Samsung event is over, Galaxy Watch 5 range is official
Samsung held its Unpacked event earlier today. As expected, amongst other products, Galaxy Watch 5 and Watch 5 Pro were made official.
For our readers, the new watches were anything but a surprise due to a plethora of leaks in recent weeks. Pretty much everything was known about the upcoming devices well ahead of time.
In addition to the regular version, there is a Pro variant that is being launched for the first time. It is aimed at outdoor fans and athletes due to its robust build. Mind you, that device is not fundamentally different from the non-Pro variant. But it has a titanium housing rather than aluminium, along with a larger battery and an improved Sapphire display.
The caveat is that the build makes the 45mm Pro version heavier. It comes in at 46.5 grams, so well above the 33.5 grams of the 44mm aluminium and 28.7 grams of the 40mm aluminium versions.
But you do get a bigger capacity battery. On Pro it is a 590 mAh lithium ion which is said to be good for 80 hours on a single charge. The non-Pro variants get 410 mAh and 284 mAh batteries. On-board on all of these watches is fast charging. From zero to 45% in just 30 minutes. Nice!
Other features are silimar, apart from different sized displays. The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro comes with a 1.4 inch Super AMOLED screen with a resolution of 450 x 450 pixels. The larger Galaxy Watch 5 has the same display. The smaller version gets a 1.2 inch screen with an identical design but a resolution of 396 x 396 pixels.
No Classic variant this year. It has been replaced by the Pro version. Also gone is the physical rotating bezel. But you do get a touch rotating bezel if you wish to use it.
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Interestingly, the processor has not changed as compared to the predecessor generation. Once again we get Samsung’s Exynos W920 dual-core SoC. The internal memory in all three variants is 16 GB. This is in addition to 1.5 GB which is available as RAM.
New temperature sensor
You could say this edition is an evolution in the Galaxy Watch lineup rather than a revolution. The sensors inside the watches are from before. Upgraded, of course, with latest generation tech. So heart rate, Spo2, ECG and more are all there, in the guise of a single 3-in1 sensor dubbed BioActive.
The one important new addition is a temperature sensor. However, this new sensor will not be active at start and will be enabled via a firmware update at a later stage. Samsung says the temperature sensor has enabled them to add sleep coaching and more advanced sleep tracking features.
The Pro also has some Garmin-type abilities for outdoor enthusiasts. This includes Route workout, turn-by-turn directions, and Trackback features.
Price, availability
Prices start at $280 for the 40mm Galaxy Watch 5 variant without LTE. Around $50 extra will buy you a watch with LTE built-in. The Pro starts at $450 on Samsung’s website. Check price on Amazon (Watch 5, Watch 5 Pro).
Samsung Watch 5 Pro vs Watch 5: technical specs comparison
Watch 5 Pro | Watch 5 (40mm) | Watch 5 (44mm) | |
|---|---|---|---|
Dimensions | 45.4 x 45.4 x 10.5mm | 39.3 x 40.4 x 9.8 mm | 43.3 x 44.4 x 9.8 mm |
Weight | 46.6 grams | 28.7 grams | 33.5 grams |
Build | Titanium case, with D-Buckle Sport Band | Armour Aluminium case with Sport Band | Armour Aluminium case with Sport Band |
Colours | Black, Grey | Graphite, Pink, Gold, Silver | Graphite, Sappire, Silver |
Display | 1.4 inch Super AMOLED, Full Colour, Always-on display, Sapphire Crystal | 1.2 inch Super AMOLED, Full Colour, Always-on display, Sapphire Crystal | 1.4 inch Super AMOLED, Full Colour, Always-on display, Sapphire Crystal |
Display resolution | 450 x 450 pixels | 396 x 396 pixels | 450 x 450 pixels |
Memory | 1.5 GB Ram + 16 GB internal storage | 1.5 GB Ram + 16 GB internal storage | 1.5 GB Ram + 16 GB internal storage |
Battery | 590 mAh | 284 mAh | 410 mAh |
Sensors | BioActive Sensor (heart rate, ECG, Bioelectrical impedance), Temperature, Accelerometer, Barometer, Geomagnetic, Gyroscope, Ambient light sensor | BioActive Sensor (heart rate, ECG, Bioelectrical impedance), Temperature, Accelerometer, Barometer, Geomagnetic, Gyroscope, Ambient light sensor | BioActive Sensor (heart rate, ECG, Bioelectrical impedance), Temperature, Accelerometer, Barometer, Geomagnetic, Gyroscope, Ambient light sensor |
Connectivity | LTE, Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n 2.4+5GHz, NFC, GPS/Glonass/Galileo/Beidou | LTE, Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n 2.4+5GHz, NFC, GPS/Glonass/Galileo/Beidou | LTE, Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n 2.4+5GHz, NFC, GPS/Glonass/Galileo/Beidou |
Water-resistance | 5 ATM + IP68 | 5 ATM + IP68 | 5 ATM + IP68 |
OS | Google Wear OS with One UI Watch 4.5 | Google Wear OS with One UI Watch 4.5 | Google Wear OS with One UI Watch 4.5 |
Compatibility | Android 8.0 or higher with more than 1.5GB of RAM | Android 8.0 or higher with more than 1.5GB of RAM | Android 8.0 or higher with more than 1.5GB of RAM |
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That is one ugly watch. What’s the deal with that indented watch face look? The Classic was superior in every way.