At the Unpacked event, Samsung finally revealed the Galaxy Watch 5 and Galaxy Watch 5 Pro after several weeks of waking up to leaks and rumours, alongside its latest foldable and the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro. Although there weren’t too many surprises, it appears Samsung gave a listening ear and paid rapt attention to complaints regarding the Galaxy Watch 4’s short battery life. Larger batteries, quicker charging, and improved durability are all features the Watch 5 and Watch 5 Pro are packed with and now boast of.
Samsung is revamping its lineup of smartwatches with the Galaxy Watch 5 series. The main Galaxy Watch and Watch Active lines from the Tizen era were renamed under the Galaxy Watch 4 series, but this year’s event debuts a completely new model: the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro. The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro is intended to be a more expensive version targeted toward outdoor enthusiasts, whilst the standard Galaxy Watch 5 is the entry-level flagship. They both have the more subtle touch bezel, but neither features Samsung’s iconic actual rotating bezel. The Galaxy Watch 4 Classic will continue to be a midrange option between the Watch 5 and the Pro for people who prefer physical bezels.
The Galaxy Watch 5 is available in 40mm and 44mm sizes, however, the Pro is only available in 45mm. The same Exynos W920 CPU, running at 1.18GHz with 1.5GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage, powers all the watches. The 3-in-1 BioActive sensor, which was first included in the Watch 4 series and allows for ECGs, heart rate monitoring, and body composition analysis, is also upgraded for the Galaxy Watch 5 lineup. According to Samsung, the upgraded sensor gives the Watch 5 access to more sophisticated sleep tracking functions, such as customized sleep coaching. Additionally, you get Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.2, built-in GPS, contactless payments, and optional LTE. Additionally, both watches include 5ATM and IP68 water and dust resistance.
This time a body temperature sensor is included in the line-up. The temperature sensor will add another data point for tracking sleep, according to Doug Wegener, head of wearables and accessories at Samsung Electronics America, but that’s about it for now. Wegener claims that including the sensor was done so that developers would have more options when creating future health and wellness features.
This time around, battery life is where the significant hardware improvements reside. The Watch 5’s battery capacity has increased by 13 per cent; the 40mm model has a 284mAh battery anBixby’s still available on the Watch 5 and Prod the 44mm model has a 410mAh battery. On a single charge, that should amount to around 40 hours of use. The Pro includes a 590mAh battery that is significantly bigger and has a rating of 80 hours, or 20 hours of nonstop GPS use.
Samsung increased battery size as well as charging efficiency. The company claims that you can charge your battery from 0% to 45% in just 30 minutes. As for the sleep tracker, you can charge the battery which will last for 8 hours in just 8 minutes.
The Galaxy Watch 5 represents a modest update. The key design modifications include a sapphire crystal display with increased durability and a curved back to improve skin contact between the wrist and the 3-in-1 sensor. The more significant updates will be brought by software. One UI Watch 4.5, which includes a number of new accessibility features, an improved typing interface, and dual-SIM compatibility, will be pre-installed on the Watch 5 series devices. Additionally, Wear OS 3 will provide voice navigation on Google Maps from the wrist and add apps like SoundCloud and Deezer. Furthermore, Samsung Galaxy Watch owners may now use Google Assistant on their watches after several months of waiting, evident that Samsung paid maximum attention to the plight of the user. Also, Bixby will still be available on the Watch 5 and Pro.
The Pro receives the flashier improvements because it is the newest model and targets an entirely different market. With a titanium case and a 29GPa sapphire crystal display as opposed to the Watch 5’s 24GPa display, it is more durable. Besides, it includes a chic new magnetic clasp. But the mapping capabilities of the Pro will undoubtedly excite outdoor lovers the most. Turn-by-turn navigational GPX routes for cycling and hiking are available for downloading.
Preorders for the Galaxy Watch 5 and Watch 5 Pro have started already, and shipments commence on August 26. The Pro starts at $449.99 while the Watch 5 is $279.99. The price of LTE models is $50 more. Additionally, a $329.99 Bluetooth-only Golf Edition will be available for both watches.
Olagoke Ajibola is a creative writer and content producer with an eye for details and excellence. He has a demonstrated history of telling stories for TV, Film and Online. Aside from being fascinated by the power of imagination, his other interest are travel, sport, reading and meeting people.
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23933373/DSC03353_watch_5.jpg?ssl=1)
