Samsung’s flagship smartwatch, Galaxy Watch 3 is a sophisticated timepiece that succeeds in the Galaxy Watch. It comes with new additions such as higher 8GB storage and more fitness tracking features. Fossil Gen 5 on the other hand, is one of the best Wear OS smartwatches. It has a classic design just like the Galaxy Watch 3. In this post, I compare the specs and features of Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 vs Fossil Gen 5 to find out the differences.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 vs Fossil Gen 5 Full Specifications Compared
| Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 (45mm) | Fossil Gen 5 Carlyle | |
|---|---|---|
 |  | |
ABOUT DEVICE | ||
| Device name | Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 (45mm) Bluetooth | Fossil Gen 5 Carlyle |
| Device type | Classic/Fitness smartwatch | Classic/Fitness smartwatch |
| Predessesor | Samsung Galaxy Watch | Fossil Gen 4 Q Explorist |
| Successor | Galaxy Watch 4 Classic | Fossil Gen 6 |
| Released date | August, 2020 | August, 2019 |
| Ideal for | Men | Men |
DISPLAY | ||
| Display type | Super AMOLED Full color | AMOLED (Always-on) |
| Display size | 1.4 inches | 1.28 inch |
| Display resolution | 360 x 360 pixels | 416 x 416 pixels |
| Pixel density | 346 ppi | 326 PPI |
| Input type | Touchscreen, 2 physical buttons physical rotating bezel | Touchscreen plus 3 physical buttons |
| Always-on | Yes | Yes |
| Customizable watch face | Yes | Yes |
BODY | ||
| Shape | Circular | Circular |
| Dimension | 46.2 x 45 x 11.1 mm | 44 x 44 x 12 mm |
| Weight | 53.8 grams (excluding straps) | N/A |
| Casing material | Stainless steel frame/glass reinforced with polycarbonate back | Stainless steel |
| Strap/band material | Leather | Stainless steel |
| Bezel Material | Ceramics | Stainless steel |
| Strap size | 22mm | 22mm |
| Interchangeable band | Yes, 22mm | Yes, 22mm |
| Screen protection | Corning Gorilla glass DX | Corning Gorilla glass |
| Water resistant/Protection | Yes, IP68, 5ATM MIL-STD-810G | Yes, 3ATM |
| Swim-proof | Yes, recommended | Yes |
| Color(s) | Mystic black Mystic silver | Black silicone/steel Dark Brown/black steel Smoke stainless steel |
MEMORY | ||
| RAM | 1GB | 1GB |
| Internal storage | 8GB | 8GB |
| Memory card slot | No | No |
CONNECTIVITY | ||
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth v5.0 | Bluetooth smart v4.2 LE |
| Bluetooth calling | Yes | Yes |
| Wi-Fi | Yes | Yes |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Payment system | Samsung pay | Google pay |
| GPS | GLONASS/A-GPS/Beidou/Galileo | Yes |
CELLULAR TECHNOLOGY | ||
| Technology | No | No |
| SIM | No | No |
| Band | No | No |
NOTIFICATIONS | ||
| Email alert | Yes | Yes |
| SMS alert | Yes | Yes |
| Calls alert | Yes | Yes |
| Event reminder | Yes | Yes |
| Weather | Yes | Yes |
| Third-party apps | Yes | Yes |
| Text response | Yes | Yes |
FITNESS TRACKING | ||
| Sleep apnea | No | No |
| Sleep tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Steps | Yes | Yes |
| Floors climbed | Yes | Yes |
| Heart rate monitoring | Yes | Yes |
| Calories | Yes | Yes |
| Distance | Yes | Yes |
| Stress | Yes | Yes |
| VO2 Max. | Yes | Yes |
| Blood oxygen | Yes | No |
| Blood pressure | Yes | No |
| Menstrual cycle tracking | Yes | No |
| Swim tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Under-water heart rate tracking | Yes | No |
| Preloaded maps | Yes | No |
| On-screen workout modes | __ | No |
| Triathlon mode | Yes | __ |
| ECG Tracking | Yes | No |
| Preloaded sport modes | Yes, 90 | Yes |
| Safety tracking | Yes | No |
MEDIA | ||
| Audio | mp3/mp4 | mp3/mp4 |
| Music streaming | Yes | Yes |
| Bluetooth music | Yes | Yes |
| Radio | No | No |
| Loudspeaker | Yes | Yes |
| Microphone | Yes | Yes |
| Camera | No | No |
SENSORS | ||
PLATFORM | ||
| Operating system (OS) | Tizen OS 5.5 | Wear OS |
| Chipset | Exynos 9110 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 3100 |
| CPU | Dual core 1.15GHz | 1.2 GHz Quad-core 4x ARM Cortex A7 |
| GPU | -- | Qualcomm Adreno 304 GPU |
BATTERY | ||
| Type of battery | Non-removable Li-ion battery | Non-removable Li-ion battery |
| Battery capacity | 340mAh | 310mAh |
| Battery life | Mixed Usage:2 days | Standby: 3 days+ Mixed usage: 1 day+ |
| Charging type | Charging dock Wireless charging | Inductive charging magnet |
| Charging time | About 1-2 hours | About 1-2 hours |
| Battery saver mode | Yes | Yes |
| Solar power | No | No |
| Rapid charging | _ | Yes |
CLOCK FEATURES | ||
| Time/Date | Yes | Yes |
| Stopwatch | Yes | Yes |
| Alarm | Yes | Yes |
OTHER FUNCTIONS | ||
| Control camera | Yes | Yes |
| Music control | Yes | Yes |
| Find phone | Yes | Yes |
MISC | ||
| Compatibility | Android 5.0+ & RAM 1.5GB+ iPhone 5+ and iOS 9.0+ | Android 6.0 (excluding Go edition)+ iOS 10.0+ |
| Companion app | Samsung Wearable app | Fossil Q app |
| Voice command | Yes | Yes |
BOX CONTENTS | ||
| Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 (45mm) | Fossil Gen 5 Carlyle | |
| Straps | Straps | |
| Charger | Inductive charging magnet | |
| Quick start guide | Quick start guide | |
| NOTE: We can't guarantee that all the information on this table are 100% correct. Read full disclaimer. Please, report an error. | ||
| Official Site | Official Site | |
Which is Better?
No doubt, Galaxy Watch 3 is a better smartwatch than Gen 5. It has a larger display 1.4 inches display compared to 1.28 inches of Gen 5. The physical rotating bezel of Galaxy Watch 3 makes navigation a lot easier and off course leaves it with a more sophisticated design.
Galaxy Watch 3 will also last longer than Gen 5, it has about 2 days long battery life compared to a day or more of Gen 5. Although, each of these two has a battery manager feature that elongates battery significantly.
Furthermore, while each of these two is fitness oriented and can track your sleep, heart rate, calories, steps, and outdoor activities with inbuilt GPS, Galaxy Watch 3 is a more comprehensive fitness tracker than Gen 5. It features blood oxygen monitoring, trip detection, blood oxygen tracking, ECG, and VO2 Max. tracking which Gen 5 lacks.
I’ve been using the Galaxy Watch for a while right now, and I think its really a fantastic smartwatch, its okay to believe the new Galaxy Watch 3 which packs more features and runs on Tizen OS 5.5 has a lot more to offer. On that note, it’s a better bargain than Gen 5.
Prices
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Hi! I’m Jude, the chief editor at Smartwatchseries.com
I’m a graduate of biochemistry, a 3D artist and a passionate fitness enthusiast. On here, I and other smartwatch fans work hard to help you find the right smartwatch for you with our guides, reviews, and comparisons.
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