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MobileIQ

Head to head

Apple Apple Watch SE 3 40mmvsSamsung Galaxy Watch8 40mm

Released
2025-09-19Apple Newsroom — Apple Watch SE 3, retrieved 2026-09-13
Price
£219Apple UK store, retrieved 2026-09-13
Security updates until
Not published by the makerApple UK — watchOS 27 compatible models, retrieved 2026-09-22
Released
2025-07-25Samsung Newsroom UK — Galaxy Watch8 series, retrieved 2026-09-13
Price
£319Samsung Newsroom UK — Galaxy Watch8 series, retrieved 2026-09-13
Security updates until
Not published by the makerSamsung UK — How to update software on Galaxy Watch, retrieved 2026-09-13

0 wins for Apple Watch SE 3 40mm1 win for Galaxy Watch8 40mm1 gap borderline1 difference you won’t notice£100 apart at RRP

Verdict: Galaxy Watch8 40mm ahead on 1 row, Apple Watch SE 3 40mm on none

On the makers’ published figures, the Galaxy Watch8 40mm wins on peak brightness (3,000 nits against 1,000 nits). One gap is borderline, a difference most people would not notice: battery life (maker's claim) (40 h against 18 h) for the Galaxy Watch8 40mm. The difference in weight (case only) is below the threshold you would notice. Both state the same case size. The other 28 rows have no threshold or no direction to judge by, so nobody wins them.

True to scale

Apple Watch SE 3 40mm · 40 × 34 mmGalaxy Watch8 40mm · 42.7 × 40.4 mm

Case outlines from each maker’s published dimensions, drawn to scale. A round case is an ellipse at those figures; rectangular corner rounding is our drawing convention, not a measurement.

Specifications

A win is marked only where the figures can be ranked and the gap is one you could notice on the wrist. A row the site has no threshold for says whether the two differ, and that it is not ranking them. = marks the same figure on both, ≠ not ranked a difference with no ranking. Every figure carries its source.

Body

SpecificationApple Watch SE 3 40mmSamsung Galaxy Watch8 40mm
DimensionsDiffers, but not ranked.
40 x 34 x 10.7 mmOfficial
42.7 x 40.4 x 8.6 mmOfficial
Case sizeSame.
40mmOfficial
40mmOfficial
Case shapeDiffers, but not ranked.
rectangularOfficial
roundOfficial
Weight (case only)
26.3gOfficial
30gOfficial

You won’t notice this difference.

Case materialDiffers, but not ranked.
AluminiumOfficial
Armor AluminiumOfficial
Water ratingDiffers, but not ranked.
Water resistance 50m (swimproof)Official
5 ATM + IP68 / MIL-STD-810HOfficial

Display

SpecificationApple Watch SE 3 40mmSamsung Galaxy Watch8 40mm
Display typeDiffers, but not ranked.
Always-On Retina display with OLED and LTPOOfficial
Super AMOLED, Full Colour Always On DisplayOfficial
Display size
No verified data
1.34inOfficial
Display area
759mm²Official
No verified data
ResolutionDiffers, but not ranked.
324 x 394Official
438 x 438Official
Peak brightness
1000nitsOfficial
3000nitsOfficialwins this row

Galaxy Watch8 40mm is ahead here, by a gap you’d notice.

Always-on displaySame.
YesOfficial
YesOfficial

Platform

SpecificationApple Watch SE 3 40mmSamsung Galaxy Watch8 40mm
Operating systemDiffers, but not ranked.
watchOS 26Official
Wear OS 6Official
ChipDiffers, but not ranked.
S10 SiPOfficial
Exynos W1000 (5 core, 3nm)Official
StorageDiffers, but not ranked.
64GBOfficial
32GBOfficial
RAM
No verified data
2GB3rd party

Battery

SpecificationApple Watch SE 3 40mmSamsung Galaxy Watch8 40mm
Battery life (maker's claim)
18hOfficial
40hOfficial

Marginal — most people won’t notice.

Charge to 80%
45minOfficial
No verified data
ChargingDiffers, but not ranked.
Fast-charge capable, Apple Watch Magnetic Fast Charger to USB-C CableOfficial
Fast Charging (WPC-based wireless charging)Official

Health

SpecificationApple Watch SE 3 40mmSamsung Galaxy Watch8 40mm
SensorsDiffers, but not ranked.
Second-generation optical heart sensor, temperature sensor, compass, always-on altimeter, high-g accelerometer, high dynamic range gyroscope, ambient light sensorOfficial
Accelerometer, Barometer, Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis Sensor, Electrical Heart Sensor, Gyro Sensor, Geomagnetic Sensor, Infrared Temperature Sensor, Light Sensor, Optical Heart Rate SensorOfficial
ECGDiffers, but not ranked.
NoOfficial
YesOfficial
Blood oxygen
NoOfficial
No verified data
Skin temperatureSame.
YesOfficial
YesOfficial
GPSDiffers, but not ranked.
L1 GPS (GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS and BeiDou)Official
L1+L5 Dual-Frequency GPS (GPS, Glonass, Beidou, Galileo)Official

Connectivity

SpecificationApple Watch SE 3 40mmSamsung Galaxy Watch8 40mm
Cellular modelSame.
YesOfficial
YesOfficial
Cellular model price
No verified data
£369Official
UK networks with eSIMDiffers, but not ranked.
EE, Vodafone, O2, Three3rd party
EE, Vodafone3rd party
Wi-FiDiffers, but not ranked.
Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n)Official
802.11a/b/g/n 2.4GHz+5GHzOfficial
BluetoothSame.
5.3Official
5.3Official
NFC paymentsSame.
YesOfficial
YesOfficial

Compatibility

SpecificationApple Watch SE 3 40mmSamsung Galaxy Watch8 40mm
Works withDiffers, but not ranked.
iPhone 11 or later, including iPhone SE (2nd generation or later), with iOS 27 or laterOfficial
Android 11.0 or higher and with more than 1.5GB of memoryOfficial
CompatibilityDiffers, but not ranked.
iPhone onlyOfficial
Android; some features need a Samsung phoneOfficial
3 attributes neither watch has a sourced figure for

Strap width · Battery capacity · Blood pressure. Rows appear as sources are cited — a gap in our data, not a statement about either watch.

The pairs a buyer of either watch would also weigh. Any two watches in the catalogue can be compared from the chooser.