Apple’s Series 5 Watch has a display that never sleeps

Apple has officially launched its Series 5 Watch at its Cupertino, California-based headquarters event. Rather unexpectedly, the next generation device comes with an always-on retina display. The battery life is the same and there’s still no native sleep tracking.

Here’s all the important info.

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The big news is the innovative display that is always on. Yes, it’s finally here. Apple is playing catch-up as many other companies already have watches with always on screens. This allows you to glance at any time at your watch and see what’s going on.

The brightness of the Series 5 1000-nits OLED display alternates depending on the position of your hand. Raise your wrist or tap takes it to full glory, lower your wrist and it will dim.

The LPTO (low-temperature polysilicone and oxide) display refreshes automatically within the 60Hz (full brightness) to 1Hz (low brightness) range. This means it varies in rendering depending on the position of your wrist, all the way up to 60 images per second.

This type of technology allows for power saving. Battery life of Series 5 is the same as on Series 4, hovering around the 18 hour mark. But remember, this is with the always-on display.

The Cupertino outfit has opted to leave out the sleep tracking functionality for another year. It would be kind of pointless introducing it considering most people will still opt to recharge their device during the night.

Apple says all watch faces and native apps have been adjusted to take advantage of the new display. No doubt, third party apps will follow suit.

Series 5 also slaps on a compass and current elevation feature to help users better navigate their day.

Emergency calling has been expanded to over 150 countries. Other than that, everything else seems to be the same as in the Series 4 model.

Series 5 comes in more design options than ever. There are all the stainless steel and ceramic options from prior generations. Furthermore, you can pick up a brushed titanium iteration, recycled aluminium and a new white ceramic model. Other possibilities include Nike models and new Hermes models.

“We’ve seen Apple Watch have a meaningful impact on our customers’ lives and we’re excited to deliver even more capabilities with Apple Watch Series 5 and watchOS 6,” said Jeff Williams, Apple’s COO.

“The seamless integration of new hardware and software delivers an enhanced experience that makes it even easier to stay active and connected to the people and information users care about.”

Pricing starts at $399, will LTE-enabled models starting at $499. You can order now on Apple’s website or Amazon (check price).

Apple is still keeping the Series 3 model, which will now start at $199. No mention of Series 4 as the company has decided to phase this one out.

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