Technologies

Apple Watch Series 11 vs. Samsung Galaxy Watch 8: The Top Highlights of Each Smartwatch

Apple and Samsung are including a wealth of health and fitness features to pump up their flagship watches. Here is how they compare.

The Apple Watch has long positioned itself as a leader in the smartwatch space, and the new Series 11 watch includes several key updates that provide improvements over previous models. These include 5G connectivity for the cellular model and new health features like hypertension notifications and Sleep Score analysis.

Yet, Apple does face plenty of competition from other companies, with Samsung’s latest Galaxy Watch 8 providing a compelling alternative for people looking for a watch that pairs with an Android phone. The Galaxy Watch 8 has a lightweight design, access to the Gemini assistant and Samsung’s own suite of health features like its new Running Coach.

If you’re not tied to either the Apple or Android ecosystem, it’s worth taking a look at both to see which one you prefer. We’ve compiled several comparison points below to help make your decision easier.

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Design and display

Even before we delve into their features, the most obvious difference between the two watches is in how they look. The Watch Series 11 retains the same square frame that prior Apple Watch have always had, along with a thin profile and edge-to-edge display.

The Galaxy Watch 8, on the other hand, has a circular display that is more reminiscent of traditional watches and might appeal more to those who want a rounder shape. The Galaxy Watch 8 is not completely round, however. It has a square base, which makes the overall effect more of a squircle than a normal circle.

Size-wise, the Apple Watch Series 11 is available in 42mm and 46mm sizes while the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 is available in 40mm and 44mm. The difference might be minimal, but if you have a smaller wrist, you might prefer the smaller Galaxy Watch 8. In terms of their displays, the Apple Watch Series 11 has an OLED Retina display while the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 has a Super AMOLED. The Galaxy Watch 8’s display gets brighter, with a peak of 3,000 nits while the Apple Watch Series 11’s brightness can range from 1 to 2,000 nits.

While the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 is only available in aluminum (black or grey), the Apple Watch Series 11 is available in both aluminum and titanium in a variety of different finishes (jet black, rose gold or silver in the aluminium, and slate, gold or natural in the titanium).

Health and safety features

Both of these watches offer basic health sensors like ECG, advanced heart rate, blood oxygen and temperature tracking, with a few differences. The Galaxy Watch 8 offers a skin analysis feature that tracks carotenoids and advanced heart metrics, while the Apple Watch Series 11 offers a new hypertension warning if you’re showing signs of high blood pressure. It doesn’t replace a blood pressure monitor, but Apple says it could still be an important screening tool so you can look into the issue further.

They also have slightly different sleep features. The Galaxy Watch 8 has a Bedtime Guidance tool to help you figure out the best bedtime window depending on your circadian rhythm, which could improve your overall sleep quality. The Apple Watch Series 11, on the other hand, now offers a Sleep Score that’ll grade your sleep quality from 1 to 100 along with other sleep data like number of interruptions and sleep duration.

The Galaxy Watch 8 offers the Gemini voice assistant, which at this point is able to handle more advanced queries than Siri on the Apple Watch Series 11. As for the coaching apps, the Galaxy Watch 8 offers the Samsung Running Coach, which supposedly helps you with improving your runs, while the Apple Watch Series 11 has Workout Buddy, which offers motivation during workouts.

Both watches offer fall detection and SOS alerts, but the Apple Watch Series 11 has additional safety checks like vehicle-crash detection.

Battery life

When it comes to battery life, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 and the Apple Watch Series 11 are about the same. Both easily last more than 24 hours, which is especially great for sleep tracking. In our testing, we found that the Galaxy Watch 8 lasts around 30 hours with a single charge, while we managed to get around 27 to 32 hours per charge on the Apple Watch Series 11.

Price

The Galaxy Watch 8 starts at $350 while the Apple Watch Series 11 is priced slightly higher at a starting cost of $399.

Check the below chart to see more comparisons between the Apple Watch Series 11 and the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8.

Apple Watch Series 11 vs. Samsung Galaxy Watch 8

	Apple Watch Series 11	Samsung Galaxy Watch 8
Design & sizes	Rectangular, 42mm, 46mm	Squircle (round screen), 40mm, 44mm
Display	42mm: 446 x 374 pixels, LTPO3 OLED Retina display, Wide-angle OLED 46mm: 416 x 496 pixels, LTPO3 OLED Retina display, Wide-angle OLED	Super AMOLED, up to 480 ppi
Brightness	Between 1 and 2,000 nits	3,000 nits
Thickness & weight	46mm size: 9.7mm; 37.8 g (aluminum), 36.9 g (alum GPS+Cellular), 43.1 g (titanium)42mm size: 9.7mm; 30.3 g (aluminum), 29.7 g (alum GPS+Cellular), 34.6 g (titanium)	8.6mm; 30–34g
Material & finish	Aluminum: jet black, rose gold or silver finish; Titanium: slate, gold or natural finish	Aluminum case
Durability	5ATM Water + IP6X (dust)	5ATM water + IP68 dust
Battery life	Up to 24 hours, up to 38 hours Low Power (always-on) + Fast charge: 80% in 30 min, 100% in 60 min	~26 hrs with always-on
Sensors	ECG, 3rd-gen optical heart sensor, skin temp, depth gauge, SpO2, Noise monitoring, water temperature, compass	ECG, SpO₂, bioelectrical impedance, infrared temp sensor
Emergency features	Satellite SOS, Emergency SOS, Fall detection, Crash detection, Check in and Backtrack	Fall detection, SOS, siren
AI & coaching	Siri (voice assistant); Workout Buddy	Gemini voice assistant; Samsung Running Coach
Processor	S10 SiP with 64-bit dual-core processor, W3 Apple wireless chip	Exynos W1000 processor
RAM/Storage	64GB (storage)	2GB, 32GB (storage)
Payments	Apple Pay	Samsung Wallet, Google Wallet
Price (US)	$399-$750 (titanium)	$350–$430

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for April 8, #562

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for April 8 No. 562.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition is a tough one. If you’re struggling with today’s puzzle but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times. It doesn’t appear in the NYT Games app, but it does in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Working out.

Green group hint: Cover your face.

Blue group hint: NFL players.

Purple group hint: Leap.

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Exercises in singular form.

Green group: Sporting jobs that require masks.

Blue group: Hall of Fame defensive ends.

Purple group: ____ jump.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is exercises in singular form. The four answers are crunch, plank, situp and squat.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is sporting jobs that require masks. The four answers are catcher, fencer, football player and goaltender.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is Hall of Fame defensive ends. The four answers are Dent, Peppers, Strahan and Youngblood.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is ____ jump. The four answers are broad, high, long and triple.

Technologies

The $135M Google Data Settlement Site Is Live — See If You’re Eligible

Use the settlement website to select your preferred payment method, and you may end up $100 richer.

You can now file a claim in the $135 million Google data settlement. The case centers on claims that Android devices transmitted user data without consent. Specifically, the class action lawsuit Taylor v. Google LLC contends that Google’s Android devices passively transferred cellular data to Google without user permission, even when the devices were idle. While not admitting fault, Google reached a preliminary settlement in January, agreeing to pay $135 million to about 100 million US Android phone users.

The official settlement website for the lawsuit is now live. The final approval hearing won’t occur until June 23, when the court will consider whether Google’s settlement is fair and listen to objections. After that, the court will decide whether to approve the $135 million settlement.

In the meantime, if you qualify and want to be paid as part of the settlement, you can select your preferred payment method on the official website. There, you can find information on speaking at the June 23 court hearing and on how to exclude yourself or write to the court to object by May 29.

As part of the settlement, Google will update its Google Play terms of service to clarify that certain data transfers do occur passively even when you’re not using your Android device, and that cellular data may be relied upon when not connected to Wi-Fi. This can’t always be disabled, but users will be asked to consent to it when setting up their device.

Google will also fully stop collecting data when its «allow background data usage» option is toggled off.

Who can be part of the settlement?

In order to join the Taylor v. Google LLC settlement, you must meet four qualifications:

Be a living, individual human being in the US.
Have used an Android mobile device with a cellular data plan.
Have used the aforementioned device at any time from Nov. 12, 2017, to the date when the settlement receives final approval.
You’re not a class member in the Csupo v. Google LLC lawsuit, which is similar but specifically for California residents.

The final approval hearing is on June 23, so you can add your payment method until then. The hearing’s date and time may change, and any updates will be posted on the settlement website.

If you choose to do nothing, you will still be issued a settlement payment, but you may not receive it if you don’t select a payment method.

How much will I get paid?

It’s not currently known exactly how much each settlement class member will receive, but the cap is $100. Payments will be distributed after final court approval and after any appeals are resolved.

After all administrative, tax and attorney costs are paid, the settlement administrator will attempt to pay each member an equal amount. If any funds remain after payments are sent, and it’s economically feasible, they will be redistributed to members who were previously and successfully paid. If it’s not economically feasible, the funds will go to an organization approved by the court.

Technologies

Samsung’s Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 Might Come in 5G and 4G Cellular Models

If the rumor proves true, the 5G Galaxy Watch Ultra would rival the 5G-enabled $799 Apple Watch Ultra 3 that debuted last fall.

Samsung’s next high-end Galaxy Watch could support faster 5G speeds, but if this leak is true, it will depend on where you live. The rumored Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 might come in 5G and 4G cellular models, with availability for each smartwatch depending on the country.

According to the Dutch website Galaxy Club (and spotted by SamMobile), Samsung’s servers may have revealed a series of model numbers that point to 5G, 4G and Wi-Fi-enabled editions of the next Galaxy Watch Ultra, which would succeed the original model that debuted in 2024.

A representative for Samsung did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Galaxy Club website speculates that the 5G edition would be sold in the US and Korean markets, while the 4G edition would sell in the rest of the world. In the US, a 5G version of the Galaxy Watch Ultra would rival the 5G-enabled $799 Apple Watch Ultra 3, which debuted last fall. The 4G edition would have broader compatibility worldwide, since the earlier network is far more established.

It will likely be a few months until we hear anything official about the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2. Samsung typically unveils its new watches in the summer alongside its Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip foldable phones. Last year, Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Watch 8 and the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic, but otherwise left the prior 2024 Ultra in the lineup for those looking for a larger 47mm smartwatch.