Yes, I'm the kind of person who can't stick with a single smartphone or smartwatch before things get "stale." It's been a recurring theme for the past few years, and that itch started cropping up about a month ago when I started to get more excited about the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and the rumors regarding a Watch 5 "Pro."
I'm planning on sharing my thoughts on the Galaxy Z Fold 4 in the coming days. But today, I'm focusing on why my Galaxy Watch 4 Classic and Apple Watch Series 7 are being swiftly replaced by the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro. Unlike some of my counterparts here at Android Central, I'm not the kind of person who trains and participates in any kind of marathon (unless it's related to football or writing). However, I still heavily rely on whatever smartwatch is on my wrist for several reasons.
True multi-day battery (hopefully)
Because I'm lucky enough to have a job where I don't have to go into an office every day, my phone largely remains on my desk. That means if I run outside to check the mail, or to have a conversation with my wife, the phone usually stays behind. But I still need to be "connected" so that I can see if something is happening that needs to be taken care of. Or more importantly, whether something has happened to my fantasy football team during the fall and into the winter.
All jokes aside, I've grown accustomed to a buzz on my wrist as opposed to hoping that my phone is strong enough to vibrate from the confines of my relatively-baggy shorts pocket.
On a tangentially-related note, this goes hand-in-hand with those times where I end up missing a bunch of notifications, including the ones where my watch tells me it needs to be charged. It's not until I realize that my phone stopped buzzing for more than 15 minutes in the middle of the day that I know that something is up, at least most of the time.
Just the thought of a Wear OS smartwatch with multi-day battery life is enough of an upgrade for me.
The Galaxy Watch 4 Classic's battery wasn't bad, by any stretch of the imagination. Nor was the battery on my trusty Apple Watch Series 7, at least until I installed the watchOS 9 beta. But just imagining having a fully-fledged smartwatch complete with all of the bells and whistles that Wear OS has to offer, that will last for more than a day on a single charge is just music to my ears. But the Watch 5 has that covered, so why would I go for the Watch 5 Pro? I cover part of that in the next section, but if Samsung's claimed 80 hours on a single charge comes to fruition, then it's simply a dream come true.
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My wife is the busy body who has a jobby-job and ends up mucking up her Galaxy Watch 4 on a regular basis. As it turns out, I'm almost as big of a klutz, just in worse situations. Instead of bumping my watch against the countertop, I'll forget that I'm wearing it while doing yard work or taking a trip to the dump. This ends up with random scratches that seemingly appear out of nowhere, which only serves to frustrate me whenever I look down at the screen.
Part of this could be remedied by a screen protector, but I'm not really the kind of person who likes to "dilute" the screen in any way. This also applies to my smartphone of choice, as I much prefer using something like a dbrand skin as opposed to slapping a case on a phone with an industrial design. And that includes my Galaxy Z Fold 3, which has only been used in a case for a handful of hours over the past year.
With Samsung introducing the Sapphire Glass on the Watch 5 and Watch 5 Pro, this is expected to not only be more durable but will hopefully be even more scratch-resistant. So there's less of a chance that I go to take a trip to the dump, only to find that there's a scratch on the screen from dragging trash bags out of the bed of the truck (or just getting out of the truck).
Bigger wrists means a bigger watch
When it comes to actually view the notification that comes through, I've also learned that once you hit 30, your eyesight just goes down the crapper. I now wear glasses throughout the entire day, until it's time to wind down for bed. This is where the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro's 1.4-inch screen comes in handy, as I can see much more of the messages and emails that come through compared to other smartwatches. And while some may simply scoff at the sheer size of the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro (sans the physical crown), I've learned that small watches look comical on me.
No, I'm not really trying to impress anyone. But if I look down and think that a watch, smartwatch, or even a fitness tracker, looks funny on my wrist, there's less of a chance that I'll end up wearing it. And before the dawn of the best smartwatches, I used to be an avid wear-er of a good ole' fashioned Casio G-Shock. Unfortunately, while the Galaxy Watch 5 is likely going to be the more comfortable watch of the two, the Watch 5 Pro will look better for me.
It's not the perfect "upgrade"
While it's true that I snagged a Watch 5 Pro as soon as Samsung's website sorted itself out after the Unpacked event concluded, I still have a few gripes. For one, I really wish that Samsung didn't get rid of the physical rotating bezel that has been a staple on Samsung Galaxy smartwatches for years. This whole "digital crown" nonsense doesn't really work all that well when you have sausage links for fingers, and more often than not, find yourself scrolling on the screen anyways.
I was also disappointed to learn that Samsung can't seem to figure out how to stick with a few of the same color options from year to year. I know that the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic was only available in black and silver, but the Watch 5 Pro swapped "silver" for "Gray Titanium." It definitely looks good in some of the hands-on images that I've seen, but I would've much preferred to see Samsung adopt the green from the Watch 4 and bring it to the Watch 5 Pro. Oh well, maybe next year.
Almost all of the right upgrades
The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro may be unappealing to those who don't want to wear a brick all day. But with claims of multi-day battery life, the addition of Sapphire Crystal, and Samsung's sleek design, it's too good to pass up.
