Apple Watch 6 vs. Samsung Galaxy Watch 3: Which smartwatch is best?

Apple Lookout 6 vs. Samsung Galaxy Sentinel 3: Which smartwatch is best?

(Epitome credit: Future)

The Apple Watch 6 vs. Samsung Milky way Watch iii showdown is the one we've anticipated all twelvemonth. Both of these flagship smartwatches arrived with refreshed features, faster software and hot new wellness sensors, too as an identical $399 starting cost.

The Samsung Galaxy Sentinel 3 offers a slimmer design, greater music storage and more fitness features than the original. But it's not as slim, has less storage and fewer working health tools than the Apple tree Sentinel Series vi. Though both tout FDA-approved ECG monitor and SpO2 readings, there's more to consider in the boxing for the best smartwatches crown.

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For one, the Apple tree Watch can only be set up with an iPhone, isolating the Android user base. Simply a new Family Share mode ways someone with a iPhone can assign an Apple Sentry to a not-iPhone user via LTE. Of course, the Galaxy Watch remains uniform with both iOS and Android.

Though the Apple tree Watch 6 edges out the Samsung Milky way Lookout three in our final rankings, there are additional factors that might take you torn betwixt the Apple Watch half-dozen vs Galaxy Lookout man three. Read on for a rundown of how the two compare.

Apple Sentinel 6 vs. Samsung Galaxy Lookout 3: Specs compared

	Apple Watch Series 6	Samsung Galaxy Watch 3
Starting Price	$399 (GPS) $499 (GPS + Cellular)	$399 (Bluetooth) $449 (Bluetooth + LTE)
Bombardment Life	xviii hours	ii days
Size	40mm, 44mm	41mm, 45mm
Colors	Silvery, gold, infinite grey, bluish, Production Red	Mystic Blackness, Mystic White, Mystic Bronze
Water resistance	Up to 50 meters (swim-proof)	Upwards to l meters (swim-proof)
Music storage	32 GB	eight GB
GPS	Yes	Yes
ECG monitor	Yep	Yes
Slumber tracking	Yes	Yes
Mobile payments	Apple Pay	Samsung Pay

Apple Watch 6 vs. Samsung Galaxy Sentinel three: Prices

The Apple tree Watch six and Milky way Watch 3 accept the same starting price of $399. This gets you either the 41mm model of the Galaxy Lookout 3 or the 40mm model of the Apple Spotter Series 6. For the 44mm Apple Lookout or larger, 45mm Galaxy Watch 3, you'll trounce out $429.

Where you'll run into a pregnant price divergence is LTE connectivity. Samsung asks for an boosted $fifty on top of the Galaxy Watch 3's base price for it to work independently from your phone. Apple, meanwhile, sells its flagship LTE models at a $100 premium. If yous want a more than affordable Apple Scout with LTE, the Apple Watch SE is a good option.

Apple tree Sentry 6 vs. Samsung Galaxy Sentinel iii: Blueprint

The Apple Watch'southward appearance remains the same six years in, which could be why its design comes to listen when most people hear the word "smartwatch." The iconic squircle still lends a modern look, but looks fifty-fifty amend in sectional new Production Red and blue finishes.

The Milky way Picket three looks more like a traditional watch. It strikes a residuum of being a handy piece of tech and a manner-forward wrist accompaniment, complete with a clever rotating bezel yous can use to navigate menus.

While the slender Apple Scout holds an edge in slimness and comfort, the circular Galaxy Lookout 3 did eliminate some of the size and bulk of original while increasing display real manor. When you lot compare the two side-by-side, the Galaxy Watch is clearly bolder.

The Galaxy Watch 3 also comes with elegant, leather-like bands, while the Apple tree Spotter ships with sport bands. You can replace the straps on either device with any Milky way Lookout man-uniform band or any of the all-time Apple Spotter bands, though.

Apple Watch 6 vs. Samsung Galaxy Watch iii: Brandish

The Apple Watch 6 has an always-on display like the Serial 5, although it's brighter this time around. But it'south non the but smartwatch that lets you see the time without raising to wake. The Samsung Milky way Watch three's screen is always-on, also.

Both watches have beautiful OLED touchscreen displays that are easily viewable, even in directly sun. The Apple Lookout man's screen is a lilliputian college-res (448 x 368) than the Galaxy Sentinel 3's (360 x 360), just the deviation isn't noticeable to the naked eye.

Apple Watch six vs. Samsung Galaxy Spotter 3: Health and fettle features

The Apple Sentinel has built an impressive reputation for its fitness tracking and health tools. With Apple Lookout Series iv'south FDA-cleared ECG sensor, which is capable of detecting atrial fibrillation, Apple raised the stakes. Now, with the Apple tree Watch vi, information technology's hoping to put blood oxygen (SpO2) monitoring on the map.

Samsung, nonetheless, also offers SpO2 monitoring, and answered Apple with an ECG sensor of its own on the Galaxy Scout Active 2. The middle health readings didn't receive FDA approval until the Milky way Lookout man 3's reveal, although the software is at present live and offers a potentially life-saving capability. The same can be said for trip detection, which is old news for the Apple Lookout but a smart feature Samsung finally copied this year.

Both the Galaxy Watch three and Apple Lookout Serial 6 offer sleep tracking, too. We've found the previous Galaxy Watch'southward sleep logs aren't 100% accurate, just neither is Apple Scout'south. However, Apple tree Lookout man sleep tracking has helped us develop some semblance of a slumber schedule.

When information technology comes to fettle, these rivaling smartwatches offer a large catalog of preset workouts, equally well every bit automatic workout-tracking for when you forget to select an activity. The Galaxy Picket 3 and Apple Watch also tout VO2 max readings, which is considered a cardinal metric for runners. As exercise accessories, these wearables are pretty much neck and neck.

Apple Watch 6 vs. Samsung Milky way Watch 3: Apps and music storage

The Apple Watch 6 and Samsung Milky way Watch three both have native app stores for browsing and installing programs that aid you make the almost of the user experience. Some apps extensions of smartphone programs, while others are unique to each smartwatch's skillset.

At that place are a few big names that support Tizen Os, like Spotify. With the Milky way Watch 3's 8GB of music storage, y'all can save tunes for offline play blackness with a Spotify Premium subscription.

Y'all can't store Spotify music on the Apple tree Picket, but if you subscribe to Apple Music, you tin download and stream playlists in that location. Yous'll as well become a lot more storage: 32GB.

Apple Watch 6 vs. Samsung Galaxy Spotter 3: Battery life

Neither of these smartwatches are celebrated for their battery life. Truth of the matter is that if you lot're going to wear a loftier-performing smartwatch regularly, you'll need to comply with charging up several times a week, if non every solar day.

The Galaxy Lookout man three tin can concluding up to two days, although depending on workout tracking and display settings you could only become 24 hours. The Apple Watch half dozen's eighteen-hour cap is a little more reliable.

If you desire a smartwatch with a battery that lasts a calendar week or longer, you might demand to explore other wearable brands. Check out our guide to choosing the best Fitbit, for example.

Apple Scout six vs. Samsung Milky way Watch 3: Which should y'all buy?

This Apple tree Watch 6 vs. Samsung Galaxy Watch iii face-off is different from terminal year's marquee Apple Watch v vs. Samsung Galaxy Sentry Active ii face-off in several means. The question isn't which of these smartwatches are meliorate — both take an FDA-approved ECG sensor, SpO2 monitoring, trip detection and other game-irresolute features — information technology'southward which is right for y'all.

In about cases, we'd recommend Android users go the Galaxy Lookout man three, while iPhone users get the Apple Watch 6. Neither visitor tipped the scales plenty to split up the corresponding phone camps.

Next: Smartwatch ownership guide

Kate Kozuch is a senior writer at Tom's Guide covering wearables, TVs and everything smart-domicile related. When she'due south non in cyborg mode, you tin find her on an practise bike or channeling her inner glory chef. She and her robot army will rule the globe one day, only until then, reach her at kate.kozuch@futurenet.com.