Samsung watch Apple music. Best smartwatches and running watches with music: Spotify, MP3 and more

How to Connect a Galaxy Watch to an iPhone

Jeremy Laukkonen is automotive and tech writer for numerous major trade publications. When not researching and testing computers, game consoles or smartphones, he stays up-to-date on the myriad complex systems that power battery electric vehicles.

What to Know

• Download the Samsung Galaxy Watch (Gear S) app from the App store.
• Open the Galaxy Watch app. Tap OK START THE JOURNEY Galaxy Watch and wait for it to pair.
• If the watch doesn’t connect, make sure it’s compatible with iPhone. Some Samsung watches don’t work with iOS.

This article explains how to connect a Galaxy Watch to an iPhone. The instructions apply broadly to all Samsung Smart watches.

Can I Pair a Samsung Watch With an iPhone?

Newer Samsung watches, like the Galaxy Watch 5, only work with Android phones Samsung watches work best with Samsung Galaxy phones, but the basic functionality is available with iPhones.

You can pair older Samsung watches with an iPhone by downloading the Samsung Galaxy Watch (Gear S) app from the iOS App Store.

Here’s how to pair a Samsung watch with an iPhone:

Tap OK when prompted to allow Bluetooth use.

Why Won’t My Galaxy Watch Connect to My iPhone?

The iOS Galaxy Wearables app doesn’t support some Galaxy Watches, so you can’t connect them to your iPhone. The app will recognize your watch and attempt to connect, but it will fail, and you will see an error message.

If you’re having trouble connecting any other Galaxy Watch to your iPhone, make sure you’ve turned on Bluetooth on the iPhone. If it is, then try restarting both the phone and your watch. If you have a lot of other Bluetooth devices nearby, try switching those devices off or moving them away to reduce the likelihood of connectivity problems.

What Can You Do With a Galaxy Watch on an iPhone?

While you can use your Samsung watch with an iPhone, some features aren’t available. If your watch has a built-in camera, you won’t be able to take advantage of it through the iPhone. You also can’t send text messages through your iPhone using a Samsung watch, although you can receive text message notifications on the watch. Email notifications are also available, but you can’t send new emails or reply to emails through the watch.

The Samsung Bixby assistant works when your watch is connected to an iPhone, but you can’t use Siri through the watch. If you try, you’ll receive a prompt to continue the action on your iPhone.

Some of the Samsung Watch features that do work as expected when used with an iPhone include:

• Phone calls: You can receive and place calls using the watch.
• Notifications: You’ll receive alerts from iPhone apps and third-party apps.
• Heart rate monitor: If your watch has a heart rate monitor, it will work with your iPhone as it works on Samsung and other Android phones. The stress calculator, based on the heart rate monitor, also functions.
• Fitness and sleep tracking: Using the Samsung Health app on your iPhone, you can track fitness and sleep data from your watch. You can also track workouts using several presets.
• Music and media playback: The music manager on your watch allows you to control music and other media playback on your iPhone.

To connect a Samsung Galaxy Watch to a new phone, swipe up on the main watch face and tap Settings General Connect to New Phone Back up Data (optional) Continue. Then launch the Galaxy Wearable (Android) or Galaxy Watch (iOS) app, tap Start (or Start the Journey on iOS) Pair follow the prompts.

To reset a Samsung Galaxy Watch, press the Power/Home and Back keys until you see Rebooting on the Watch screen. Press the Home key to bring up the Reboot Mode menu and select Recovery. Press and hold the Power/Home key to begin the recovery process.

Best smartwatches and running watches with music: Spotify, MP3 and more

Wareable is reader-powered. If you click through using links on the site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more

The rise of running watches and smartwatches offering built-in music playback means you can go for a run without taking your smartphone with you.

Whether you’re looking for a Garmin watch with music or a fitness smartwatch, the Wareable team has tested every major device on the market.

Most of the Garmin sports watch range, and smartwatches such as the Apple Watch and Samsung Galaxy Watch, offer the ability to play music straight from the wrist.

Many watches offer support for syncing over Spotify, Deezer, or Apple Music playlists, and most still allow you to upload old MP3s, as well.

Read on for our pick of the best running with music options from our reviews.

• Looking for a great running watch? Check out our full GPS running watch guide
• Need a pair of running headphones? Our sister site has tested the best wire-free options
• Run to the beat: Learn how to use Spotify on your Garmin watch

Key considerations

Does it work with Spotify?

Many running watches and smartwatches support Spotify – and other streaming services. This means you can download playlists or individual tracks to listen to offline. Check that the watch supports your chosen service before you buy.

Remember, you’ll generally need to be a Spotify Premium subscriber to offline sync to Garmin, Samsung, and the Apple Watch.

Music controls or music player?

Most running watches with music features will offer the ability to control the music that’s playing on your phone – but that doesn’t mean they can play music solo.

That can be from the phone’s native music player or third-party apps like Deezer and Spotify.

If there’s a music player also onboard you’ll have a portion of storage on the watch to use and need to connect Bluetooth headphones to stream music from the watch.

How to add music

If you’re using MP3s then the method of getting tunes onto your watch will vary. Some require plugging the watch into a computer and dragging and dropping your audio files to a folder on the watch. And there can be limitations on file formats and types.

Other watches will only allow you to sync music via the companion phone app, which means making sure that audio is on your phone already. That may mean connecting your phone to a computer first if that’s where your audio lives before you can sync over.

Does it work with your phone?

It sounds like an obvious one but while many watches advertise having built-in music players, that doesn’t mean they necessarily offer the ability to use that feature with your phone.

It can sometimes be the case that watches with music players are built to work for Android phones and not for iPhones despite being able to connect and use the other watch features on Apple’s smartphone.

Huawei’s watches for instance do not offer those music player features for iPhone users.

Battery life impacts

Streaming music from a watch will in general have a big impact on battery life. If you’re planning to stream music while tracking runs, that’s going to hit the battery the hardest so pay attention to the battery numbers quoted when those two things are done together.

Garmin Forerunner 265

Garmin Forerunner 265 key features and specs

• 8GB storage. enough for 1,000 songs
• Spotify (offline syncing, Premium required)
• Amazon Music (offline syncing, sub required)
• Deezer (offline syncing, sub required)
• iHeartRadio (offline syncing, sub required)
• GPS with music: 6-7 hours (dependent on GPS mode)
• Stereo and mono listening modes

Replacing last year’s Forerunner 255 Music, the Forerunner 265 is now our top recommendation for those craving a top-level running watch with music.

The price has increased from the last generation, but the huge improvements to the display are worth the extra cost, in our view. And also included in that jump is double the amount of storage, with the 8GB present in the standard version of the 265 allowing for 1,000 songs on your wrist.

There’s now no need to pay extra for music, either, with Garmin helpfully canning the separate ‘Music’ version and including support in both the 265 and 265S devices as standard.

It’s also one of the most versatile players around, with support for MP3s, or offline playback via the Spotify, Deezer, Amazon Music, or iHeartRadio apps available within the Garmin Connect IQ store.

Pressing the ‘Down’ button on the side of the watch (the button at the 7 o’clock position) gives you quick access to those music controls, and lets you do the basics like skip through tracks and change playlists.

If you’re a Spotify Premium subscriber, you can transfer playlists to the device for that all-important offline support. And though support on all these apps can sometimes be a little buggy, we still love the freedom each of them provides.

Away from the music, we’re also huge fans of the Forerunner 265 as a sports watch. Despite the name, this is an equally superb option for swimmers, cyclists, and triathletes. It offers dual-frequency GPS for super-accurate outdoor tracking, detailed training and recovery feedback, and solid heart rate accuracy.

Really, considering the price and sheer breadth of features, it’s tough to find a non-smartwatch that does music playback better than the 265.

Apple Watch Series 8 / SE 2 / Ultra

Apple Watch Series 8 key features and specs

• 500 songs
• Apple Music (streaming/offline)
• Spotify (offline syncing, Premium required)
• Deezer (offline syncing, sub required)
• Pandora (offline syncing, sub required)
• Streaming and syncing with Podcasts app
• Roughly three hours of GPS and music playback

The Apple Watch could pose as a running watch in its own right – so don’t be fooled into thinking it’s all style and no substance.

The Series 8 might not offer a huge leap in change from the Series 7, but it does crucially still offer the ability to stream music while you’re running – with Apple Music particularly well catered for.

The Workout app on the Apple Watch is pretty powerful, with customizable data screens that can even show live cadence when running.

You won’t get pages of data like a Garmin, but it’s no slouch when it comes to tracking your activities. Also, there are third-party apps for pretty much every running service – the Strava and Workoutdoors apps being notably good third-party options.

So, what about music? In our testing, we found it easy to make playlists in Apple Music and sync them to the Apple Watch. The process has recently been overhauled, so the Apple Watch doesn’t have to be attached to the charger to sync music.

Apple Music subscribers rocking a cellular edition of the Apple Watch can stream music and podcasts directly from their watch.

For the Spotify app, you do now have the ability to stream your music over a cellular or a Wi-Fi connection, and, finally, you can store Spotify music and playlists for offline playback as you can on Garmin and Samsung watches.

There’s also the Apple Watch Series SE 2, which got a huge revamp in September 2022. It’s still one of the most reliable for tracking effort levels during exercise from the wrist and matches up to the Series 8 and Apple Watch Ultra.

The latter will offer significantly more GPS tracking with music if you’re worried about the longevity of the Series 8 / SE 2.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 5

Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 key features and specs

• 16GB storage
• Spotify (offline syncing, Premium required)
• Amazon Music (offline syncing, sub required)
• YouTube Music (offline syncing, sub required)
• MP3 support
• 40mm/44mm (Galaxy Watch 5) and 46mm (Galaxy Watch 5 Pro)
• Offline playback supported

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 runs Wear OS, which means users can access offline playlists from Spotify, Amazon Music, Deezer, and YouTube Music.

All these apps enable you to stream music (over Wi-Fi or LTE), and download offline playlists from those streaming services onto the watch.

In our review, it has been a solid performer as a fitness device, as well. It might not match the supreme accuracy you’ll enjoy on Garmin and Apple watches, but we found it does a good job overall of tracking your exercise – and is a good choice for Android smartphone users.

With Wear OS on board, you’re also getting access to big third-party apps that have been rebuilt for this new Wear OS and that includes Strava.

The Galaxy Watch 5 comes in 40mm and 44mm sizes, with an additional 46mm Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, which offers significantly better battery life and a titanium build

The older Galaxy Watch 4 also runs Wear OS, therefore delivering the same app support.

Garmin Fenix 7 / Epix (Gen 2)

Garmin Fenix 7 / Epix 2 key features and specs

• 1,000 songs
• Spotify (offline syncing, Premium required)
• Amazon Music (offline syncing, Premium required)
• Deezer (offline syncing, Premium required)
• iHeartRadio (offline syncing, Premium required)
• 10 hours of GPS with music
• Offline playback supported

The Fenix 7 range has the full gamut of music features, including storage for 1,000 songs and full support for Spotify, Deezer, and iHeartradio.

You can also opt for the more expensive Epix, which is the same as the Fenix 7 but with a full AMOLED display and an 899/£799 price tag. Both excelled in our reviews in terms of athletic tracking and analysis, but we found that the experience of adding music is much clunkier than rivals.

However, unlike the Fenix 6 you don’t need to choose Pro or Sapphire options when buying – and all versions of the latest Fenix 7 can handle music playback.

And the Fenix 7 has also added battery life, which means you get even more music playback time. Garmin quotes 10 hours of the most accurate GPS tracking with music playback – and you’ll get even more if you choose standard GPS. That’s more than most people need.

When it comes to sports tracking, the Fenix 7 is pretty much the best you can buy with a vast array of modes, metrics, and settings to cater to all of your sports tracking needs.

It tracks everything from trail running to skydiving.

But it’s the level of data you get from running that impressed us, with VO2 Max recovery stats, training data, and even insights into your running form. All models are available in solar editions, too, which can help slightly boost your battery when you head outside.

Garmin Venu 2

Garmin Venu 2 key features and specs

• 2,000 songs
• Spotify (offline syncing, Premium required)
• Amazon Music (offline syncing, sub required)
• Deezer (offline syncing, sub required)
• iHeartRadio (offline syncing, sub required)
• 8 hours of music with GPS
• Offline playback supported

The Venu was Garmin’s first ever watch with a full AMOLED screen, and the Venu 2 improves that screen quality for those who don’t want a Garmin with one of those dull-looking transflective displays on their wrist.

We found it’s a capable smartwatch and a good jack-of-all-trades sports tracker in our review – although the data and analysis are more basic than its peers.

In terms of music, you’re getting space for up to 2,000 songs, which is up from the 500-song storage offered on the first Venu. That includes offline syncing support for Spotify, Deezer, Amazon Music, and iHeartRadio.

You’re getting a comprehensive list of tracked sports and improved modes for tracking HIIT and indoor workout sessions. The Venu 2 also comes in a smaller Venu 2S version, with both offering nice, bright AMOLED displays. There’s also the Venu 2 Plus, which offers access to your phone’s Smart assistant.

Garmin has also tweaked the user interface to make it easier to find the features you use most regularly and makes customizable data screens easy to view when running.

And the battery doesn’t take as much of a battering as you might expect. GPS tracking with music playback is eight hours, which is more than enough for the average runner.

It’s not a running powerhouse, but the Venu 2 does excel in terms of all-day wear. There’s also a Venu Sq 2, a square version that comes in at significantly less than round Venu 2 and still offers a music edition to pile on your music.

Wareable verdict: Garmin Venu 2 review | Garmin Venu 2 Plus review

Garmin Forerunner 965

Garmin Forerunner 965 key features and specs

• 32GB storage. 2,000 songs
• MP3, Spotify, Deezer, Amazon Music, and iHeartRadio
• GPS with music: 8.5-31 hours (dependent on mode)
• Stereo and mono listening modes
• Offline playback supported

The flagship Forerunner 965 is one of the better Garmin watches with music support, with space for 2,000 songs and support for Spotify, Deezer, and iHeartRadio also available via apps.

As a running watch, you’re getting the most in-depth analytics of any Forerunner – and essentially a lighter, less rugged Fenix 7/Epix 2 with the extra sports stripped out.

In our testing, we’ve found the GPS accuracy, heart rate tracking performance, and general training features among the very best on the market. It also offers on-wrist support for Garmin’s Running Dynamics for advanced running metrics, as well, which means you don’t have to hook up the external sensor.

It’s important to know that the battery life is reduced from the Forerunner 955 that launched in 2022. a device that offers identical music storage and training features. but this is almost entirely due to the introduction of a new, vibrant AMOLED display.

And given that the 965 can still manage around a week of moderate-heavy use with the always-on display turned on, we certainly think it’s a sacrifice that’s worth it.

With the amount of battery life lost from workouts essentially doubling if you play music through Garmin’s devices, we also think the 965 is also a better option than the Forerunner 265 (above), which only typically lasts around four days in similar use.

If you can stretch your budget to this one, you’re getting arguably the top sports watch available on the market. and one that’s very adept at delivering offline music.

Huawei Watch Fit 2

Huawei Watch Fit 2 key features and specs

• Store up to 5000 songs
• Works with MP3 music synced in the Health app (Android only)
• 10-day battery life (GPS Music unknown)

The Huawei Watch GT 2e, Watch GT 3, GT Runner series, and Watch 3 all have built-in music players, but, if you want the cheapest Huawei wearable to offer that support, it’s the Watch Fit 2 that you’ll want to grab.

The Watch Fit 2 stunned us in our review time with its mix of workout features and price tag – and it’s one of the best budget sports watches going. However, when it comes to music playback, there are major caveats.

We should start by saying that to use the onboard music player, you’ll need to pair the Fit 2 with an Android phone because that support doesn’t extend to iOS.

You’ll have to pile on music (MP3 and AAC file formats) of your own via the Huawei Health app with the likes of offline support for music streaming services like Spotify and Deezer not supported. Huawei has now launched its own music streaming service so hopefully, that support will be added.

Away from those music features, Huawei includes dual-Band frequency tracking, the ability to import routes, and use real-time breadcrumb navigation. There’s Huawei’s latest running performance and training insights also included here, too.

You’re getting battery life that’s good for a solid week’s worth of tracking and longer if you sacrifice some features. If you want a good fitness watch with music features that looks like a mix of a smartwatch and a fitness Band, the Fit 2 is a great performer for the price.

In-depth verdict: Huawei Watch Fit 2 review

Coros Vertix 2

Coros Vertix 2 key features and specs

• 32GB memory
• Drag and drop MP3
• No streaming services
• 60 days battery life in daily use (35 hours with GPS Music)

The Vertix 2 is the first watch in the Coros family to offer a built-in music player giving you a good chunk of the onboard 32GB storage to pile on your own music. It only handles MP3 file formats and you’ll need to connect the watch to your computer to drag and drop them onto your watch.

Unlike other watches on this list, it doesn’t work with any third-party music streaming services to offer offline playlist support. As long as you’ve got plenty of your music, you can pair up some Bluetooth headphones and leave your phone behind.

While it might not have the best music features available on a sports watch, it does promise some pretty impressive battery life. Even when you factor in music streaming.

Mammoth battery performance aside, the Vertix 2 also packs in a big collection of sports modes, offline mapping, access to its EvoLab training insights and does work with third-party apps like Strava, Apple Health, and TrainingPeaks to share your fitness data around.

In-depth verdict: Coros Vertix 2 review

How to Download and Play Amazon Music on Galaxy Watch

With functionality and convenience, smartwatches gradually become a good option for people to enjoy entertainment services during their run or at work. Competing with other smartwatches, Samsung Galaxy Watch is still one of the most delicate, thanks to its attractive design, friendly user interface, and long battery life.

One of the perks of using the Galaxy Watch is that you have the freedom to stream music you love via cellular without your phone. However, up to now, Galaxy Watch only partners with several streaming music services like Spotify, which makes some complain that they cannot control Amazon Music with Galaxy Watch. But now you don’t need to worry anymore. Read this post and you’ll learn how to play Amazon Music on Galaxy Watch 4/3.

Part 1. Play Amazon Music on Galaxy Watch: What Should You Need?

As mentioned before, only a few music apps are available on the Samsung Galaxy Watch series, including Spotify, Pandora, and YouTube Music. You cannot find and install the Amazon Music app on the app store on Galaxy Watch 4 3. The only way to play Amazon Music on Galaxy Watch is to add the downloaded Amazon Music to Galaxy Watch.

However, whether you subscribe to Amazon Music Prime or Amazon Music Unlimited, you can only download your favorite song to the Amazon Music app. If you want to store Amazon Music files locally, you have to purchase them. But it seems high cost to buy plenty of songs on Amazon Music.

Thus, we will be in need of a powerful Amazon Music downloader that can help you download your favorite songs on Amazon Music more affordable. TunesKit Audio Capture is such a program that grabs Amazon Music losslessly and exports them to supported format on Samsung Galaxy Watch. With its help, you can record and download the Amazon Music songs you want in Galaxy Watch-supported MP3 or AAC formats, individually or in batches. And then edit the Amazon Music downloads with the built-in editor, like cutting the length and editing the ID3 tags.

Key Features of TunesKit Amazon Music Downloader

• Capture Amazon Music in an unlimited number
• Export Amazon Music song to MP3, AAC, FLAC, WAV, M4A, and M4B available
• Preserve Amazon Music tracks with the original audio quality and ID3 tags
• Support the trimming, cutting, merging, and editing of the recorded Amazon Music

Part 2. How to Download Amazon Music for Galaxy Watch 4

Now please download the right version of TunesKit Audio Capture to your computer and read the tutorial on how to download Amazon Music for Galaxy Watch 4.

Step 1. Launch TunesKit Audio Capture and you can see the main interface includes several programs. You need to check whether there is a program that can access Amazon Music, if not, click on the button to add it.

Step 2. Tap the Format button to change the output format to MP3 or AAC, which makes the downloaded Amazon Music play on Galaxy Watch 4. And you can also adjust other options such as codec, channel, sample rate, and bit rate.

Part 3. Now, click on the target program from the TunesKti Audio Capture interface to open Amazon Music. You can play your favorite songs on Amazon Music and leave them to be recorded. When it ends, click the Stop button.

Part 4. The downloaded Amazon Music is in the Capture list, and you can click on the Edit button to open the editing panel. Here you are able to trim the length of Amazon Music downloads and edit the ID3 tags.

Part 5. When you finish, tap the Save button to store Amazon Music in the local folder on your computer. And you can locate the saving path by clicking on the Search icon.

Part 3. How to Get and Play Amazon Music on Galaxy Watch 3 4

Once all music tracks from Amazon Music have converted to those audio formats compatible with Galaxy Watch 4/3, you can prepare to add Amazon music tracks to your Galaxy Watch for listening. There are two different ways to transfer Amazon Music to your Galaxy Watch series for Android and iOS users.

3.1: How to Get Amazon Music on Samsung Watch via Android Phone

If you are an Android user, you can use the Galaxy Wearable app to add Amazon Music to Galaxy Watch. Make sure that all Amazon Music you want to add is transferred from your computer to your Android phone. Here’s how to.

Step 1. After you’ve added your converted Amazon Music to your phone, open the Galaxy Wearable app.

Step 2. From the Home tab, scroll to and tap Add content to your watch, and then tap Add tracks.

Step 3. Select your converted Amazon Music individually, or tap All in the upper left corner to select your converted Amazon Music all.

Step 4. Tap Done once you have the songs you want.

Step 5. Open the Music app on your Galaxy Watch and begin to play Amazon Music.

3.2 : How to Add Amazon Music to Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 for iOS Users

Samsung Watch Music Manager is available for users who have at least an iPhone 6 with iOS 12 so that you can transfer Amazon Music to your Galaxy Watch 4. Your computer and the Galaxy Watch should be connected to the same Wi-Fi network, and then you can start. Here’s how to.

Step 1. Press the Power key on your Samsung Watch, and then swipe to and tap the Music app.

Step 2. If you see a phone icon, tap it to the watch as the music source.

Step 3. Swipe up on the Now playing screen, tap Music Manager at the bottom of the Library, and then tap START.

Step 4. Open a web browser on your computer and enter the IP address displayed on your watch in the address bar for the connection.

Step 5. Once your watch connects, select Add new tracks in the web browser, choose the converted Amazon Music you want to add to your watch, and then select Open.

Step 6. When all is finished, tap OK on the web page, and then tap DISCONNECT on your watch.

Part 4. Alternative Tool to Play Amazon Music on Galaxy Watch

In addition to TunesKit Audio Capture, there is another convenient and professional Amazon Music converter to get Amazon Music for Galaxy Watch series, which is called AudFree Amazon Music Converter.

AudFree Amazon Music Converter is capable of downloading and converting songs no matter what Amazon Music plan you subscribe to. It has the ability to download singles, albums, podcasts, and playlists from Amazon Music, and convert them to MP3 or AAC format for Galaxy Watch. Therefore, you can easily download your favorite content on Amazon Music and add them to Galaxy Watch 4/3 using the methods above.

AudFree Amazon Music Converter

• Download Amazon Music to AAC, MP3, M4A, and other formats
• Losslessly download Amazon Music for Galaxy Watch
• Preserve the original quality and ID3 tags of Amazon Music downloads
• Download and play Amazon Music on Galaxy Watch, Apple Watch, iPod, and other devices

Part 5. Bottomline

With help of TunesKit Audio Capture, you can play all Amazon Music downloads on your Galaxy Watch 4/3 and other series. Besides, if you are a fan of Spotify or Apple Music, you can also use this program to capture music from these music apps to Galaxy Watch and other devices. With these downloaded songs, you could pair your Galaxy Watch with your headsets and stay motivated with music even without an Internet connection.

Adam Gorden is an experienced writer of TunesKit who is obsessed about tech, movie and software.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 vs. Apple Watch Series 7: Smartwatch Smackdown

Which flagship smartwatch is worth your money? We compare specs to help you decide.

I’m PCMag’s expert on fitness and Smart home technology, and I’ve written more than 6,000 articles and reviews in the 10-plus years I’ve been here. I unbox, set up, test, and review a wide range of consumer tech products from my home in Florida, often with the help of my pitbull Bradley. I’m also a yoga instructor, and have been actively teaching group and private classes for nearly a decade.

Left to right: Samsung Galaxy Watch 5, Apple Watch Series 7 (Image: Samsung/René Ramos)

Wondering how the just-announced Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 stacks up against Apple’s top smartwatch? Us too.

In this comparison we’re pitting Cupertino’s current flagship model, the 2021 Apple Watch Series 7, against the new Galaxy Watch 5 series from Samsung. We’re not picking winners since we haven’t actually gotten our hands on the new Galaxy Watches yet, but we expect to soon. For now we’re running through the list of specs and features to see how they stack up on paper.

We’ll reassess the Apple-vs.-Samsung smartwatch dynamic once Apple releases its Watch Series 8 wearable, which is expected in September.

Galaxy Watch 5 vs. Apple Watch 7: Battery Life

Battery life is not a strength of many smartwatches, but the Galaxy Watch 5 promises improvements on this front.

The large (44mm) Galaxy Watch 5 features a 410mAh battery, while the smaller (40mm) model is powered by a 284mAh cell. Samsung says the Watch 5 series lasts up to 50 hours on a charge, or 10 hours more than its predecessor, the Watch 4. Apple’s Series 7 features a 309mAh battery that offers just 18 hours of juice on a charge. That gives the Samsung a significant advantage.

Samsung’s 2022 smartwatch lineup includes the Galaxy Watch 5 and the more expensive, outdoor-focused Watch 5 Pro (Credit: Samsung)

As for charging speed, Samsung says that snapping the Watch 5 onto its charger for just eight minutes before bed should give it enough battery life to track your sleep for eight hours. This capability was obviously inspired by Apple, which advertises the exact same battery performance for the Series 7.

There’s no word yet as to how long a full charge will take on the Watch 5, but Samsung says 30 minutes on the charger will bump its battery level up 45%. In comparison, the Series 7 can go from dead to 80% in just 45 minutes.

If battery life is a primary concern, you might be interested in the Watch 5 Pro. Samsung’s more rugged model is designed specifically for mountain bikers, runners, hikers, and others who spend their time outdoors. The Watch 5 Pro features a larger, 590mAh battery that promises up to 80 hours of power per charge, or 20 hours with the GPS enabled. That’s some serious smartwatch longevity.

Galaxy Watch 5 vs. Apple Watch 7: Durability

Like their predecessors, both of Samsung‘s new smartwatches boast 5ATM and IP68 ratings, meaning they are waterproof to a depth of 164 feet for 10 minutes and can ward off dust, dirt, and sand. The Apple Watch 7 similarly features a WR50 rating for water resistant to 164 feet. It also meets IP6X certification, meaning it is totally dustproof.

Both companies have touted the durability of the glass on their latest wearables. The Watch 5 is Samsung’s first smartwatch to feature a sapphire crystal glass display, which the company says makes it 60% stronger against scratching versus the Watch 4.

Apple says the Series 7 features a more crack-resistant front crystal than any of its predecessors, meaning it’s harder to shatter the screen. At its tallest point, the Series 7’s Ion-X glass is over 50% thicker than that of the Series 6. Apple also gave the crystal on its model a flat base, which helps to increase durability.

Samsung’s Watch 5 Pro features a more rugged titanium case (versus aluminum on the standard Watch 5) and an even more durable sapphire crystal glass display for increased scratch resistance, Samsung says. Apple’s Series 7 comes in aluminum, stainless steel, or titanium.

Galaxy Watch 5 vs. Apple Watch 7: Temperature and Health Tracking

In terms of features, the biggest upgrade on the Galaxy Watch 5 is the addition of an infrared temperature sensor for skin temperature tracking.

Skin temperature analysis opens up new opportunities for developers to expand their health and wellness offerings, a Samsung spokesperson said during a briefing with reporters.

Several other wearable devices—including the Fitbit Charge 5, Oura Ring Generation 3, and Whoop 4.0—already track skin temperature variations, a metric that indicates whether you’re running hotter or colder compared with your baseline. Apple’s Series 7 smartwatch doesn’t offer this feature, but rumors suggest that the next Apple Watch, expected this fall, will indeed feature a body temperature sensor.

As for other health features, Samsung said it reshaped the curvature of the back glass on the Watch 5 series, increasing the contact surface area of the BioActive Sensor. This change promises more accurate body composition, blood oxygen saturation (SpO2), and electrocardiogram (ECG) measurements. The Series 7 accurately tracks your SpO2 and also supports ECG readings, but isn’t capable of measuring body fat or other body composition metrics like Samsung’s watches.

Sleep tracking is another area where Samsung has a leg up on Apple. Like the previous generation wearable, the Watch 5 family can track snoring when paired with a compatible smartphone, a sleeping metric not available on the Series 7.