What you need to know
- Samsung has launched its latest Galaxy Watch 5 series of smartwatches.
- The Galaxy Watch 5 comes in two case sizes, sports bigger batteries, has a sapphire crystal screen, and features improved health tracking.
- The new Galaxy Watch 5 Pro sports a massive 590mAh battery, rugged design, and features specific to outdoor enthusiasts.
- The watches are available for preorder and will go on sale on August 26, starting at $280.
Samsung has finally taken the wraps off its latest smartwatches, the Galaxy Watch 5 series. The latest wearables feature a largely similar design to their predecessors, although with some notable upgrades and one major change to the lineup thanks to the addition of the new Pro model.
Starting with the standard Galaxy Watch 5, this watch comes in two case sizes of 40mm and 44mm with a 1.2-inch and 1.4-inch AMOLED display, respectively. On top sits a flat Sapphire Crystal display that Samsung says adds a 60% harder outer layer, so users can be less concerned about breaking it should their arm run into a wall. You'll also find the capacitive touch bezel is still present.
On the underside, Samsung has improved its unique 3-in-1 BioActive sensor. While it features the same combination of sensors — Optical Heart Rate, Electrical Heart Signal, and Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis — Samsung has made the sensor's surface area larger so that it can retain better contact with your wrist and provide more accurate readings. In addition, Samsung is introducing a new infrared temperature sensor, a feature more common on the best Android smartwatches and one that will work in tandem with the BioActive sensor to give users more insights into their health.
Samsung boasts additional health and fitness-focused features for users with an active lifestyle, like the Body Composition tool to help users get a holistic view of their body and target specific goals. Users can also take advantage of post-workout data and recommendations to help with recovery. And like the Galaxy Watch 4 series, the new Galaxy Watch 5 can help users gain insights into their sleeping habits and work on improving them with Sleep Coaching.
Powering all this is Samsung's Exynos W920 chipset found in its last-generation watches. The Galaxy Watch 5 also sports 1.5GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage. Powering everything is a 30% larger battery, which Samsung says can provide eight hours of sleep tracking with just an eight-minute charge. But those looking for even more juice might want to look to the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro.
This watch takes the place of Samsung's previous Classic model as Samsung shifts focus towards users with a love for the outdoors. Samsung crammed a massive 590mAh battery into this watch, a 60% increase over the Watch 4 series. That's also larger than the Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra battery, which can last a few days on a single charge.
But not only was it built to last but it was also built to ensure. The 1.4-inch AMOLED display is made from the same Sapphire Crystal but with a "protruding bezel design" and a titanium casing. And no, the bezel doesn't rotate, but it offers the same capacitive touch, which might actually benefit from the curved design.
Samsung says users can download hiking or cycling routes with turn-by-turn directions. The Watch 5 Pro supports GPX, and users can share routes with friends using the Samsung Health app. And a Track back feature will help ensure you don't get lost on a trail by leading you back the way you arrived.
Samsung's new Galaxy Watch 5 series will run One UI Watch 4.5 based on Wear OS 3.5, which comes with a few enhancements to usability. Samsung also teases the ability to use Google Maps navigation without a smartphone connection, which should definitely come in handy.
Samsung is launching the Galaxy Watch 5 series in several different colorways, including Graphite, Pink Gold, and silver for the smallest model, a Sapphire colorway in place of Pink Gold on the 44mm size, and Black Titanium or Gray Titanium for the Pro. The Watch 5 Pro also comes with a D-Buckle Sport Band for added durability.
You can preorder the watches starting today, August 10, or wait until August 26, when they go on sale. The watches start at $280 for the Bluetooth model or $330 for LTE. Those springing for the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro will have to shell out $450 or $500, respectively. There will also be a Bluetooth-only Gold Edition that features an unlimited membership to the Smart Caddie app, exclusive watch faces, and a two-tone band, starting at $330.
