you do use a Samsung smartphone, a Galaxy Watch 6 might be the way to go for most people.

The Apple Watch Series 8 is available from Apple, Amazon, and a variety of other outlets.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 is available to pre-order from Samsung's website, Amazon, and Best Buy.

Over the course of a decade and some change, Evan's covered all sorts of topics for a variety of different publications. He joined AppleInsider in 2023.