Samsung’s new Galaxy Watch 4 series is here. It includes the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic that carries a classic timepiece look, as its name suggests. With Apple Watch Series 6 being the gold standard in the smartwatch market, it’s natural to compare the new Samsung smartwatch with the Apple offering, and that’s what we are going to do here. We're going to pit the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic vs. the Apple Watch Series 6 to see how the two smartwatches stack up against each other.
Navigate this guide:
- Specifications
- Design and Display
- Internals
- OS and Smartphone Support
- Health and Wellness Features
- Pricing
- Which one should you buy?
Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic vs Apple Watch Series 6: Specifications
Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic |
Apple Watch Series 6 |
|
---|---|---|
Display |
|
|
Processor |
Exynos W920 (5nm) |
Apple S6 |
Memory |
|
32GB internal storage |
Dimension and Weight |
|
|
Battery |
|
Up to 18 hours |
Sensor |
Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyro Sensor, Geomagnetic Sensor, Light Sensor, Samsung BioActive Sensor (Optical Heart Rate Sensor + Electrical heart sensor + Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis Sensor) |
Compass, Altimeter, Blood oxygen sensor, Electrical heart sensor, optical heart sensor, Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Ambient light sensor |
Connectivity |
Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, NFC, LTE (optional) |
Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, LTE (optional) |
Durability |
5ATM + IP68 / MIL-STD-810G |
Water-resistant up to 50 meters |
Price |
Starts at $349.99 |
Starts at $399 |
Design and Display
In short, the designs of the Samsung and Apple smartwatches are very different. While Samsung has gone with a traditional timepiece look and a rotating bezel for navigation, you’ll get a rectangular, curvy design with a digital crown for navigation on the Apple Watch Series 6.
There are quite a few color and material choices on the Apple Watch, whereas with the Samsung Watch, you’ll be limited to stainless steel and three colors. That said, you can also go for the regular Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 that's made of aluminum and comes in more colors.
It's hard to compare the display size of these smartwatches, given their different shapes, but you get an always-on OLED display on both with almost the same pixels per inch (PPI). Samsung also uses Corning Gorilla Glass with DX to protect the display, while Apple has packed Ion-X Glass on the lower-end models and Sapphire-crystal glass on the higher-end models. While the Ion-X Glass is similar to the Gorilla Glass in terms of performance, the Sapphire-crystal glass is typically more robust and durable.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic vs Apple Watch Series 6: Internals
The Apple Watch Series 6 comes with the company’s dual-core S6 processor. On the other hand, you’ll get the dual-core Exynos W920 in the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic. Both chips are capable of delivering outstanding performance.
Additionally, there's GPS support, Bluetooth 5.0, and Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n in both smartwatches. The Series 6 also includes 32GB internal storage, a blood oxygen sensor, electrical heart sensor, and optical heart sensor. In comparison, the Watch 4 Classic comes with 16GB internal storage and the company’s new BioActive Sensor that can read optical heart rate, electrical heart rate, blood oxygen level, and calculate body composition.
OS and Smartphone Compatibility
The Galaxy Watch 4 Classic runs on “Wear OS Powered by Samsung,” a new smartwatch platform developed by Google and Samsung. It includes elements of both regular Wear OS and Tizen. Over the latest Wear OS version, Samsung is also using its One UI Watch interface.
Samsung says the Watch 4 Classic will only work with Android 6.0 or above devices with Google Mobile Services (GMS). Meaning iPhones and Huawei Android phones with GMS are out of luck.
Thanks to the new Wear OS version, the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic gets access to both Google and Samsung apps, like Google Maps, Samsung Pay, SmartThings, and Bixby; and third-party apps, like Calm, Strava, Spotify, and Adidas Running.
The Apple Watch Series 6 runs on watchOS 7. It comes with access to a pretty extensive selection of apps through the App Store. Almost every app that one can get on the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic is also available on the App Store, and there are lots more. The onboard apps selection on the Series 6 is also great.
In terms of device compatibility, the Series 6, like its predecessors, only supports iPhones. There's no Android support.
Overall, in terms of software and app availability, the Series 6 has the edge over the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic, but it will be interesting to see how Wear OS 3 with One UI Watch shapes up in the coming months.
Heath and Wellness Features
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 and Apple Watch Series 6 include a host of health, wellness, and smartphone-companion features.
The Galaxy Watch 4 Classic’s BioActive Sensor can monitor your blood pressure, detect an AFib irregular heartbeat, and measure blood oxygen levels. It can also calculate your body composition with details about skeletal muscle, basal metabolic rate, body water, and body fat percentage.
Additionally, the smartwatch offers a wide range of guided workouts and advanced sleep tracking with the ability to detect and record your snores.
On the other hand, the Apple Watch Series 6 can track your blood oxygen level, heart rate and generate ECG whenever you want. It can also track your sleep and help you achieve your personal sleep goals.
Additionally, the watch offers several workout modes with precise metrics. There is access to the paid Fitness+ subscription, which gives you a catalog of workouts by expert trainers and more.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic vs Apple Watch Series 6: Pricing
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic starts at $349.99 and is offered in Bluetooth and LTE variants. There are 42mm and 46mm sizes. The Apple Watch Series 6 starts at $399 and is offered in GPS and GPS + Cellular variants. There are 40mm and 44mm sizes for the Series 6.
Which one should you buy?
The decision between the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic and the Apple Watch Series 6 is pretty easy, and is very much dependent on which smartphone you use. If you have an Android phone, the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic makes sense. But if you own an iPhone, there's no better watch than the Apple Watch Series 6. That said, if you’re in the market for both a new smartwatch and a new smartphone -- and a smartwatch is going to play a vital role in your buying decision -- the Apple Watch Series 6, with its more comprehensive app support, is still a better option.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic comes in 42mm and 46mm sizes. It also runs on the new ‘Wear OS Powered by Samsung’ platform.
Apple Watch Series 6
Apple Watch Series 6 is the company’s flagship smartwatch. It's offered in 40mm and 44mm case sizes, and comes in GPS only and GPS + Cellular variants.
Which of the two smartwatches are you planning to buy? Let us know in the comments section. Also, check out the best bands for the Galaxy Watch 4 if you're buying the smartwatch.