Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro
Premium Android watch
Samsung smartwatches are among the most popular Android devices. The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro is designed for those who need a long battery life and can safely use features such as music streaming and Google Assistant.
For
- 3-day battery life
- Google Assistant support
- Offline GPX maps
- Body composition data
- Ultra Lighter than the Ultra
For
- Samsung Health has limited fitness features
- Only 16GB storage
- Temperature sensor isn’t active yet
Premium fitness watch
For $800, a smartwatch! Apple tried to make the superpowered watch twice as expensive by making it rugged and powerful. It’s a good balance of fitness and lifestyle features, so it will be useful for everyone from a climber to a worker at home.
For
- 1.9-inch, 2,000-nit display
- For fitness, crown is better than a digital bezel
- Active temperature sensor
- Dual-frequency GPS tracking
- It’s better for water sports
- Cellular data built-in
For
- The price is high.
- Some wrists are too large or heavy
- No offline maps
The Apple Watch Ultra and Galaxy Watch 5 Pro were the first of their type. Apple never produced a premium watch for serious athletes. Samsung has made “Active” watches before, but not such a large “Pro” model with such a long battery life. Are they worth the price?
Let’s not spoil the verdict a little. The Apple Watch Ultra is the more expensive of the two. Apple packed it with a ton of exclusive tools that make it well-suited for outdoorsy folks, while also giving it perks that sedentary users will enjoy — but at an eye-watering price. Although the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro is more expensive, it doesn’t offer as many exclusive features as the Galaxy Watch 5.
Now that we have all the background information out of the way let’s see how the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro compares to the Apple Watch Ultra and decide which watch is best for you.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro vs. Apple Watch Ultra – Design, display, bands
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These watches can easily be described as heavy or too big depending on how large your wrist is. If you look at the slimmer, more feminine versions, it is clear that they are not as large and heavy. Apple Watch 8 against Ultra(Opens in new tabOr the Galaxy Watch 5 against ProThe larger watches have a less sleek design and are more rugged.
Both watches come with a titanium case and sapphire glasses. The raised bezel protects the display against falls. Both watches are IP6X dustproof and MIL STD-810H waterproof. Apple is the only one to specify that the watch has been tested in all conditions, including temperature, high and low temperatures, shock, immersion, freeze/thaw, vibration, shock, and altitude.
The Galaxy Watch 5 ProIt is the only watch to have an IPX8 official water resistance rating. The Apple Watch Ultra is approved for scuba diving to depths of 40m and “high speed water sports” with a WR100 rating.
Most water-resistant devices aren’t actually prepared for situations where water could impact the device at high speeds, so the Apple Watch Ultra is the superior option for fans of swimming, diving, and other water sports — even if the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro works perfectly well for casual pool use.
Contrary to the Galaxy Watch 4The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro does not have a rotating bezel. This made it easier to navigate through the menus and gave the watch an elegant look. The Watch 5 Pro has a digital touch bezel at the edge of the 1.4 inch display. You can scroll through options by simply moving your finger around a circle. There are also two buttons on the side for backing out or selecting, and double-tap/long-press shortcuts such as Google Assistant or Google Wallet.
The Apple Watch Ultra(Opens in new tabLike all Apple Watches it has a Digital Crown. However, it has been redesigned with a larger diameter, and more coarse grooves. Our iMore colleagues claim it is far easier to use than the smaller, standard crown. The new bright-orange Action Button is also included. This can be used to create custom shortcuts such as turning on the flashlight or starting a workout.
For a workout, we prefer to have the crown instead of trying to scroll or swipe through the menus with our sweaty fingers on the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro. Our reviewer found this annoying and suggested that it might be difficult to manage.
Although both watches have large displays the 1.9-inch Apple Watch Ultra has more space than the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro (1.4-inch) and 17 more pixels per inches (ppi). Because of its square shape, the Ultra is less likely than the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro to cut text in the corners. Additionally, the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro offers a respectable 1,000 nits, but the Ultra provides up to 2,000 nits.
The Apple Watch Ultra features a triple-microphone array that can beamform and mitigate wind noises, as well as a dual-speaker system to provide excellent sound quality in loud environments. We’d compare the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro to its microphone and speaker.
Although the Apple Watch Ultra is more stylish than the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, it weighs about 15g/0.5oz less without the band. The Pro’s default magnetic D-Buckle Sport band is quite heavy — you may want to consider other Galaxy Watch 5 Pro bands instead — while the Ultra’s Trail and Alpine Loops are allegedly a bit lighter, so that may close the gap a bit.
Both of these watches are heavier than almost anything else on the market today, making them ill-suited for sleep tracking — which about Two-thirds our readers use this site.. They are comfortable enough for daily use if your wrists are medium-to-large.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro vs. Apple Watch Ultra – Hardware and Battery Life
| Category | Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro | Apple Watch Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Display | 1.4″ Super AMOLED (450×450, 321ppi) | 1.92-inch (502×410, 338ppi) |
| Brightness | Up to 1,000 nits | Up to 2,000 nits |
| Material | Titanium | Titanium |
| Bands | D-Buckle Sport Ridge-Sport and Hybrid Leather | Alpine Loop, Trail Loop. Ocean Band |
| Navigation | Touchscreen, two buttons, digital bezel | Touchscreen, rotating crown, two buttons |
| Processor | Exynos W920 | Apple S8 |
| Memory | 16GB; 1.5GB RAM | 32GB |
| Battery | 590mAh, Up to 80 Hours | 542mAh; Lasts up to 36 Hours |
| Wireless charging | Yes (Qi). | Yes (proprietary) |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n 2.4+5GHz, NFC, GPS/Glonass/Beidou/Galileo, LTE (optional) | LTE (included), Dual band GPS, GLONASS and GALILEO. BDS. Bluetooth 5.3. Wi-Fi, NFC. Ultra-wideband |
| Sensors | Samsung BioActive Sensor (Optical He Rate + Electrical Heart Signal + Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis), Temperature Sensor. Accelerometer. Gyro Sensor. Geomagnetic Sensor. | Ambient light, accelerometer, barometer/altimeter. Compass, ECG. Gyroscope. Heart rate monitor. Pulse oximeter. Thermometer. |
| Compatibility | Android (Google Assistant, Bixby) | iOS (Siri) |
| Protection | 5ATM, IP68, MIL-STD-810H | IP6X, MIL-STD-810H, 10ATM |
| Dimensions | 45.4 x 45.4x15mm | 49 x 44x 11.4mm |
| Weight | 46.5g (without strap) | 61.3g (without strap) |
These watches share another similarity: they both use the same chipset as their older and cheaper siblings. However, both watches have fast performance despite this.
Samsung used Exynos W920, a chip that was found in the Galaxy Watch 5Galaxy Watch 4 paired with 1.5GB RAM. Most smartphones have 1.5GB of RAM. Android watchesOnly 1GB RAM is available, and only the Pixel WatchYou can beat it with 2GB. This is sufficient to provide an “immediate response” to any swipe or tap, without affecting performance or loading time.
The Apple Watch Ultra’s “new” Apple S8 chips are virtually identical to the S7 chip found in the Apple Watch Series 7The new flagship watch is equally fast and fluid, however. We don’t know if it is faster than the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro so we will just say they are great in this category.
The Apple Watch Ultra has twice the storage space for music and apps at 32GB. This makes the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro’s 16GB seem a little small.
The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro’s battery life is where it wins. Samsung claimed that the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro can last for 80 hours per charge. We tested standard usage and found this to be quite accurate. It will last about three days if you activate continuous heart beat and blood oxygen monitoring with sleeping tracking. Add in the always-on screen, music streaming and always-listening Google Assistant and GPS tracking and it will be closer to 24-30hrs. Most people will need to charge for at least two days, but it’s fine to have three if you are only tracking SpO2 data at nights.
Although the Apple Watch Ultra only lasts 36 hours on a single charge, it is still a great alternative to the Apple Watch Series 8’s 18-hour battery life. iMore’s reviewer was able to reach that time and pointed out that a 60-hour low power mode will be available via software update. That number basically means the watch can be used for a full day, night, and then recharge it at bedtime.
You’ll need to find out how long the GPS tracking will last if you are buying it for fitness. The Apple Watch Ultra can last for 12 hours using GPS, and 10 with GPS + LTE. Dual-frequency GPS will decrease the time. With GPS connected, the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro can last for 20 hours. This is a testament to its stronger battery.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 5Pro vs. Apple Watch 4 Ultra: Fitness and sensors
You will get an accelerometer for accurate wrist tracking and a gyroscope to monitor your activity at height. The Apple Watch Ultra is also available.
Only the Apple Watch Ultra features dual-frequency GPS. This means that it uses both L1 satellite signals and L5 satellite signal to track your position. This allows you to be more precise when you are near obstructions such as trees, buildings, mountains or foliage.
Although we haven’t personally tested the feature on Apple’s Watch, we found it to be a significant improvement in accuracy for fitness watches such as the The Fitbit. Garmin Forerunner 255 Coros Apex 2 Pro. According to our reviewer, the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro’s tracking GPS “frequently fails at odd angles whenever something interferes the signal”.
Apple’s new watchOS 9 also includes better fitness tools that can be used to guide workouts. Apple Watch Ultra has improved fitness tools for guided workouts.
Although Samsung technically offers an “Running Coach” feature that will help you keep a certain pace and has a limited number of options, it does have some limitations. You can’t access certain stats such as heart rate zones and cadence, but it can measure certain stats. DuringYou can run. Its main advantage is the ability to download offline GPX map files, which the Apple Watch Ultra cannot do.
Health sensors are the other important part of the equation, and both watches sport optical heart rate monitors, a blood oxygen sensor, an electrocardiogram (ECG), and a temperature sensor — though Samsung stillThe latter hasn’t been activated for several months, which is frustrating.
Galaxy Watch 5 Pro offers exclusives if you’re looking to get something unique. Bioelectrical Impedance AnalysisSensor that measures your body composition. The same data that you would normally receive on a smartphone is available to you. Smart scale — skeletal muscle, basal metabolic rate, and body water and body fat percentage — except you only have to press your fingers on the two side buttons to detect it.
The Apple Watch Ultra has upgraded its sensors to be more compatible with other watches. The accelerometer can detect “up to 256 g forces with Fall Detection or Crash Detection,” while the “high dynamic range gyroscope”, which is more precise for detecting specific movements, and the temperature sensor can detect water and skin temperatures.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro and Apple Watch Ultra: Which one should you choose?
You can choose the watch that works best with your preferred ecosystem. Most people stick to Android or iOS. If you want to find out if the watch is right for you, click here. Best fitness smartwatchAvailable, or may consider switching to the right combination of phone/watch, then it’s another conversation.
Andrew Myrick, a colleague, purchased both the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro (and Apple Watch Ultra) out of pocket. After reviewing the Samsung Watch 5 Pro, I was unable to speak about it so I asked him what he would recommend. I asked him if he would recommend the Watch Ultra, despite its high price. Flat display, multi-day battery life, no bezel. He stated that it is difficult to recommend considering the price but that it was “undoubtedly my favorite smartwatch”. This is a paradox.
iMore also recommends the Apple Watch Ultra over the Series 8 in its review, praising all the advantages it has for casual users as well as serious athletes. It is a compelling option due to its huge display and longer battery life than usual. But it’s not only a great choice. VeryIt’s difficult to overlook the $800 price tag.
While the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro has some fitness-focused perks it is still a premium product. Android watchIt’s a better fitness watch for battery life and performance than the Apple Watch Ultra. Although it is more affordable than the Apple Watch Ultra and has a higher performance battery, it is not a “Pro” watch.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro
You will love the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro’s multi-day charging, offline maps, Google Assistant support and large display. There are tons of other great Play Store apps available. The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro is not the right choice if you need lightweight or robust fitness software.
If you are looking for a beautiful and bright display, software that takes full benefit of its advanced sensor, a battery that will last, and a robust design that can handle anything you throw at the Apple Watch Ultra, you should choose it. The Apple Watch Ultra is not the best option for those with limited budgets.
