The Samsung Galaxy Watch and Gear S3 series are still some of the best smartwatches on the market for obvious reasons; outstanding design, great quality, long battery life, fitness tracking, and lots of features inbuilt. This post compares the differences between the Samsung Galaxy Watch vs Gear S3 Frontier to find out which is a better smartwatch.

Samsung Galaxy Watch vs Gear S3 Frontier: Specs Comparison

	Samsung Galaxy Watch (46mm) (LTE)	Samsung Gear S3 Frontier
ABOUT DEVICE
Device name	Samsung Galaxy Watch (46mm)	Samsung Gear S3 Frontier
Device type	Classic/Fitness/Standalone smartwatch	Classic/Fitness/Standalone smartwatch
Predecessor	Samsung Gear S3	Samsung Gear S2
Successor	N/A	Samsung Galaxy Watch
Date Released	August, 2018	November, 2016
Gender	Men	Men (will look good too on women.)
WHERE TO BUY	BUY AT AMAZON	BUY AT AMAZON
DISPLAY
Display size	1.3 inch	1.3 inches
Display type	Super AMOLED Full color	Super AMOLED Full color
Display resolution	360 x 360 pixels	360 x 360 pixels
Pixel density	278 ppi	278 ppi
Display always-on	Yes	Yes
Input type	Touchscreen, 2 physical buttons physical rotating bezel	Touchscreen, 2 physical buttons, rotating bezel
BODY
Shape	Circular	Circular
Casing material	Stainless steel/glass reinforced with polycarbonate	Stainless steel/glass reinforced with polycarbonate
Strap material	Silicone (leather straps also available)	Silicone
Bezel Material	Ceramics	Ceramics
Weight	63 grams	63 grams (without straps)
Color(s)	Black and silver	Black
Dimension	46 x 49 x 13 mm	46 x 49 x 12.9 mm
Strap size	22 mm	22mm
Screen protection	Corning Gorilla glass DX+	Corning Gorilla glass SR+
Durability test	MIL-STD-810G
Waterproof rating	Yes, IP68, 5ATM MIL-STD-810G	Yes, IP68 MIL-STD-810G
CLOCK FEATURES
Time/Date	Yes	Yes
Alarm	Yes	Yes
Stopwatch	Yes	Yes
MEMORY
RAM	1.5GB (LTE)	0.75GB
Internal storage	4GB	4GB
Memory card slot	No	No
MEDIA
Audio	mp3/mp4	mp3/mp4
Microphone	Yes	Yes
Loudspeaker	Yes	Yes
Camera	No	No
Music streaming	Yes	Yes
CONNECTIVITY
Bluetooth	Bluetooth v4.2	Bluetooth v4.2
NFC	Yes	Yes
Wi-Fi	Yes	Yes
Bluetooth calling	Yes	Yes
NOTIFICATIONS
Calls alert	Yes	Yes
SMS alert	Yes	Yes
Email alert	Yes	Yes
Reminder	Yes	Yes
CELLULAR CONNECTIVITY
Network Technology	GSM/HSPA/LTE	GSM/HSPA/LTE
SIM	Yes, e-SIM	Yes, e-SIM
FITNESS TRACKING
Steps	Yes	Yes
Distance	Yes	Yes
Calories	Yes	Yes
Floors climbed	Yes	Yes
Sleep tracking	Yes	Yes
Heart rate monitoring	Yes	Yes
VO2 Max.	Yes	Yes
Stress	Yes	Yes
Swim tracking	Yes	Yes
Menstrual cycle tracking	No	No
Blood pressure	No	No
ECG Tracking	No	No
Blood oxygen	No	No
Preloaded sport modes	Yes	Yes
PLATFORM
Operating system	Tizen OS 4.0	Tizen OS 2.3.2
CPU	Dual core 1.15GHz	Dual core 1.0GHz
GPU	--	--
Chipset	Exynos 9110	Exynos 7270
SENSORS
GPS	GLONASS/A-GPS	GPS/GLONASS/A-GPS
Accelerometer	Yes	Yes
Gyroscope	Yes	Yes
Heart rate sensor	Yes	Yes
Barometer	Yes	Yes
Compass	No	No
Pulse Ox.	No	No
Altimeter	--	--
ECG	No	No
Thermometer	No	No
Ambient light	Yes	Yes
OTHER FUNCTIONS
Interchangeable straps	Yes, 22mm	Yes, 22mm
Custom watch face	Yes	Yes
Voice Assistant	Yes	Yes
Compatibility	Android 5.0+ & RAM 1.5GB+ iPhone 5+ and iOS 9.0+	Android 4.4+ IOS 9.0+
Payment system	Samsung pay	Samsung pay
Companion app	Samsung Gear app	Samsung Gear app
BATTERY
Battery type	Non-removable Li-ion battery	Non-removable Li-ion battery
Battery capacity	472mAh	380mAh
Est. battery life	Standby :5 days+, Mixed usage: 2 days+	Standby :5 days+, Mixed usage: 2 days+
Charging mode	WPC based wireless charging	WPC based wireless charging
Charging duration	About 1-2 hours	About 1-2 hours
BOX CONTENTS
	Samsung Galaxy Watch (46mm)	Samsung Gear S3 Frontier
	Straps	Straps
	Charging dock	Wireless charger
	Quick start guide	Quick start guide

Samsung Galaxy Watch vs Gear S3 Frontier: The Differences

1. Design

Although the Galaxy Watch succeeded the Gear S3, there isn’t any clear difference in the design. In fact, merely looking at these two, they look pretty much the same. Except for the Gear S3 classic which has the classical appearance of your regular traditional watch. AMOLED still powers the 1.3′ display on both smartwatches which is very much vivid and colorful. And these two have about the same weight and dimension.

However, the Galaxy Watch has more features like good night mode and theater mode that keeps you off from distractions. The Galaxy watch running on a more recent Tizen OS features more watch faces compared to Gear S3 with fewer options to choose from.

2. Waterproof Rating

Galaxy Watch is rated 5ATM (50 meters) compared to IP68 (1.5 meters) of the Gear S3. As a result, you can wear the Galaxy Watch to the pool or even ocean to a depth of 50meters, but not recommended for the Gear S3. Moreover, the Galaxy has a water lock mode that allows you to eject water from the speaker.

3. Processor and OS

The Galaxy Watch runs on Tizen 4.0.0.1 which is higher than 3.0.0.1 of the Gear S3. And also powered by a higher Exynos 9110 compared to 7270 of the Gear S3. However, there isn’t any noticeable difference in the performance of these two. Performance looks awesome on both devices.

4. Battery Life

The Galaxy Watch comes with a bigger 470mAh battery capacity compared to 380mAh of the Gear S3. However, both watches have about the same battery life of 3 days or more with light usage.

5. Fitness Tracking

Both the Galaxy Watch and Gear S3 are fitness smartwatches equipped to track your active life comprehensively. However, the Galaxy Watch has more preloaded sport modes built-in compared to Gear S3 with lesser sport modes to choose from.

Which is Better?

In all, each of these two is a fine smartwatch worth investing in, but I’ll go with the Galaxy Watch. It has more features and a more comprehensive fitness tracker than the Gear S3.