Apple Watch Series 12 vs Samsung Galaxy Watch 9
This mostly comes down to your phone. Series 12 is the obvious choice for iPhone users and brings Apple’s new Health Sensing System and readiness features, while Galaxy Watch 9 is the better fit for Android users and adds Samsung-specific health tools such as body composition analysis.
At a glance
What's different?
The strongest database-backed differences, without pretending every different number is an advantage.
Apple Watch Series 12
- Phone compatibility iPhone 11 or later or iPhone SE (2nd generation or later) with iOS 27 or later
- UWB Not available on the other model
Samsung Galaxy Watch 9
- Phone compatibility Android with Google Mobile Services
- 67% longer battery life 40 hours vs 24 hours
- Multi-band GPS Built-in dual-band GNSS vs Built-in GNSS
- Blood pressure measurement Yes (Samsung Health Monitor; availability varies by market, calibration required)
- 50% brighter display Up to 3,000 nits vs Up to 2,000 nits
Both include ECG, blood oxygen tracking, skin temperature tracking, HRV tracking, on-board music, Bluetooth calling, a microphone.
Full comparison
The full record
76 specifications across 6 areas, with 32 genuine differences.
1. Design & display Samsung Galaxy Watch 9
Fact
Apple Watch Series 12
Samsung Galaxy Watch 9
Release date
2026-09-18
2026-07
Physical size
Aluminum/titanium: 46 x 40 x 9.7 mm or 42 x 37 x 9.7 mm; ceramic: 47 x 41 x 9.85 mm or 43 x 37 x 9.85 mm
44 mm: 46.0 x 43.7 x 8.6 mm; 40 mm: 42.7 x 40.4 x 8.6 mm
Weight
46 mm: 39.5 g (aluminum GPS), 38.6 g (aluminum GPS + Cellular), 44.9 g (titanium), 51.3 g (Pearl White ceramic), 52.9 g (Night Blue ceramic); 42 mm: 32.2 g, 31.5 g, 36.5 g, 41.7 g and 42.8 g respectively
44 mm: 34.0 g; 40 mm: 31.5 g
Material
Aluminum, titanium or ceramic case, 60% tougher than Series 11
Armor Aluminum case; sapphire crystal
Water resistance
5 ATM; IP6X; depth gauge to 6 m
5 ATM; IP68; MIL-STD-810H
Color options
Aluminum: Dark Bronze, Light Gold, Black, Space Gray; Titanium: Radiant Gold, Natural; Ceramic: Pearl White, Night Blue
Graphite, Silver, Cream
Display type
Always-On Retina LTPO3 wide-angle OLED
Super AMOLED, full-colour Always On Display
Display size
42 mm or 46 mm case (ceramic cases are 43 mm or 47 mm tall)
44 mm: 1.47 inch (37.3 mm); 40 mm: 1.34 inch (34 mm)
Display resolution
42 mm: 374 x 446 pixels; 46 mm: 416 x 496 pixels
44 mm: 480 x 480 pixels; 40 mm: 438 x 438 pixels
Display brightness
Up to 2,000 nits
Up to 3,000 nits
Display protection
Ceramic Shield 2 on aluminum cases; sapphire front crystal on titanium and ceramic cases
Sapphire crystal
2. Battery & charging Samsung Galaxy Watch 9
Fact
Apple Watch Series 12
Samsung Galaxy Watch 9
Battery
Rechargeable lithium-ion battery
Rechargeable battery; 44 mm: 445 mAh; 40 mm: 390 mAh
Battery life
Up to 24 hours; up to 38 hours in Low Power Mode
Up to 40 hours with AOD off; up to 30 hours with AOD on
Charging
USB-C magnetic fast charging; up to 80% in about 30 minutes; 15 minute charge for 2 hours of use
Fast wireless charging
3. Sensors & positioning Samsung Galaxy Watch 9
Fact
Apple Watch Series 12
Samsung Galaxy Watch 9
GNSS type
Built-in GNSS
Built-in dual-band GNSS
GPS
Yes
Yes
GALILEO
Yes
Yes
GLONASS
Yes
Yes
QZSS
Yes
Yes
Beidou
Yes
Yes
Accelerometer
Yes
Yes
Gyroscope
Yes
Yes
Barometric altimeter
Yes
Yes
Compass
Yes
Yes
Ambient light sensor
Yes
Yes
Optical heart rate
Yes (always-on optical heart sensor; high-frequency background tracking)
Yes
Electrical heart rate
Yes
Yes
SpO2
Yes
Yes
Temperature
Yes
Yes
Galvanic skin response
No
Yes
Microphone
Yes
Yes
Speakers
Yes
Yes
Vibration motor
Yes
Yes
4. Health & activity Samsung Galaxy Watch 9
Fact
Apple Watch Series 12
Samsung Galaxy Watch 9
Steps
Yes
Yes
Distance
Yes
Yes
Calories burned
Yes
Yes
Floors
Yes
Yes
Sports tracking
Yes
Yes
Sleep
Yes
Yes
Heart rate
Yes
Yes
HRV
Yes (Up to 24x more frequent than Series 11)
Yes
Stress
No
Yes
Blood oxygen
Yes
Yes
Respiration rate
Yes
Yes
Skin temperature
Yes
Yes
ECG
Yes
Yes
Blood pressure
Hypertension notifications (no direct blood-pressure measurement)
Yes (Samsung Health Monitor; availability varies by market, calibration required)
Body composition
No
Yes
Glucose
No
No
Hydration level
No
No
UV exposure
No
No
Calorie intake
No
No
Hyperglycemia risk assessment
No
No
Arterial stiffness detection
No
No
Pulse wave arrhythmia analysis
Yes
Yes
5. Smart features Apple Watch Series 12
Fact
Apple Watch Series 12
Samsung Galaxy Watch 9
Smartphone compatibility
iPhone 11 or later or iPhone SE (2nd generation or later) with iOS 27 or later
Android with Google Mobile Services
Operating system at launch
watchOS 27
Wear OS 7 Powered by Samsung; One UI 9 Watch
Processor
Apple S11, 64-bit dual-core processor; 4-core Neural Engine; Audio Intelligence
Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear Elite / SDW6100 (3 nm, penta-core)
Storage
64 GB
32 GB
Bluetooth
Yes (5.3)
Yes (6.0)
Wi-Fi
Yes (Wi-Fi 4 / 802.11n, 2.4/5 GHz)
Yes (802.11 a/b/g/n, 2.4/5 GHz)
NFC / connected pay
Yes (Apple Pay)
Yes
UWB
Yes (2nd-generation UWB)
No
Cellular
Optional (5G RedCap and LTE on supported regional models)
Optional LTE/eSIM
Smartphone notifications
Yes
Yes
Bluetooth calling
Yes (standalone on cellular models; via paired iPhone otherwise)
Yes
Smartphone music control
Yes
Yes
On-board music storage
Yes
Yes
Voice assistant
Siri AI powered by Apple Intelligence
Google Gemini / Bixby
6. Navigation & safety No clear edge
Fact
Apple Watch Series 12
Samsung Galaxy Watch 9
Maps
Yes
Yes (Google Maps)
Offline maps
Yes
Yes (Google Maps)
Navigation
Yes
Yes (turn-by-turn navigation)
Emergency SOS
Yes
Yes
Satellite SOS
No
No
Fall detection
Yes
Yes
LED flashlight
No
No