Antonio Villas-Boas/Insider; Rick Stella/Insider
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If you’re a fan of smartwatches, you’re likely aware of both the Apple Watch and Samsung’s Galaxy line of watches. Both brands have made waves lately with their most recent high-end models: the Apple Watch Ultra and the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro.
Each model serves as a more rugged, premium, and, ultimately, more expensive version of the brand’s flagships. And although both require a specific smartphone operating system to function (iOS for the Ultra and Android for the Watch 5 Pro), they’re similarities make them natural competitors.
We’re a fan of both watches, having tabbed the Ultra as one of the best Apple Watches and the Watch 5 Pro as one of the best Android smartwatches. Both also appear in our guide to the best fitness trackers. But if you’re new to the world of smartwatches, or are just looking to upgrade, we’re here to help. Below is a side-by-side comparison of the Apple Watch Ultra and the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro.
Apple Watch Ultra vs. Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro: Specs at a glance
Apple Watch UltraSamsung Galaxy Watch 5 ProPrice$800$450Display size49mm45mmCase size49mm45mmCompatibilityiPhoneAndroidBattery life36 hoursApx. 3 daysFitness featuresTemperature sensor, blood oxygen sensor, ECG, and third-generation optical heart sensorSleep tracking, body composition, cycle trackingColor optionsGrayBlack, GrayWater resistanceUp to 100 metersUp to 50 metersCellular connectivityYesNoMobile paymentsYes (Apple Pay)Yes (Google Pay)ExtrasPrecision dual-frequency GPS, Depth gauge, Oceanic+ app and dive computer, 86-decibel siren, customizable Action ButtonTrackback feature (hiking and cycling), GPS, Google Suite
Apple Watch Ultra vs. Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro: Design
Antonio Villas-Boas/Insider; Rick Stella/Insider
You can learn a lot about the Ultra and the Watch 5 Pro by looking at the aesthetic choices that went into them. If the Ultra is a spaceship — sleek, shiny, futuristic, and even gaudy compared to previous Apple Watches — the Watch 5 Pro is a solid-looking battleship, meant to convey practicality, modernity, and a more down-to-earth take on tech.
The Apple Watch Ultra sports a large rectangular screen and a solid titanium case, both of which are designed to provide extra durability for athletes, adventurers, and outdoor enthusiasts. But aside from its notable (and excellent) Action Button, and its emphasis on resilience, the Ultra is in many ways just a bigger, flashier Apple Watch Series 8.
The Watch 5 Pro comes with a more traditional round display, complemented by the rugged look of the case and its simple standard rubber band. Like the Ultra, the case is titanium, but it has two buttons on the right side of the watch, instead of one, and also offers a touch display.
Apple Watch Ultra vs. Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro: Smartwatch performance
For both the Apple Watch Ultra and the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, the quality of their smartwatch experience is defined by a very clear line in the sand: Ultra users should have an iPhone, and Watch 5 Pro users should have an Android phone.
While any attempt to use the Ultra with anything other than an iPhone running iOS renders the wearable useless, the Watch 5 Pro does technically work with phones that don’t say Samsung on it. However, there are a few noticeable features missing (i.e. the heart rhythm feature and the Samsung Health app) when it’s used with something like a Google Pixel. It’s not a dealbreaker but it is a less-robust smartwatch experience.
The Ultra relies on programs like Siri, Apple Health, the App Store, and the iPhone itself to create a comprehensive experience for its users, so Android users really won’t be able to get anything out of the watch alone.
One important thing to note is that Wear OS is a huge step forward for the Galaxy Watch series, which previously relied on Tizen OS and therefore lacked Google Assistant and Google Pay. That alone makes the Watch 5 Pro one of the best Android smartwatches.
Apple Watch Ultra vs. Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro: Health and fitness tracking
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Health and fitness tracking on both devices works great, though each one has some minor flaws we hope to see improved in future updates and iterations. The workout and wellness experience on the Apple Watch Ultra is fairly smooth, with temperature sensing, blood oxygen monitoring, and heart rate notifications for highs, lows, and irregularities.
With the Ultra’s Action Button, you can quickly start workouts, timers, and more. Unfortunately, the “more” doesn’t include a lot of the other health-related features that would be ideal to start up on a whim, like heart rate detection.
Still, this new button is a game-changer for the Apple Watch. We often had it set to bring up the workout window and then especially liked using it for starting workouts. Other Apple Watches automatically start recording an activity when you click on it, but the Action Button allowed us to wait for GPS to sync (and to ready ourselves) before beginning a workout.
The Watch 5 Pro has a lot of these features as well, but there are some notable imperfections like a delay in GPS connectivity, which can be a slight pain when trying to use the backtracking feature or get accurate results after a workout.
We didn’t find it to be a huge discrepancy but the Ultra was a bit quicker to sync with GPS and slightly more accurate. Despite that drawback, it’s still a solid fitness tracker. It’s compatible with a wide range of activities, allows for easy data customization, and can be a useful tool for both casual and hardcore athletes, alike.
And while the Apple Watch does have an impressive selection of health and fitness tracking tools, the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro doesn’t disappoint with things like its body composition analysis and stress tracking tools.
Apple Watch Ultra vs. Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro: Battery life
When it comes to battery life, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro heavily outperformed the Apple Watch Ultra in our individual reviews, with the Pro boasting a three-day max as opposed to the Ultra’s 36-hour limit.
While more device time doesn’t always result in a better user experience, Wear OS and the versatility offered by the Watch 5 Pro means you’ll generally be able to do more with the watch for a longer period of time. For instance, for things like sleep and health tracking, less time charging means more time on your wrist and thus, the ability to more consistently track various data.
To the Ultra’s credit, its nearly two-day battery life is a boon to the Apple Watch line as a whole. No other Apple Watch exceeds a 24-hour battery life when used at full capacity, so the fact Apple pulled off a battery with a day-plus charge in it is impressive. Long-time Apple Watch users will greatly appreciate this uptick in battery life.
Which should you buy?
When placed side by side, it’s hard not to see the comparison between the Ultra and the Watch 5 Pro as a continuation of the age-old iPhone vs. Android debate. Fundamentally, the choice boils down to which device you already have, or if you’d be willing to switch operating systems altogether.
No matter which you choose, there’s a lot to like about either watch. Both the Ultra and the Watch 5 Pro have impressive health and fitness tracking features, a decent degree of customization, and plenty of brand and community support. Put plainly, the Ultra is one of the best Apple Watches and the Watch 5 Pro is one of the best Android smartwatches.
However, the devices are very different despite competing directly against each other, both in terms of fashion and function. If you’re making the decision between Apple and Android on their own, and using this watch as a benchmark, it’s important to keep in mind the Watch 5 Pro costs around half as much as the Ultra and is loosely compatible with a wider range of devices.