Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic vs Apple Watch Ultra: Best of both worlds

When it comes to design, Samsung is going forward... by taking a peek at its glorious past, and the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic in particular. It was the last one employing a hardware rotating bezel. A fan- and reviewer-favorite feature, the rotating bezel was a signature element of most high-end Galaxy Watch devices up until then, but was absent from last year's Galaxy Watch 5 Pro. Instead, we got a raised capacitive bezel on that one that tried to emulate the same general utility, but wasn't as useful or as rewarding as the hardware solution on the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic.

The Galaxy Watch 6 Classic relies on a stainless steel design; sadly, titanium hasn't transitioned over from last year's Watch 5 Pro. Fortunately, sapphire has––we have sapphire both at the front and at the bottom of the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic, protecting the display and the multitude of sensors at the bottom. Sapphire is quite scratch-resistant, so we are sure that the wearable will age well as far as scratches are concerned. 

In the meantime, the Apple Watch Ultra relies on titanium and sapphire for its build, a rugged and premium take on the Apple Watch. It's also by far the largest Apple Watch you can put on your wrist, and barring the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, it's easily one of the most imposing smartwatches available today. You will definitely know if it's on your wrist, and sleep tracking with this heavy watch might be a big no for most people.

Just like the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic, which has a unique rotating bezel, the Apple Watch Ultra has some aces up the sleeve. There's a customizable Action Button, for example, and the whole design of the watch is noticeably more rugged and exuding masculinity. What it lacks in ruggedness, the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic will likely fill up in class and premium looks. 

The Galaxy Watch 6 Classic is water-resistant up to 50M, whereas the Apple Watch Ultra can survive up to 100M underwater. In fact, it even has a dive computer functionality that will automatically show you important information about your dive once you submerge. No such thing on the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic, but chances are you would hardly ever need this feature. 

Samsung has switched from a spring-bar to a push-button latching mechanism for the upcoming Galaxy Watch 6 Classic. Well, it should make changing bands a bit easier, though the push-button is a bit on the stiffer side. Good news is that older Galaxy Watch bands are still compatible with the smartwatch, and so are most standard 22mm watch bands you might find. Great for customizability.

The Galaxy Watch 6 Classic comes with a new Hybrid Leather band, a silicone sport band, an 'extreme' version of the sport band with extra holes for improved perspiration, and finally, a new lightweight fabric band.

The Apple Watch Ultra comes with the same push-button latching mechanism that has been around for, well, forever. This means that you can use your older bands with the Apple Watch Ultra and enjoy the compatibility of the Apple Watch ecosystem. 

With the Apple Watch Ultra, Apple released three new bands, the Trail Loop, Alpine Loop, and Ocean Band. Each of these is intended for different activities, but all fit the rugged nature of the smartwatch quite nicely.

The Galaxy Watch 6 Classic boasts all the health and fitness features we've come to expect from a modern-day Galaxy smartwatch, namely BMI (body mass index) thanks to the BioActive sensor at the bottom, heart rate monitoring, ECG, blood pressure, blood oxygen levels, and now, heart arrhythmia, which will alert you if it detects any irregularities with your heart rate.   

Sleep tracking is a core feature on both wearables. First of all, you should know that wearing any of these at bed isn't a terribly comfortable experience. Still, if you go to bed with either, know that the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic is a bit more flexible in terms of sleep detection: it doesn't require a specific mode to be enabled and will even detect any accidental naps you take during the day on top of the granular sleep tracking. 

At the same time, the Apple Watch Ultra can only track your sleep if you are into the dedicated Sleep Mode focus, which also disables most smart features of the watch temporarily and only shows a dim digital clock on the watchface. Other than that, a granular sleep tracking experience is still part of the feature mix. 

The Apple Watch Ultra also supports heart-rate monitoring, blood oxygen monitoring, ECG monitoring with AFib detection, better cycle tracking that now considers your body's temperature fluctuations to forecast ovulation, respiration rate, and more. 

Activity monitoring covers practically every physical activity you might and now includes improved heart rate zone visualization, which displays you your activity intensity levels. There's even track detection, which kicks off when you arrive at a running track, providing essential statistics like pace, distance, and route map.

The Apple Watch Ultra also has a dive computer functionality, as well as a 86dB emergency siren, which can be used to alert emergency services of your location if you get lost in the wilderness. Chances are you might never use the dive computer, but the emergency siren is one feature you're better off having rather than not. 

When it comes to compatibility, it's tough luck for both ecosystems, as neither the Galaxy smartwatch can pair with an iPhone nor the Apple Watch Ultra plays nicely with the Android ecosystem. What's more, some of the more intricate health features of the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic will very likely remain exclusive to Samsung Galaxy devices, though you will technically be able to use the smartwatch with any Android device. A Galaxy phone remains highly recommended, though.

In terms of haptics, both devices offer excellent feedback, with strong and accurate taps. You can regulate the strength, of course, and even turn it off altogether.