Apple Watch Series 11 vs Apple Watch Series 5

Every spec side by side, from each maker's published figures.

Better figure, where one is clearly better

Watch Series 11 compared with Watch Series 5
AppleWatch Series 11AppleWatch Series 5
Overview
ReleasedSeptember 2025September 2019
Display
Case sizes42 mm or 46 mm40 mm or 44 mm
PanelLTPO OLEDLTPO OLED
Peak brightness2,000 nits (better)1,000 nits
Always-on displayYesYes
Display detailAlways-On Retina display with wide-angle OLEDs and LTPO3; 374 x 446 pixels (42mm) or 416 x 496 pixels (46mm) at 326 ppi; 989 or 1,220 sq mm display area; 1 nit minimum brightnessAlways-On Retina LTPO OLED with Force Touch; 40mm 324 x 394 pixels and 759 sq mm; 44mm 368 x 448 pixels and 977 sq mm; screen dims with wrist down
Screen protectionIon-X front glass with a ceramic coating, 2x more scratch resistant than Series 10 (aluminium cases); sapphire front crystal (titanium cases)–
Health and fitness
ECGYesYes
Blood oxygenYesNo
Skin temperatureYesNo
Sleep apnoea alertsYesNo
High blood pressure alertsYesNo
Body compositionNoNo
Fall detectionYesYes
Crash detectionYesNo
GPSSingle-bandSingle-band
Water resistance50 m50 m
SensorsElectrical heart sensor; third-generation optical heart sensor; blood oxygen sensor; temperature sensor; compass; always-on altimeter; high-g accelerometer; high dynamic range gyroscope; ambient light sensor; depth gauge to 6 m; water temperature sensorElectrical and second-generation optical heart sensors; compass, barometric altimeter, accelerometer up to 32 g-forces, gyroscope and ambient light sensor
Health featuresECG app; Blood Oxygen app; hypertension notifications; sleep apnoea notifications; irregular rhythm notifications; high and low heart rate notifications; Vitals app; sleep stages and sleep score; wrist temperature; Cycle Tracking with retrospective ovulation estimates; Medications; Mindfulness with state of mind tracking; NoiseECG capability; Cycle Tracking and Noise apps in watchOS 6
Fitness featuresCustom workouts; Training Load; heart rate zones; Race Route; Pacer; stride length, ground contact time and vertical oscillation; automatic track detection; multisport workouts; offline maps with custom route creation; Backtrack; pool and open-water swimming with SWOLF; cycling power zones with Bluetooth accessories; GymKitGPS/GNSS and GymKit; Compass app shows heading, incline, latitude, longitude and elevation; Activity Trends on iPhone
Safety featuresEmergency SOS; international emergency calling; Crash Detection; Fall Detection; noise monitoring; BacktrackFall detection and Emergency SOS; international emergency calling on cellular versions in supported regions, even without an activated cellular plan
Battery and connections
Battery life (maker's claim)Up to 24 hoursUp to 18 hours
In low-power modeUp to 38 hours–
Mobile data optionYesYes
Works withiPhoneiPhone
ChipS10S5
Storage64 GB (better)32 GB
Battery life detailUp to 24 hours of normal use; up to 38 hours in Low Power ModeBuilt-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery
ChargingFast charging to 80% in about 30 minutes; 15 minutes for up to 8 hours of normal use; 5 minutes for up to 8 hours of sleep trackingMagnetic charging cable and USB power adapter
ConnectivityWi-Fi 4 (802.11n) at 2.4GHz and 5GHz; Bluetooth 5.3; second-generation Ultra Wideband chip; NFC for Apple Pay; L1 GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS and BeiDou; GPS + Cellular models (A3335, A3337) with 5G RedCap and LTEW3 wireless chip; Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n at 2.4GHz; Bluetooth 5.0; cellular versions add LTE and UMTS; requires iPhone 6s or later with iOS 13 at launch
Design
Weight (lightest version)29.7 g (better)30.8 g
SoftwarewatchOSwatchOS
Case materials100% recycled aluminium or 100% recycled titanium case; water resistant to 50 m (ISO 22810:2010); IP6X dust resistantAluminium, stainless steel, titanium or white ceramic; ceramic and sapphire crystal back; 50 m rating under ISO 22810:2010 for shallow-water swimming
Size42mm is 42 x 36 x 9.7 mm; 46mm is 46 x 39 x 9.7 mm; lightest is the 42mm aluminium GPS + Cellular at 29.7 g, heaviest the 46mm titanium at 43.1 g40mm 40 x 34 x 10.74 mm, aluminium 30.8 g, steel 40.6 g, titanium 35.1 g or ceramic 39.7 g; 44mm 44 x 38 x 10.74 mm, aluminium 36.5 g, steel 47.8 g, titanium 41.7 g or ceramic 46.7 g; case weights exclude bands
BandsFits 130–200 mm wrists (42mm) or 140–245 mm wrists (46mm)Apple Watch Studio offers case and band choices within collections; Nike includes exclusive faces and Nike bands; Hermès includes leather bands and exclusive faces. Nike reached stores 4 October 2019
ColoursAluminium in Jet Black, Rose Gold, Silver and Space Grey; titanium in Natural, Gold and SlateSilver, Space Grey or Gold aluminium; steel, Space Black (DLC) or Gold (PVD) stainless steel; natural or Space Black titanium; White ceramic; Nike Silver or Space Grey; Hermès steel or Space Black steel
In the boxApple Watch Series 11, strap, Apple Watch Magnetic Fast Charger to USB-C Cable (1 m)Watch and band, magnetic charging cable and USB power adapter

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