The Apple Watch 6 vs the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 is undoubtedly the smartwatch battle that dominated 2020.

And with pricing for the Galaxy Watch 3 now having dropped following the launch of the newer Galaxy Watch 4, you may be even more tempted to opt for last year’s model, over the more expensive new Apple Watch.

Smartwatches
Here to help you decide between the two we’ve created this guide to detail the two wearables features, faster software and usability, based on our time using both.

Perhaps we can discover a little bit from what watchmakers have been doing for a long time. Business like Tag Heuer, Seiko, Swatch and also numerous others create a great range of watch models every year. On the surface, they have definitely nothing alike, some have a stainless-steel casing, various other are covered in Swarovski crystals, some reveal the date, others hardly have any type of numbers on them. Looking past the surface area discloses comparable or perhaps identical clock activities that power these watches. As these movements are comprise a complicated and also elaborate network of springtimes, weights and equipments, one can recognize that watch manufacturers would wish to make use of a style for as lengthy as feasible. It would just take also lengthy to make a brand-new motion for each new layout of a watch.

Therefore, the use of modules in watch style is necessary to getting designs off the designing table to the production floor as swiftly as feasible. The less movements required to deal with a big series of watches the much better it is for the watch manufacturers.

In a manner, this is what Google has done with Android along with. Google has developed an useful as well as versatile os that cell phone manufacturers can take, fine-tune as well as deliver with their equipment. By developing a base OS that can be dispatched to mobiles that hold vastly different hardware, Google has actually had the ability to make sure that Android-powered mobile phones currently outnumber the wildly popular Apple iPhone. Currently, you can obtain an Android smart phone in a range of versions with various technical specs and also costs that you can decide on which hardware suits you best, understanding that the software program experience will be generally comparable.

For smartwatches, this has not been the case. For each smartwatch around, there is an exclusive os that powers it. This suggests that the user experience is vastly different for each smartwatch model. It also indicates that the makers of the smartwatches have to split their initiatives and sources into two components, view layout and also OS growth. While application advancement can occasionally be “outsourced” to 3rd party developers, the software application development set (SDK) has to be developed and also this takes some time and also sources also.



Price
Below you can see the two watch’s official RRPs.

Watch Apple Watch 6 Samsung Galaxy Watch3
Price UK Pounds £379 £399
Price US Dollars $399 $399
Price CA Dollars $529 $399
Price AU Dollars $599 $649
Price Euros €429 N.A

However, since the Galaxy Watch 4, the 3’s price has radically dropped at many retailers. If you look on eBay we’ve seen some retailers selling it for close to half it’s original price, so it actually now the cheaper option of the two in most instances.


Features & Specs
But as we well know, price isn’t everything and more often than not you get what you pay for in the world of tech.

However, despite not being the latest mode, the Galaxy Watch 3 still stacks up pretty well against at a hardware level. It has a solid amount of memory, 8GB of storage, which makes it significantly better for music and other file space than most smartwatches.

However, the Apple Watch 6 still beats it her, as it has four times that space with 32GB of storage. So when it comes to memory for music and files, the Apple Watch 6 is the clear winner.

The Apple Watch 6 runs on a watchOS operating system. The watchOS offers great app support and comes with a dedicated app store. The Galaxy Watch 3 runs the Tizen operating system and grants access to all the apps available from the Galaxy store. This opens the user to a range of many different apps. However, the app support is poor in comparison to watchOS.

You also have to factor in the fact that Samsung’s shifted its focus to Google’s Wear OS, so even if it gets security updates Tizen’s app offering is unlikely to radically improve in the future. So the Apple Watch is also much more futureproof.

Both the Apple Watch 6 and the Galaxy Watch 3 have standard GPS and need to be connected to a nearby smartphone for most operations. However, the two also have the option of a cellular chip at an additional cost that allows them to operate out of reach of the smartphone they are connected to.

Design
The design and display of the Apple Watch 6 and the Galaxy Watch 3 are where the two watches most differ. The Galaxy Watch 3 has a circular display and it looks and feels like a traditional timepiece. The Apple Watch 6 has stuck with the same square display of the previous models, which has always given the watches a futuristic tech quality. By continuing with the same design, the Apple Watch is fast becoming the most recognizable smartwatch on the market.

The Galaxy Watch 3 has a rotating bezel to top off its traditional look. The bezel allows you to scroll through menus with a physical input as well as the touch command. This is a lovely addition that both improves the interface with the Tizen operating system and adds a touch of class and familiarity by playing on traditional designs. The watch is also available in both stainless steel and titanium, both of which render it comfortable to wear, sturdy, and visually attractive.

The Apple Watch 6 uses a digital crown for navigation. Traditionally, the crown of a watch was used to adjust the time and date on the face, but here it has a similar function to the home button on an iPhone. The watch also comes with options of red and blue base colors. The red is a bold and striking look, whereas the blue is a smarter, more subtle option.

Both the Apple and the Galaxy models have two different size options and have a wide range of straps available. The Galaxy Watch 3 comes in 41mm and 45mm, and the Apple Watch 6 has options of 40mm and 44mm. Both watches look immaculate, but the Apple watch is slightly slimmer and lighter than the Galaxy, which gives it a sleeker, less bulky feel. This, in our experience, makes it a better option for people with small wrists, or people looking for a more subtle looking wearable.

Both watches have an always-on display, which allows you to see the time without waking the device. They each also have OLED touchscreen displays that are easily viewable. OLED is an Organic LED display screen that works without a backlight. This enables you to see the screen even when if you are in very strong sunshine.

The Apple Watch 6’s screen has a higher resolution (448 x 368) than the Galaxy Watch 3 (360 x 360), so the imaging on the Apple is slightly sharper but we found the difference is hardly noticeable on screens this size during testing.

Battery
Samsung claims that the battery life of the Galaxy Watch 3 is around two days. This pips the battery life of the Apple Watch 6, which Apple claim is 18 hours.

During our tests, we found that the Galaxy Watch 3’s battery life can last up to two days. However, when we used things like GPS the battery life was more around 24 hours. The Apple Watch 6 was a bit more reliable and did last around 18 hours even when the fitness and location features were in use.

The great thing about the Apple Watch 6’s battery is its charging time. In our tests, we found that it takes a mere 1.5 hours to reach full charge from empty. This is half the three hours it took for Galaxy Watch 3 to return to a full battery from flat.

The Galaxy Watch 3 uses wireless charging which makes it very easy to charge and does not restrict its charging ports. The Apple Watch 6 on the other hand still requires a dedicated charger, so it will not be rechargeable if the battery dies and you don’t have the right cable to hand.