The Apple Watch Ultra and the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro mark Apple and Samsung’s entry into the rugged smartwatch segment, but how do they compare? While the average smartwatch can track several physical activities and health features, some are better suited for outdoor use. Brands such as Garmin and Amazfit (Zepp health) offer smartwatches designed for athletes and adventurers. Now Apple and Samsung want a share of that market too.
At its Galaxy Unpacked event in August, Samsung announced the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro alongside the Galaxy Watch 5. Both smartwatches launched with One UI Watch 4.5 based on WearOS 3.5. On the other hand, Apple announced the Apple Watch Ultra in September. It also launched the Apple Watch Series 8 and Apple Watch SE 2nd generation. All three watches run the new WatchOS 9.
The Apple Watch Ultra and the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro look nothing alike, thanks to their different shapes. However, despite their distinct appearances, they still have some similarities. Both Apple and Samsung’s smartwatches have titanium cases. Although Samsung offers its watch in Black and Gray, the Apple Watch Ultra is available in one color. The two smartwatches also have Sapphire Crystal protecting their displays. Their spec sheet also reveals they are tested to MIL-STD 810 standard and have the same level of dust resistance. However, the Apple Watch Ultra is superior in that it is water-resistant up to 100 meters, while the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro’s 5 ATM rating means it is water-resistant up to 50 meters. Apple’s watch also meets the EN13319 diving standard.
The Apple Watch Ultra Has More Safety Features
The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro has a 1.4-inch 450 x 450 Super AMOLED display housed in a 45mm case. On the other hand, the size of the Apple Watch Ultra’s LTPO OLED display isn’t stated, but it sits inside a 49mm case. Both wearables have support for Always-on display. Apple also claims its display is super bright with a 2000 nits brightness level. Inside the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro is an Exynos W920 dual-core processor paired with 1.5GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. The Apple Watch Ultra’s S8 processor also has two cores and is paired with 32GB of storage. Concerning health features, the Apple Watch Ultra and the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro share some similarities. Both smartwatches have heart rate and blood oxygen level measurements, an ECG sensor, and a temperature sensor. The two watches also have support for sleep tracking and menstrual cycle tracking. Samsung goes further with a Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA) sensor that can measure body composition (body fat, skeletal muscle, and BMI). The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro also has support for blood pressure monitoring. And in case of accidents, fall detection and emergency SOS will contact a pre-configured emergency contact. In addition, the Apple Watch Ultra has crash detection and a built-in 86-decibel siren so a user can be easily located during an emergency.
Apple and Samsung have equipped their smartwatches with support for several sports. They also have a built-in GPS chip and a TrackBack feature so users can easily find their way back to the starting point. However, the Apple Watch Ultra should offer better positioning as it has dual-frequency GPS. It also has Bluetooth 5.3 compared to the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro’s Bluetooth 5.2. Other connectivity features are dual-band Wi-Fi and NFC for payments. In terms of battery life, the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro boasts up to 80 hours of use on a single charge, while the Apple Watch Ultra will provide up to 36 hours of use. In addition, Apple has revealed that a low-power mode can extend the battery life to 60 hours. However, it still falls short of the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, which also charges faster at 10W.
The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro is priced at $449 for the Bluetooth version, and it goes up to $499 for the LTE version. In contrast, the Apple Watch Ultra is only available in a single LTE configuration, priced at $799. Based on their features, the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro is the better watch for health tracking features and battery life, but the Apple Watch Ultra is the better outdoor smartwatch. It has a higher water resistance rating, better location tracking, and more safety features in case of an emergency. However, these individual advantages don’t matter as compatibility is limited. Samsung says the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro is only compatible with Android devices, while the Apple Watch Ultra works best when connected to an iPhone.
