The Apple Watch would become obsolete if Samsung fixed one or two issues with its smartwatches. We had hoped to report that Samsung had finally nailed it, but the Watch 5 is more of the same, for better or worse. The Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 is the best Android watch currently available, however it doesn’t pioneer any new ground in the realm of smartwatches. Although you can’t use it yet, it features a larger battery than versions from last year, a more robust construction, and a new temperature sensor. It is clearly an iterative update rather than a significant redesign because it looks and feels very similar to the Galaxy Watch 4 from a year ago. The Galaxy Watch 5 and the slightly bigger, more durable Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, both of which we have reviewed, are the two different models of this year’s timepiece. They have much of the same features in common, with the exception of their build, sports modes, and battery capacity.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 review: Design
Similar to the Galaxy Watch 4, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 has a similar appearance. It has a completely flat screen and two low profile buttons on the right, but otherwise it has a rather simple design with a spherical aluminium frame that continues into the lugs. At 9.8mm, it’s relatively thin for a smartwatch, avoiding the bulk of many such gadgets, and as was already mentioned, it has a minimal design. If you wanted to be a little harsher, you might describe it as boring or safe. Don’t be so cruel; there is nothing particularly offensive about it either. With a dual certification for water resistance—IP68 against water and dust ingress and 5ATM (50 metre) depth rating—Samsung has attempted to reassure customers. The Watch 5 is available in two body sizes, 40mm and 44mm, with a variety of strap and body colors, so you can choose something to match your style. And that’s significant because it means those with small wrists can choose something a little more compact, while those with large wrists can still choose a watch that doesn’t appear absurdly small. Wearing this watch all day and night is easy and pleasant. You’ll want to remove the silicone strap sometimes to allow your skin to breathe, though, due to its lack of breathability. Thankfully, that usually occurs organically because the watch needs to be charged every few days. One small criticism of the design is that the 44mm doesn’t fit our wrists as well due to the form of the lugs and strap. The strap attachment point on some smartwatch manufacturers simply isn’t flexible enough to accommodate as wide a range of wrist sizes as you might get from the likes of a traditional watch brand or someone like Garmin, as we’ve discovered in the past.
Interface and controls
Both Google and Samsung are still getting their bearings in the larger smartwatch market while running Wear OS 3. Although the operating system has more capabilities and apps than semi-smartwatch competitors like the Huawei GT 3, it lacks some of the polish that Apple’s watchOS offers. If you’ve used another smartwatch before, using Samsung’s interface, known as One UI Watch, will be very comfortable for you. To view notifications, swipe to the left-hand screen. To cycle through your tiles, swipe through the screens to the right of the watch face. These are sort of rich widgets that each give you a sneak preview of a programme or feature or a link to the complete experience. Swiping down from the top of the watch quickly toggles elements, and an upward swipe reveals your app tray, just like on an Android smartphone. You can change the watch face by long-pressing it or using the app on your smartphone. You must download the Galaxy Wearable app for your smartphone in order to synchronise the Watch 5 with it. Yes, despite running Google’s Wear OS, the Watch 5 is incompatible with Wear OS applications.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 review: Display
The circular Super AMOLED screens on both Watch 5 sizes measure 1.19 inches on the 40mm model and 1.39 inches on the bigger 44mm variant. It’s interesting to see Samsung avoid square and rectangular alternative designs, despite most of its competition—Amazfit with the GTS series, Huawei with its Watch Fit, and Fitbit—going that route. The Samsung Gear S3 is marginally sharper than the Apple Watch 7 at 330ppi. The Watch 5’s display is of excellent quality. Up to 1,000 nits of brightness make it simple to see outside, and Samsung’s colourful watch faces provide a vibrant, punchy appearance. The UI is interesting because it regularly overlays brilliant, richly coloured elements over inky, deep blacks that blend into the bezel. But rather than technology, the Watch 5’s display has undergone a significant material update. Samsung claims that the sapphire crystal is 60% stronger than the cover glass on the Watch 4 and, as we mentioned, after a few bumps, it proved to be resilient enough for us.
Tracking
The Samsung Galaxy Watch5 keeps track of various exercises. There is no requirement to be connected to the smartphone because of the built-in satellite connection. Additionally, the watch can detect certain exercises like cycling or walking automatically. The watch will signal that it has recognized and recorded a workout after ten minutes of movement, and the ten minutes will be automatically added. The smartwatch is incredibly accurate at detecting rest periods and the end of a workout. The watch can be customized in terms of how the data is displayed, and while training, it displays the pulse, training time, and other data specific to the sport. The training menu also provides rapid access to the music controls. The Health App allows users to view all completed training sessions and export GPX data from those sessions. The regular Galaxy Watch5 cannot track an imported GPX file while working out, in contrast to the Pro model. If desired, the Galaxy Smartwatch can also provide an interim status report following a predetermined amount of time or distance. Both visually on the display and audibly over the loudspeaker, running-related information such as heart rate and the amount of time needed for the previous kilometre are displayed. The Health App also shows the VO2max value and lists times and data per kilometer. also, you can check our article on Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 review.
Other features
There is a lot of functionality built into the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5. The BioActive sensor on the watch’s back, which provides a wealth of information including heart rate, ECG, and blood oxygen levels, is at the centre of many of its features. The end result is a watch that will collect a wide range of data to feed into fitness and activity tracking when combined with motion tracking and other sensors. This will involve advising you on matters like interval training, monitoring your recovery, and keeping an eye on your hydration. The instrument at our disposal is body composition. This runs a composition analysis using the buttons on the side; you create a circuit around your body with two fingers on those buttons, and it returns data such as body fat percentages, muscle mass, and other information. Again, this is for informational purposes only, but it can also contribute to revealing changes in the body over time as a result of maintaining an exercise regimen. When we tested the body composition, the results matched our expectations. There are missions to try and make you sleep better, sleep tracking, sleep scores, and a new feature where Samsung assigns you a sleep animal that matches your sleep type. Through SmartThings, this can also connect to other connected devices, enabling other smart home features, such as light dimming, to be activated when you go to sleep, for instance. All of this runs on WearOS, so in addition to the services from Samsung and Google, you also have access to all of these features. The only thing we dislike about the activity tracking in particular is that it starts a three-second countdown as soon as you go to manually start any activity without first confirming that your GPS location has been detected. Therefore, you must either wait until you are completely prepared to begin the workout or get used to pausing it right away, settling in, and then restarting it. you can read our article on Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 review.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 review: Battery life
With a 15% larger battery than the Galaxy Watch 4, the Galaxy Watch 5 offers a battery life of up to 50 hours. That’s about 10 hours more than before, and we can definitely tell that things are getting better. My Galaxy Watch 5 device ran for more than two days on a full charge before switching to a low-power, time-only mode. However, in our tests, the Galaxy Watch 5 lasted closer to 30 hours when the always-on display and SpO2 monitoring were on. It appeared worthwhile to turn off AOD even though we often like it for the Galaxy Watch 5’s battery life. Regarding charging, according to Samsung, an 8-minute charge should provide 8 hours of sleep tracking, and a 30-minute recharge will bring the smartwatch’s battery up to 45%. We actually completed a timed 30-minute charge in 48 minutes, which means a full charge should occur in an hour.
Price and configurations options
Right now, you can purchase the Watch 5 and Watch 5 Pro from most of the regular suspects as well as Samsung’s online site. Since the Watch 4 of last year, prices have increased all the board for Samsung’s Watch series. Like the Watch 4, the Galaxy Watch 5 is available in two sizes and in Bluetooth-only and Bluetooth plus LTE cellular versions in each. The pricing of the 40mm Watch 5 is £269 (or $279.99 in Australia), and if you want the LTE version, it will cost you £319 (or $329.99 in Australia). If you’re interested in the bigger 44mm Watch 5, the standard model costs £289/$299/AU$549 and its LTE version costs £339/$349/AU$649, respectively.
Conclusion
The Samsung Galaxy Watch5 is nearly unbeatable. It is impressive because it can measure a variety of vital signs, including blood pressure, heart rate, and ECG, with extreme precision. Unfortunately, Samsung only provides blood pressure and ECG monitoring in conjunction with Samsung smartphones, which artificially limits the Watch5’s ability to do crucial tasks. With a superb notification display and a variety of reply possibilities, the watch is also inspirational in daily life. The usefulness of the watch increases even further with the LTE variant that is offered. The processor isn’t particularly fast—it was already functioning well in the Watch4—but it ensures that the watch runs smoothly in everyday situations. The Pro model isn’t any faster.
