The Apple Watch Series 10 and the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 are two highly regarded smartwatches. Both offer impressive health and workout tracking features. They allow users to maintain an active lifestyle, monitor fitness goals, improve sleep quality, and recover post-workout.
Despite a $100 price difference, with the Galaxy Watch being more affordable, they share many features and specs. However, the Apple Watch runs watchOS and is compatible only with iPhones. The Galaxy Watch runs on Wear OS and performs best with Android devices.
To test their accuracy, I wore the Apple Watch on my left wrist and the Galaxy Watch on my right. I manually counted 6,000 steps, using a tally counter and the Strava app on my iPhone 12 mini to log the walk. After reaching my step count, I recorded the results to analyze their accuracy.
The Apple Watch 10 counted 5,955 steps while the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 counted 5,943 steps. The manual count was 6,000 steps. Strava recorded 3.30 miles with an elevation gain of 208 feet and an average pace of 17:40 per mile.
Step count accuracy comparison
The Apple Watch logged a pace of 17:40 per mile, the Samsung Watch 16:28 per mile, and Strava 16:02 per mile. The Apple Watch reported 419 calories burned versus 365 on the Samsung Watch.
Both devices used 5% battery during the 53-minute workout. The step counts from both watches were within a reasonable margin of error. The Apple Watch differed by 45 steps and the Samsung Galaxy Watch by 57 steps from the manual count.
Strava recorded 5,964 steps, showing these devices are highly accurate in step tracking. The distance and elevation gain measurements were also similar across devices. However, there was a slight discrepancy in pace data, with Apple logging a slower average pace due to its calculation method, which includes pauses in motion, unlike Samsung and Strava.
Heart rate data was consistent between the two watches. However, the Apple Watch reported 54 more calories burned. In this comparison, the Apple Watch 10 emerged as the winner, beating the Galaxy Watch 7 by just 12 steps.
However, both devices showed exceptional accuracy, making either a solid option for fitness tracking.
Image Credits: Photo by Raagesh C on Unsplash
Rashan is a seasoned technology journalist and visionary leader serving as the Editor-in-Chief of DevX.com, a leading online publication focused on software development, programming languages, and emerging technologies. With his deep expertise in the tech industry and her passion for empowering developers, Rashan has transformed DevX.com into a vibrant hub of knowledge and innovation. Reach out to Rashan at [email protected]
