Samsung Galaxy Watch 9 vs Apple Watch Series 11
Galaxy Watch9 is the better fit for Android users, while Apple Watch Series 11 remains the obvious choice for iPhone owners. Apple has the stronger app ecosystem, while Samsung offers excellent health features and slightly better battery life.
Full comparison
The full record
77 specifications across 6 areas, with 32 genuine differences.
1. Design & display Samsung Galaxy Watch 9
Fact
Samsung Galaxy Watch 9
Apple Watch Series 11
Release date
2026-07
2025-09-19
Physical size
44 mm: 46.0 x 43.7 x 8.6 mm; 40 mm: 42.7 x 40.4 x 8.6 mm
46 x 39 x 9.7 mm; 42 x 36 x 9.7 mm
Weight
44 mm: 34.0 g; 40 mm: 31.5 g
46 mm: 37.8 g (aluminum GPS), 36.9 g (aluminum GPS + Cellular), 43.1 g (titanium); 42 mm: 30.3 g, 29.7 g, 34.6 g respectively
Material
Armor Aluminum case; sapphire crystal
Aluminum or titanium case
Water resistance
5 ATM; IP68; MIL-STD-810H
5 ATM; IP6X; depth gauge to 6 m
Color options
Graphite, Silver, Cream
Aluminum: Rose Gold, Silver, Space Gray, Jet Black; Titanium: Gold, Natural, Slate
Display type
Super AMOLED, full-colour Always On Display
Always-On Retina LTPO3 wide-angle OLED
Display size
44 mm: 1.47 inch (37.3 mm); 40 mm: 1.34 inch (34 mm)
42 mm or 46 mm case
Display resolution
44 mm: 480 x 480 pixels; 40 mm: 438 x 438 pixels
42 mm: 374 x 446 pixels; 46 mm: 416 x 496 pixels
Display brightness
Up to 3,000 nits
Up to 2,000 nits
Display protection
Sapphire crystal
Ion-X front glass with 2x better scratch resistance than Series 10 (aluminum); sapphire front crystal (titanium)
2. Battery & charging Samsung Galaxy Watch 9
Fact
Samsung Galaxy Watch 9
Apple Watch Series 11
Battery
Rechargeable battery; 44 mm: 445 mAh; 40 mm: 390 mAh
Rechargeable lithium-ion battery
Battery life
Up to 40 hours with AOD off; up to 30 hours with AOD on
Up to 24 hours; up to 38 hours in Low Power Mode
Charging
Fast wireless charging
USB-C magnetic fast charging; up to 80% in about 30 minutes, 15 minute charge for 8 hours of use
3. Sensors & positioning Samsung Galaxy Watch 9
Fact
Samsung Galaxy Watch 9
Apple Watch Series 11
GNSS type
Built-in dual-band GNSS
Built-in 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
Yes
Electrical heart rate
Yes
Yes
SpO2
Yes
Yes
Temperature
Yes
Yes
Galvanic skin response
Yes
No
Microphone
Yes
Yes
Speakers
Yes
Yes
Vibration motor
Yes
Yes
4. Health & activity Samsung Galaxy Watch 9
Fact
Samsung Galaxy Watch 9
Apple Watch Series 11
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
Yes
Stress
Yes
No
Blood oxygen
Yes
Yes
Respiration rate
Yes
Yes
Skin temperature
Yes
Yes
ECG
Yes
Yes
Blood pressure
Yes (Samsung Health Monitor; availability varies by market, calibration required)
Hypertension notifications (no direct blood-pressure measurement)
Body composition
Yes
No
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 11
Fact
Samsung Galaxy Watch 9
Apple Watch Series 11
Smartphone compatibility
Android with Google Mobile Services
iPhone 11 or later with iOS 26 or later
Operating system at launch
Wear OS 7 Powered by Samsung; One UI 9 Watch
watchOS 26
Processor
Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear Elite / SDW6100 (3 nm, penta-core)
Apple S10, 64-bit dual-core; 4-core Neural Engine
RAM
2 GB
2 GB
Storage
32 GB
64 GB
Bluetooth
Yes (6.0)
Yes (5.3)
Wi-Fi
Yes (802.11 a/b/g/n, 2.4/5 GHz)
Yes (Wi-Fi 4 / 802.11n, 2.4/5 GHz)
NFC / connected pay
Yes
Yes (Apple Pay)
UWB
No
Yes (2nd-generation UWB)
Cellular
Optional LTE/eSIM
Optional (5G RedCap and LTE on supported regional models)
Smartphone notifications
Yes
Yes
Bluetooth calling
Yes
Yes (standalone on cellular models; via paired iPhone otherwise)
Smartphone music control
Yes
Yes
On-board music storage
Yes
Yes
Voice assistant
Google Gemini / Bixby
Siri
6. Navigation & safety No clear edge
Fact
Samsung Galaxy Watch 9
Apple Watch Series 11
Maps
Yes (Google Maps)
Yes
Offline maps
Yes (Google Maps)
Yes
Navigation
Yes (turn-by-turn navigation)
Yes
Emergency SOS
Yes
Yes
Satellite SOS
No
No
Fall detection
Yes
Yes
LED flashlight
No
No