Skip to content
MobileIQ

Head to head

Samsung Galaxy Watch9 40mmvsApple Apple Watch SE 3 44mm

Released
2026-08-07Samsung Newsroom UK — Galaxy Watch Ultra2 and Watch9, retrieved 2026-09-13
Price
£349Samsung UK store — Galaxy Watch9, retrieved 2026-09-13
Security updates until
Not published by the makerSamsung UK — How to update software on Galaxy Watch, retrieved 2026-09-13
Released
2025-09-19Apple Newsroom — Apple Watch SE 3, retrieved 2026-09-13
Price
£249Apple UK store — SE 3 44mm GPS, retrieved 2026-09-22
Security updates until
Not published by the makerApple UK — watchOS 27 compatible models, retrieved 2026-09-22

1 win for Galaxy Watch9 40mm0 wins for Apple Watch SE 3 44mm1 gap borderline1 difference you won’t notice£100 apart at RRP

Verdict: Galaxy Watch9 40mm ahead on 1 row, Apple Watch SE 3 44mm on none

On the makers’ published figures, the Galaxy Watch9 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 Watch9 40mm. The difference in weight (case only) is below the threshold you would notice. The other 29 rows have no threshold or no direction to judge by, so nobody wins them.

True to scale

Galaxy Watch9 40mm · 42.7 × 40.4 mmApple Watch SE 3 44mm · 44 × 38 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

SpecificationSamsung Galaxy Watch9 40mmApple Watch SE 3 44mm
DimensionsDiffers, but not ranked.
42.7 x 40.4 x 8.6 mmOfficial
44 x 38 x 10.7 mmOfficial
Case size
40mmOfficial
44mmOfficial
Case shapeDiffers, but not ranked.
roundOfficial
rectangularOfficial
Weight (case only)
31.5gOfficial
32.9gOfficial

You won’t notice this difference.

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

Display

SpecificationSamsung Galaxy Watch9 40mmApple Watch SE 3 44mm
Display typeDiffers, but not ranked.
Super AMOLED, Full Colour Always On DisplayOfficial
Always-On Retina display with OLED and LTPOOfficial
Display size
1.34inOfficial
No verified data
Display area
No verified data
977mm²Official
ResolutionDiffers, but not ranked.
438 x 438Official
368 x 448Official
Peak brightness
3000nitsOfficialwins this row
1000nitsOfficial

Galaxy Watch9 40mm is ahead here, by a gap you’d notice.

Always-on displaySame.
YesOfficial
YesOfficial

Platform

SpecificationSamsung Galaxy Watch9 40mmApple Watch SE 3 44mm
Operating systemDiffers, but not ranked.
Wear OS 7Official
watchOS 26Official
ChipDiffers, but not ranked.
Qualcomm SDW6100 (Snapdragon Wear Elite, 3nm, 5 core)Official
S10 SiPOfficial
StorageDiffers, but not ranked.
32GBOfficial
64GBOfficial
RAM
2GB3rd party
No verified data

Battery

SpecificationSamsung Galaxy Watch9 40mmApple Watch SE 3 44mm
Battery life (maker's claim)
40hOfficial
18hOfficial

Marginal — most people won’t notice.

Charge to 80%
No verified data
45minOfficial
ChargingDiffers, but not ranked.
Fast ChargingOfficial
Fast-charge capable, Apple Watch Magnetic Fast Charger to USB-C CableOfficial

Health

SpecificationSamsung Galaxy Watch9 40mmApple Watch SE 3 44mm
SensorsDiffers, but not ranked.
Accelerometer, Barometer, Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis Sensor, Electrical Heart Sensor, Gyro Sensor, Geomagnetic Sensor, Light Sensor, Optical Heart Rate Sensor, Temperature SensorOfficial
Second-generation optical heart sensor, temperature sensor, compass, always-on altimeter, high-g accelerometer, high dynamic range gyroscope, ambient light sensorOfficial
ECGDiffers, but not ranked.
YesOfficial
NoOfficial
Blood oxygen
No verified data
NoOfficial
Skin temperatureSame.
YesOfficial
YesOfficial
GPSDiffers, but not ranked.
L1+L5 Dual-Frequency GPS (GPS, Glonass, Beidou, Galileo, QZSS)Official
L1 GPS (GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS and BeiDou)Official

Connectivity

SpecificationSamsung Galaxy Watch9 40mmApple Watch SE 3 44mm
Cellular modelSame.
YesOfficial
YesOfficial
Cellular model price
£399Official
No verified data
UK networks with eSIMDiffers, but not ranked.
EE, Vodafone3rd party
EE, Vodafone, O2, Three3rd party
Wi-FiDiffers, but not ranked.
802.11a/b/g/n 2.4GHz+5GHzOfficial
Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n)Official
BluetoothDiffers, but not ranked.
6.0Official
5.3Official
NFC paymentsSame.
YesOfficial
YesOfficial

Compatibility

SpecificationSamsung Galaxy Watch9 40mmApple Watch SE 3 44mm
Works withDiffers, but not ranked.
Android 13.0 or higher and with more than 1.5GB of memoryOfficial
iPhone 11 or later, including iPhone SE (2nd generation or later), with iOS 27 or laterOfficial
CompatibilityDiffers, but not ranked.
Android; some features need a Samsung phoneOfficial
iPhone onlyOfficial
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.