Compare Apple Watch 7 vs Galaxy Watch 4

This review compares the Apple Watch Series 7 to Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 based on the latest information provided on the Apple Event on 14 September. The Apple Watch 7 is scheduled to be available sometime in the last quarter of 2021, and the exact date is not confirmed yet.

For those who have missed the broadcast, you can view the event below, which lasts about an hour and 18 mins. During the event, Tim Cook and his team introduced the new iPad (non-Pro), iPad Mini 6 (2021), iPhone 13 and Apple Watch 7.

At this time, the comparison table covers specifications that were provided by Apple so far. However, we made a few assumptions, such as there should be two versions, 40mm and 44mm, like the Watch 6.

IP Rating and Water Resistant[tie_index]IP Rating and Water Resistant[/tie_index]

Finally, Apple has included IP6X rating start from the Apple Watch 7 which means it is certified dust-tight based on IEC standard 60529. For the water-resistant portion, Apple chooses to certify the watches to the ISO 22810: 2010 Water Resistant (WR) Watch Standard. The tests under ISO 22810 also include varying the temperature and pressure, which is not done for IP rating.

This could mean the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4’s water ingress test for the IP68 rating is redundant, as they only need to have an IP6X, rating. The water resistance is taken care of by the WR marking. Anyway, the certification is already done for the Galaxy Watch 4, but for future models, Samsung could follow how Apple certifies Watch 7 so as to save cost.

Apple Watch 7 also comes with three different casing material choices.

• Stainless Steel has the best durability for the 3 types of material and comes in silver, graphite, gold color using PVD coating processes.

• Aluminum is the lightest but also the weakest and has the most anodized color choices including green, blue, red, starlight, midnight.

• Titanium is the favorite for most users for a balance of weight and durability, and it comes in natural and space black color choices. Titanium normally costs more than stainless steel and aluminum finishing.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 only comes in aluminum, but the Watch 4 Classic casing is made in stainless steel.

Compare Display Durability[tie_index]Compare Display Durability[/tie_index]

The Apple Watch 7 has a larger display area achieved by reducing the borders to just about 1.7mm around the screen. As a result, the screen area is 20% larger than Watch 6, without significantly increasing the overall form factor. Based on this photo below, we estimated the diagonal size by proportion and came up with 1.63in and 1.9in. display, which is both significantly larger than Galaxy Watch 4.

The ceramic shield glass of the Apple Watch 7 is thicker than Watch 6 by up to 50%. Cnet performed several drop tests on the iPhone 12 with a ceramic shield and the glass holds up very well after several drops without any protective casing.

We have yet to find any website that has done real-life tests for the Gorilla Glass for the Samsung, but we have experienced earlier versions that break in just one drop, even with the casing on.

Apps and Sensors[tie_index]Apps and Sensors[/tie_index]

Apple Watch 7 does not have any BIA (Bio Impedance Analyser) sensor like the one in Samsung Galaxy Watch 4. The BIA sensor is used to measure body composition, which is normally not so accurate unless they are used on a body composition scale with at least 8 electrodes.

This is what we have so far and the slides below. We will do a more detailed comparison once more details specs are available at Apple.com