Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 vs Galaxy Watch 5 Pro: Which wearable is better?

Now that Samsung’s revealed the new Galaxy Watch 6 to the world, you might be wondering how it stacks up against last year’s flagship wearable. Let’s take a look.

Just like clockwork, Samsung’s updated several of its major device lines for 2023 and while the Z Flip and Z Fold phones have been given their own updated refresh, there are also two new Galaxy Watches for fans to fawn over: the Galaxy Watch 6 and the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic.

Of course, as with most of the latest tech these days, any updates tend to be more iterative than game-changing, so if you’re upgrading from a watch that’s several years old, you might be wondering if it’s worth getting the latest Galaxy Watch or simply opting for the best from last year’s range.

To know exactly what separates the Galaxy Watch 6 from the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, just keep on scrolling.

The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro is bigger and more rugged

This one might be a given, but it’s worth pointing out from the get go if you’d rather have a watch that’s better suited for smaller wrists. The Galaxy Watch 6 comes in two sizes, 40 and 44mm, while the Watch 5 Pro is only available in just one 45mm option.

This goes hand in hand with the Pro’s more rugged design which uses a titanium chassis and an extra durable sapphire crystal display. What this means is that if you’re the type of person who likes to explore the great outdoors and go on an adventure from time to time, then you may be better suited with last year’s flagship watch.

Faster performance on the Watch 6

The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro was no slouch when it came to daily performance but Samsung has still seen fit to provide the Watch 6 with an updated chipset in the form of the Exynos W930. According to Samsung, this newer chipset has a higher processing speed of 1.4GHz (over 1.18GHz in the 5 Pro).

Even though both watches are set to receive the Wear OS 4 update when it becomes available, the faster processor should allow the Galaxy Watch 6 to show off Google’s new operating system in its best light, which is worth bearing in mind if you value performance above all else.

Watch 6 benefits from smaller bezels

While the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro and the standard Galaxy Watch 5 boasted bright, colourful displays, they were hampered somewhat by the fairly sizeable bezels that encompassed them. Luckily, Samsung has taken this complaint on board and made the bezels 30% smaller than before.

It’s very similar to the leap from the Apple Watch 6 to the Apple Watch 7, which brought forth a larger display courtesy of smaller bezels, and it’s had the same desired effect here which is that the Galaxy Watch 6 looks far more stylish. There’s no denying that the 1.5-inch screen on the 44mm Watch 6 is just more appealing to the eye, even though it’s barely larger than the 1.4-inch display on the Watch 5 Pro.

Watch 5 Pro is the battery king

While the Galaxy Watch 6 has definitely superseded the Watch 5 Pro in several ways, there is one area where last year’s flagship simply can’t be touched and that’s in battery life. With a massive (for a smartwatch) 560mAh battery, the Watch 5 Pro can go for up to 80-hours on a single charge.

Even though the Watch 6 now features a slightly larger battery than the standard Watch 5 at 425mAh, Samsung estimates that it can only last for up to 40-hours before needing to be topped up. This is a huge discrepancy, and it leaves just one clear winner if you’d rather have a wearable that can go the distance during a marathon or a hiking trip.