Smartphone Compatibility
Let's be honest here, the biggest factor in which smartwatch is better for you depends on your phone. Are you an Android user? A Galaxy Watch will work with it (and have a few additional features if you specifically have a Samsung Galaxy phone). Are you an iPhone user? An Apple Watch is by far the best option. You won't get a Galaxy Watch to play well with your iPhone, nor will an Apple Watch connect to your Android phone.
Winner: Tie (Which type of phone do you have?)
Price
Besides the main Android/iOS question, price is the simplest difference between the watches to pick out. The Galaxy Watch 8 starts at $349.99 for the 40mm model and $379.99 for the 44mm model with Wi-Fi only. Adding 4G LTE is a $50 premium on top of that, for a maximum price of $429.99 for the larger size with cellular connectivity.
The Apple Watch Series 11, meanwhile, starts at $399 for the 42mm aluminum version and $429 for the 46mm model. Adding 5G cellular bumps the price up an extra $100, making the 46mm 5G version $529. If you can spend even more than that, you can get a titanium Apple Watch Series 11, with 5G standard, in 42mm for $699 or in 46mm for $749.
Winner: Galaxy Watch 8 (The biggest cellular model is just $31 more than the smallest Wi-Fi-only Series 11)
Design
Which watch looks and feels better to you will depend almost entirely on your personal taste. The two differ significantly in their look and feel. Samsung uses a circular glass face for its Galaxy Watch 8, while Apple uses a square face with rounded corners for the Apple Watch Series 11. It gives the Galaxy Watch more of a classic wristwatch look than the Apple Watch, but reading long blocks of text is much easier on a square screen. The Galaxy Watch 8 only comes in aluminum, while the Apple Watch Series 11 is available in aluminum or a much, much more expensive titanium version.
The different shapes result in different control methods. Both Apple and Samsung watches have touch screens, but the Apple Watch also has a digital crown knob-button. If you want tactile scrolling control like that with a Galaxy Watch, you'll have to pay an additional $150 for the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic, which features a fancier stainless steel design with a physically rotating bezel and looks more like an old-fashioned watch than the other two.
The Apple Watch Series 11 is Apple's slimmest smartwatch at just 9.7 millimeters thick, but the Galaxy Watch 8 is even more slender at 8.6mm. Both smartwatches are available in two sizes each, with the Galaxy Watch featuring 40mm and 44mm versions and the Apple Watch available in 42mm and 46mm.
Winner: Tie (What kind of look are you going for?)
Display
Both smartwatches use OLED displays, but precisely what kind is where they differ. The Apple Watch Series 11 has a wide-angle LPTO3 OLED with a resolution of 374 by 446 pixels and measuring 1.65 inches for the 42mm version, and 416 by 496 pixels and 1.81 inches for the 46mm model. The Galaxy Watch 8 has a Super AMOLED screen that's both smaller (1.34 inches for the 40mm version, 1.47 inches for the 44mm one) and higher resolution (438 by 438 pixels at 40mm, 480 by 480 pixels at 44mm). On paper, the Galaxy Watch 8 is brighter with a peak brightness of 3,000 nits to the Apple Watch Series 11's 2,000 nits, though Apple says its newest OLED screen can consistently look bright when viewed off-angle. It's a trade-off between the two, depending on whether you want more display area or more pixels.
Winner: Tie (Pick your pixel count)
Connectivity
Apple has rolled out 5G cellular connectivity to the Apple Watch Series 11 and the other two Apple Watches in its generation (the SE 3 and the Ultra 3) on top of 4G LTE, while the Galaxy Watch 8 only has 4G. The Apple Watch also has a second-generation ultra-wideband chip for precise location tracking for the device itself. On the other hand, the Galaxy Watch 8 has GPS in both the L1 and much more accurate and powerful L5 bands; to get L5 GPS on an Apple Watch, you'd have to upgrade to an Ultra 3. Both watches have dual-band Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n) and Bluetooth 5.3. Better GPS is handy to have, but if you want your smartwatch to have a cellular connection, 5G is clearly the better choice.
Winner: Apple Watch Series 11 (It's the only one with 5G)
Fitness and Health
Both watches are loaded with sensors and fitness features, including heart rate tracking, blood oxygen monitoring (which has finally returned to the Apple Watch), ECG with irregular heart rhythm notification, sleep tracking with sleep apnea notification, and temperature tracking. The Galaxy Watch 8 has a bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) sensor that can analyze your body composition like a smart scale, but the Apple Watch Series 11 can monitor your blood pressure over time and warn you of potential hypertension.
Samsung leans into AI for more accessible health analysis and guidance. Its Galaxy AI can craft custom workouts and provide a holistic Energy Score to monitor. Apple has been slow to launch its vaguely defined Apple Intelligence platform, which, so far, on the Apple Watch Series 11, only manifests for fitness in Workout Buddy, an encouraging voice in your ear while you work out.
Winner: Galaxy Watch 8 (AI does have its uses)
Battery Life
On paper, the Galaxy Watch 8 can last up to 30 hours between charges, while the Apple Watch Series 11 can hit 24 hours. Claims aren't the same as reality, though, and in our actual tests, the Galaxy Watch fell short at a mere 26 hours while the Series 11 kept going for 43 hours.
Winner: Apple Watch Series 11 (You'll get at least a day and a half from it)
Which Watch Should You Get?
Well, if you read the first section, you already know your choice between the two is basically locked in, depending on your phone. Do you have an Android phone (especially if it's a Galaxy phone)? Go with the Galaxy Watch 8. Do you have an iPhone? The Apple Watch Series 11 is for you.
If you're on the fence about your phone or are willing to switch, they both have some very compelling aspects. The Galaxy Watch 8 is cheaper, even with 4G LTE cellular connectivity. It's a bit slimmer, has a higher-resolution display, and has more AI fitness features. The Apple Watch Series 11, meanwhile, has optional 5G connectivity and likely a longer-lasting battery. And, of course, there's the difference in form factor, which will come down entirely to your personal tastes.