Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 vs. Galaxy Watch 5: How different are they?

Samsung Galaxy Watch 6

The Galaxy Watch 6 is the latest smartwatch from Samsung, and it’s available in 40mm and 44mm sizes. Depending on the size, you get a 1.3-inch or a 1.5-inch display, respectively, a new and more powerful Exynos W930 chip, an up to 40-hour battery life, fast wireless charging, and many new features in One UI 5 Watch based on Wear OS 4.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 5

$220 $280 Save $60

Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 features iterative changes that improve the package sold previously. If you’re looking for an affordable WearOS-based smartwatch, this is the best option to consider. It comes with improved battery life and faster-charging capabilities.

At its Galaxy Unpacked event on July 26, 2023, Samsung introduced a lot of new hardware, and while most headlines will be grabbed by the new foldables — Samsung Galaxy Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5 — the Galaxy Watch 6 brings quite a few upgrades, which makes it one of the best Wear OS smartwatches to consider in 2023.

But is the device worth buying, especially if you own the previous generation? Here, we compare it with the Galaxy Watch 5 to catch what’s new and see whether you should consider it!

Price and Availability

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 starts at $300 and is currently on pre-order, with general availability beginning on August 11, 2023. On the other hand, the Galaxy Watch 5 is readily available for purchase from major retailers and can be scored at a discount that places it well below its $280 starting price. LTE versions are also available for sale; in the case of the Galaxy Watch 6, this upgrade will cost an extra $50.

Both wearables are available in 40mm and 44mm variants, but the number of color options is limited on the Galaxy Watch 6.

Design and Display

When it comes to design the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 doesn’t do much to differentiate itself from its predecessor. Samsung is maintaining the minimalistic sports watch design for another year, but there are display changes worth noting.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 features a 20% larger display, increasing the size to 1.3-inch and 1.5-inch on the 40mm and 44mm, respectively. This increase is brought without much change to the case size as its bezels that Samsung has managed to minimize.

The larger display will make it easier to read text on the compact display and also send quick texts with relative ease. The display is also said to be more vibrant and boasts a peak brightness of 2,000 nits.

In comparison, the Galaxy Watch 5 features 1.2 or 1.4-inch displays on the 40mm and 44mm models, respectively, and only has a peak brightness of 1,000 nits. The newer model is definitely the better option if you spend a lot of time outdoors.

Software

Pocketnow / Adam Z. Lein

Next, we’ll look at the software. Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 will come to market with One UI 5 Watch based on the latest version of Wear OS. This means it’s bringing in tow several accessibility features, integrations with the Samsung Galaxy phones released in 2023, and health features.

In comparison, the Galaxy Watch 5 is still running One UI Watch-based Wear OS 3.5. The smartwatch will likely get access to new software soon, as Samsung has maintained a great update schedule, and it has already announced a timeline for when some of the new features announced during the Unpacked keynote will reach the Galaxy Watch 5. But if you want to use the new additions we’ve detailed in our in-depth look at the Galaxy Watch 6 from the get-go, the newer wearable is the one to pick.

Performance

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 comes with a new and improved W930 processor, which boasts a higher clock speed of 1.4Ghz. In comparison to the W920 — with a 1.18Ghz clock speed — on the Galaxy Watch 5, the new processor is said to lead to smoother and faster interactions with the user interface. Samsung is also bundling more RAM with the Galaxy Watch 6. On the Galaxy Watch 5, Samsung shipped 1.5GB of RAM and 16GB of storage; this time around, the bundled RAM has been upped to 2GB, but the storage remains at 16 GB. Come on, Samsung, you can do better here!

Battery

Pocketnow / Adam Z. Lein

Apart from the new display size, another notable improvement of the Galaxy Watch 6 is its battery life. Samsung has managed to ship a larger battery encased within the device — for both sizes — which it says will allow the devices to last up to 40 hours on a single charge. The hour estimate shared by Samsung is similar to the Galaxy Watch 5, but it’s impressive as the newer device has a larger and brighter device to power.

Samsung is also reporting an improvement in charging speeds, as you will now be able to add up to eight hours of charge with an eight-minute fast charger session — with the included dongle. This makes the device a viable option for sleep tracking in case you’ve had a hectic day and used your Galaxy Watch quite a bit.

Galaxy Watch 6 vs. Galaxy Watch 5: Which one should you buy?

At the end of the day, when it comes to choosing between the Galaxy Watch 5 and Galaxy Watch 6, there isn’t much that differentiates the two devices. Yes, the latter has a larger and brighter screen, plus a larger battery, but it’s fundamentally the same watch.

Hence, if you’re willing to wait for the latest software update, we suggest you pick up the Galaxy Watch 5 at a discount rather than splashing $300 on the Galaxy Watch 6. The newer model is more of an ideal purchase for those buying the new Galaxy Z Flip 5 or Galaxy Fold 5 and will be bundling the smartwatch with the phones.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 6

The Galaxy Watch 6 is the latest smartwatch from Samsung, and it’s available in 40mm and 44mm sizes. Depending on the size, you get a 1.3-inch or a 1.5-inch display, respectively, a new and more powerful Exynos W930 chip, an up to 40-hour battery life, fast wireless charging, and many new features in One UI 5 Watch based on Wear OS 4.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 5

$220 $280 Save $60

Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 features iterative changes that improve the package sold previously. If you’re looking for an affordable WearOS-based smartwatch, this is the best option to consider. It comes with improved battery life and faster-charging capabilities.