The Galaxy Watch is Samsung's latest flagship smartwatch. It comes in two sizes, promises days of battery life on a single charge, and has a faster processor. The problem? It's far from cheap.
Pros
- Available in two sizes
- Much larger battery
- Optional LTE model
- Faster + more efficient processor
Cons
- Expensive
2017's Gear Sport is still a great gadget. It shares many of the Galaxy Watch's features, including built-in GPS, waterproofing, and Samsung Pay. If you need LTE or maximum battery life, however, it may not be for you.
Pros
- Looks and feels great
- Has 90% of the Galaxy Watch's features
- More affordable
Cons
- Only available in one size
- No LTE support
Samsung's Galaxy Watch is the smartwatch to get if you want the very latest the company has to offer, but if you're okay sacrificing about 10% of the experience, the Gear Sport has many of the same features for a lot less money.
Which watch is for you?
While there are a few things that distinctly separate the Galaxy Watch from the Gear Sport, the watches have more in common than you might think.
From a software perspective, you'll be met with the same general experience. The Galaxy Watch is running a slightly newer version at Tizen 4.0 compared to Tizen 3.0 on the Gear Sport, but the overall look and feel is pretty much the same. You've got access to the same apps, watch faces, and user interface. The Galaxy Watch does have some software tricks that the Gear Sport doesn't have, such as Bixby Voice, but Samsung's proven to do a good job in the past with updating its older wearable tech to newer software that's come out following its release.
The two watches also both have built-in GPS for tracking your runs/walks without needing to carry your phone, NFC chips for Samsung Pay, waterproofing, heart-rate sensors, and rotating-bezels around the display that can be used for navigating the various menus and apps.
| Samsung Galaxy Watch | Samsung Gear Sport | |
|---|---|---|
| Operating System | Tizen 4.0 | Tizen 3.0 |
| Dimensions | 46 x 49 x 13 mm (46mm) 41.9 x 45.7 x 12.7 mm (42mm) |
42.9 x 44.6 x 11.6 mm |
| Display | 1.3-inch AMOLED 360 x 360 (46mm) 1.2-inch AMOLED 360 x 360 (42mm) |
1.2-inch AMOLED 360 x 360 |
| Processor | Exynos 9110 Dual core 1.15GHz | Exynos 3250 Dual core 1.0GHz |
| Battery | 472 mAh (46mm) 270 mAh (42mm) |
300 mAh |
| Connectivity | LTE GPS NFC Bluetooth 4.2 |
GPS NFC Bluetooth 4.2 |
| Colors | Silver Midnight Black Rose Gold |
Black Blue |
If so much is similar between the two, what does the Galaxy Watch do to justify its higher price?
For starters, the battery life is much better. The 472 mAh battery inside the 46mm Galaxy Watch is rated for 4+ days of use on a single charge. The battery inside the 42mm Galaxy Watch is actually smaller than the Gear Sport's, but the newer processor should still offer similar, if not better, endurance.
Also, if you want to be able to receive notifications and make calls on your smartwatch without having to always be connected to your phone, only the Galaxy Watch has an LTE model.
Latest and greatest
Samsung Galaxy Watch
The very best smartwatch Samsung offers.
With a huge battery and support for LTE, the Galaxy Watch is the most powerful wearable in Samsung's lineup. It's expensive, yes, but you do get what you pay for.
Budget pick
Samsung Gear Sport
A fully-featured watch that costs a lot less.
If you don't mind charging your watch every night and can live without LTE, the Gear Sport is a great pick. It has almost every feature the Galaxy Watch does but costs a lot less.
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