Samsung Galaxy Watch vs Apple Watch: The Definitive Comparison 2026
The two big names in smartwatches go head-to-head. If you’re choosing between the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 and the Apple Watch Series 11, this comparison covers every angle — from health features and battery life to the ecosystem and price.
The only question that really matters
Before comparing specifications, features and prices, there is one question that determines the 90% in this decision:
What sort of mobile do you have?
- iPhone? Buy the Apple Watch. Full stop. The Galaxy Watch loses most of its best features without a Samsung phone.
- Samsung Galaxy? Buy the Galaxy Watch. The Apple Watch simply doesn’t work with Android.
- Another Android? The Galaxy Watch works, but with limited functionality. Consider whether those limitations matter to you.
If you’re still reading, it means you haven’t decided on a phone yet, you’re comparing ecosystems before switching, or you genuinely want to understand what each platform has to offer. Let’s get started.
Full specification comparison
| Feature | Apple Watch Series 11 (46mm) | Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 (44mm) |
|---|---|---|
| Price (Tenerife) | €469 (46mm) | from €249 |
| Price difference | - | €130 cheaper |
| Screen | 1.93″ LTPO3 OLED, AOD | 1.47″ Super AMOLED, AOD |
| Shine | 2,000 nits | 2,000 nits |
| Chip | S11 | Exynos W1000 |
| Storage | 64GB | 32GB |
| Battery (rated) | 18 hours | 40+ hours |
| Battery (actual) | 8–10 pm | 36–44 hours |
| Heart rate | ✅ | ✅ |
| ECG | ✅ | ✅ |
| Blood oxygen (SpO2) | ✅ | ✅ |
| Blood pressure | ✅ (trends) | ✅ (calibrated) |
| Body composition | ❌ | ✅ (BIA sensor) |
| Skin temperature | ✅ | ✅ |
| Sleep tracking | ✅ (phases) | ✅ (stages + coaching) |
| GPS | ✅ | ✅ |
| Water resistance | 50m | 50m |
| NFC payments | Apple Pay | Samsung Pay / Google Pay |
| Voice assistant | Siri | Bixby / Google Assistant |
| App store | watchOS App Store | Google Play (Wear OS) |
| Box material | Aluminium | Aluminium |
| Weight | 36.2g | 33.4g |
| SO | watchOS 12 | Wear OS 5 (One UI Watch 6) |
| A telephone number is required | iPhone only | Recommended Samsung products |
Health roles: More similar than you might think
Both watches offer comprehensive health monitoring, but with different approaches.
Heart rate
Both are excellent. Continuous monitoring with high- and low-heart-rate alerts. In our tests, both were accurate to within 1–3 BPM of a reference chest strap. No significant difference — both perform well.
ECG
Both of them offer it. Single-lead ECG for detecting atrial fibrillation. Apple’s implementation has been available for longer and has broader regulatory approval worldwide. Samsung’s works well but may be subject to regional restrictions — please check availability in your country.
Blood pressure
Apple Watch Series 11: Tracks blood pressure trends using optical sensors. Shows whether your readings are trending upwards or downwards. No need for calibration with a cuff.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 7: It measures blood pressure using a more traditional method but requires calibration with a cuff-type blood pressure monitor every 28 days. Mainly available in South Korea; availability varies in other countries.
Verdict: Apple’s implementation is more convenient (no cuff required) but less accurate. Samsung’s is more detailed but requires regular calibration using external equipment. Neither replaces clinical monitoring.
Body composition (exclusive to Samsung)
The Galaxy Watch 7 features a BIA (Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis) sensor which measures body fat percentage, skeletal muscle mass, body water and BMI by sending a small electrical current through your body when you press two fingers against the buttons on the watch.
The Apple Watch doesn’t offer this. For fitness enthusiasts who track changes in body composition, it’s a genuine selling point.
Note of clarification: BIA measured using a wrist-worn device is less accurate than a dedicated body composition scale or a DEXA scan. It is useful for tracking relative changes over time rather than as a precise measurement.
Sleep tracking
Apple Watch: Tracks sleep stages (REM, Core, Deep), time spent asleep and respiratory rate. Basic but functional.
Samsung Galaxy Watch: It tracks the same sleep stages but adds Sleep Coaching — a programme lasting several weeks that analyses your sleep patterns and provides personalised recommendations to improve the quality of your sleep. It also includes snore detection (using the phone’s microphone) and blood oxygen monitoring whilst you sleep.
Verdict: Samsung’s sleep tracking is more comprehensive. If sleep optimisation is important to you, the Galaxy Watch has the edge.
Battery: Samsung wins hands down
This is the biggest practical difference between the two watches, and the two are not mutually exclusive.
Apple Watch Series 11: 18 hours stated, 20–22 hours actual. You charge it every night. If you want sleep tracking, charge it as part of your morning routine. Daily charging is non-negotiable.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 7: 40+ hours claimed, 36–44 hours in reality. You charge it every two days. Sleep tracking works seamlessly because the battery lasts all night and into the following day. Some users get almost three days’ use with moderate use.
What this means in everyday life:
| Setting | Apple Watch | Galaxy Watch |
|---|---|---|
| You forget to charge it one night | Dead at midday | It keeps running all day long |
| Weekend break – you’ve forgotten your charger | Died on Saturday morning | It lasts until Sunday afternoon |
| Sleep tracking | Requires a morning charging routine | Just go to sleep with it on |
| A full day of GPS training | It might not last until nightfall | That’s more than enough |
Verdict: If battery life matters to you — and for most people it should — Samsung’s 2x advantage is the strongest argument for choosing the Galaxy Watch over the Apple Watch.
Screen
Apple Watch Series 11 (46mm): 1.93-inch LTPO3 OLED, always-on, up to 2,000 nits brightness. The largest Apple Watch display (excluding the Ultra). Slim bezels, vibrant colours, excellent outdoor readability.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 (44mm): 1.47-inch Super AMOLED, always-on, up to 2,000 nits. Slightly smaller than the Apple Watch’s display but just as bright and easy to read.
Verdict: The Apple screen is larger and has thinner bezels, giving it a more modern look. The Samsung screen is perfectly fine but noticeably smaller. If screen size matters, Apple wins. If not, both are excellent.
Ecosystem and apps
Apple Watch + iPhone
The Apple Watch integrates with the iPhone in ways that no third-party device can match:
- iMessage — send and receive full iMessages straight from your wrist
- Apple Pay — the fastest wrist-based payment experience, accepted everywhere
- Maps — step-by-step directions with haptic feedback on your wrist
- Search My — Find your iPhone, AirPods, AirTags and other Apple devices
- Siri — voice assistant for tasks, queries and smart home control
- Apple Music — stream or download music directly to your watch
- watchOS App Store — thousands of apps, a mature and well-designed ecosystem
- Continuity — unlock your Mac, answer calls automatically, remote camera shutter
The Apple ecosystem offers the most polished smartwatch experience available. Everything works together seamlessly.
Samsung Galaxy Watch + Samsung mobile phone
Samsung’s ecosystem is comprehensive, but it has a few rough edges:
- Samsung Messages — texts and notifications, but not as feature-rich as iMessage
- Samsung Pay / Google Pay — contactless payments, widely accepted
- Google Maps — navigation on the wrist, functional but less polished than Apple Maps on the Apple Watch
- SmartThings Find — find your Galaxy devices
- Bixby / Google Assistant — two voice assistants (Google Assistant is generally more capable)
- Spotify / YouTube Music — streaming or downloading music
- Google Play Store (Wear OS) — a growing app ecosystem, improving rapidly but still lagging behind watchOS in terms of quality
- Samsung Health — a comprehensive, well-designed health app
- Galaxy Ecosystem — works with Galaxy Buds (automatic switching), Samsung TVs (360 Audio) and Galaxy phones (instant pairing)
The honest comparison
| Appearance | Apple Watch | Galaxy Watch |
|---|---|---|
| Messaging | ✅ Superior (iMessage) | ✓ Good (basic) |
| Payments | ✅ Apple Pay (universal) | ✓ Samsung/Google Pay |
| Navigation | ✅ Superior haptic feedback | ✓ Functional |
| Voice assistant | ✓ Siri (not bad) | ✅ Google Assistant (better) |
| App ecosystem | ✅ Bigger, sleeker | ✓ Growing, improving |
| Music | ✅ Apple Music integration | ✅ Spotify/YouTube Music |
| Smart home | ✅ HomeKit | ✅ SmartThings |
| General polishing | ✅ More refined | ✓ Functional, with the odd chip |
Design and comfort
Apple Watch Series 11: Rectangular dial. Aluminium case available in 42mm and 46mm. Interchangeable straps with a huge selection. Iconic and instantly recognisable design.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 7: Round display. Aluminium case available in 40mm and 44mm. Interchangeable straps with an ever-growing selection. The round dial looks more like a traditional watch, something that many people strongly prefer.
The debate on form: This is purely a matter of personal preference. Some people think a smartwatch should look like a watch (round = Samsung). Others think a smartwatch is a different category altogether and that a rectangular screen displays more information (square = Apple). Neither is wrong. Try both in-store.
Comfort: Both are lightweight and comfortable for all-day wear. The Galaxy Watch 7 is slightly lighter (33.4g vs 36.2g). Both are comfortable for sleep tracking.
Fitness tracking
Both watches track the same main workout types: running (GPS), swimming, cycling, gym, HIIT, yoga and over 100 additional types.
Where the Apple Watch is better:
- More accurate GPS tracking in urban environments
- Better integration with Apple Fitness+ (subscription-based workout service)
- Activity Rings are a uniquely effective motivational system
- The swimming metrics are slightly more detailed
Where the Samsung Galaxy Watch comes out on top:
- Body composition analysis (BIA sensor) — not available on Apple Watch
- Sleep Coaching provides practical tips for improvement
- Running analysis using advanced metrics (asymmetry, ground contact time) on certain models
- Samsung Health’s sleep and stress analysis is more detailed
Verdict: Both are excellent fitness trackers. Apple has a slight edge in terms of GPS accuracy and its ‘rings’ motivational system. Samsung has a slight edge in terms of body composition, sleep analysis and running metrics. For most people, the difference is negligible.
Price comparison: Ventaja Tenerife
| Model | Price in the UK | Price for mainland Spain | Price in Tenerife | Ahorras v UK |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple Watch Series 11 42mm | £399 (~469€) | 449€ | 439€ | ~30€ |
| Apple Watch Series 11 46mm | £429 (~505€) | 479€ | 469€ | ~36€ |
| Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 40mm | £289 (~340€) | 319€ | ~249€ | ~91€ |
| Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 44mm | £319 (~375€) | 349€ | ~279€ | ~96€ |
The Galaxy Watch 7 (from ~€249) is well below the customs allowance of €430 — Full savings, no excess. The Apple Watch Series 11 (42mm at €439) is slightly above the individual excess limit — couples can easily split the cost between two excess limits.
The price difference: The Galaxy Watch 7 is €100–130 cheaper than the equivalent Apple Watch Series 11. That significant price difference gets you better battery life, body composition tracking and sleep coaching from Samsung — whilst you miss out on the polish of the Apple ecosystem and the slightly larger screen.
*Apple Watch prices published on macysdigital.com. Samsung Watch prices: please enquire in-store (IGIC included). Enquire macysdigital.com for the latest prices.
The verdict: Which one should you buy?
Buy the Apple Watch Series 11 if:
- You’ve got an iPhone (that’s all there is to it)
- Experience the most refined and integrated smartwatch experience
- iMessage on your wrist – does it matter to you?
- Do you want the biggest and most modern screen?
- You’ve invested in the Apple ecosystem (AirPods, Mac, iPad, Apple TV)
- You don’t mind carrying it around every day
Buy the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 if:
- You have a Samsung Galaxy (that’s all it takes)
- Battery life is a priority (2x Apple Watch)
- Would you like to track your body composition?
- Would you like advanced sleep coaching?
- Do you prefer a traditional round watch design?
- Do you want to save €100–130 compared to the Apple Watch?
- Do you prefer Google Assistant to Siri?
The conclusion
For iPhone users: Apple Watch Series 11. No question about it. The ecosystem integration is far too good to give up for any advantage Samsung might offer.
For Samsung users: Galaxy Watch 7. No question about it. It’s designed for your phone, costs less and the battery lasts twice as long.
For other Android users: Galaxy Watch 7: please note — some features (ECG, blood pressure) may require a Samsung phone. Check compatibility before purchasing.
For people who are planning to change their mobile phone: Buy a watch that goes with your next phone, not your current one. Smartwatches are purchases that last for several years; phone ecosystems are harder to switch away from than you might think.
Both watches are available at Macys Digital in Parque Santiago 3, Playa de las Américas. Save money compared to prices in the UK and Europe. Read our detailed reviews: Apple Watch Ultra 3. Take a look at our a comprehensive guide to smartwatches.