Apple Watch Series 5 Aluminum vs Apple Watch Series 6 Aluminum

What Watch Series 5 Aluminum does better (0) and where Watch Series 6 Aluminum wins (1) — every spec side by side.

9.6Score

0 advantages≈ $490

Higher score

8.9Score

1 advantage≈ $450

6.6Display6.6

9.4Smart features9.0

Dimensions

Size comparison

Watch Series 5 AluminumWatch Series 6 Aluminum

Drawn to the same scale from the official dimensions (front and side).

Watch Series 5 Aluminum has no measurable advantages in this pair.

Specifications

Only differences	Apple Watch Series 5 Aluminum≈ $4909.6	Apple Watch Series 6 Aluminum≈ $4508.9
Design & durability
Case size	—	44 mm
Weight	36.7 g	36.5 g
Thickness	10.7 mm	10.7 mm
Height	44 mm	44 mm
Width	38 mm	38 mm
Case material	Aluminium	Aluminium
Sapphire crystal	—	Yes
Lens / cover glass	Ion-X strengthened glass	Ion-X strengthened glass
Water resistance	—	5 ATM
Colours	Silver, Gold, Space Gray	Silver, Gold, Space Gray, Blue, Red
Display
Screen size	1.78″	1.78″
Display technology	—	OLED
Panel	Retina LTPO OLED	Retina LTPO OLED
AMOLED / OLED display	Yes	Yes
Resolution (width)	368 px	368 px
Resolution (height)	448 px	448 px
Pixel density	326 ppi	326 ppi
Peak brightness	1,000 nits	1,000 nits
LTPO display	Yes	Yes
Refresh rate	60 Hz	60 Hz
Battery
Battery capacity	296 mAh	304 mAh
Battery type	Li-Po	Li-Ion
Wireless charging	Yes	Yes
Health sensors
Optical heart rate	Yes	Yes
Blood oxygen (SpO2)	—	Yes
ECG	—	Yes
Sensors	Accelerometer, gyro, heart rate, barometer, compass	Accelerometer, gyro, heart rate, barometer, always-on altimeter, compass, SpO2, VO2max
Sports & navigation
Built-in GPS	Yes	Yes
Satellite systems	GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS	GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS
Barometric altimeter	Yes	Yes
Compass	—	Yes
Connectivity
NFC payments	Yes	Yes
LTE (cellular)	Yes	Yes
eSIM	Yes	Yes
Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi 4	Wi-Fi 4
Bluetooth	5	5
Ultra Wideband	—	Yes
Smart features
Speaker	—	Yes
Storage	32 GB	32 GB
RAM	1 GB	1 GB
Platform
Operating system	watchOS 6.0	watchOS 7.0
Platform	watchOS	watchOS
Chipset	Apple S5	Apple S6