Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Review with Pros and Cons – Best Android Watch?
With the Galaxy Watch 4, Google revived the WearOS while the same formula has been created with Galaxy Watch 5, and it works big time.
The Galaxy Watch 5 has been launched in India but it comes with lots of limitations as Samsung needs approval from the Indian government for certain functions.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Price and Availability in India
| Dial | Connectivity | Price |
|---|---|---|
| 40mm | Bluetooth | Rs 27,999 |
| 40mm | LTE | Rs 32,999 |
| 44mm | Bluetooth | Rs 30,999 |
| 44mm | LTE | Rs 35,999 |
The Galaxy Watch 5 40mm variant is available in Graphite, Silver with Purple Strap, and Pink Gold while the 44mm variant is available in Sapphire and Silver color options. It will be sold via Amazon from 26th August 2022 at noon.
Earlier with Galaxy Watch 4, Samsung was providing all the colors with all the variants but now, they’re limiting the colors, so if you want different colors then you have to pay extra which is not a good strategy.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Review
The Galaxy Watch 5 doesn’t offer anything new out of the box compared to Galaxy Watch 4, so if you’re Galaxy Watch 4 user then it doesn’t make any sense to upgrade to Galaxy Watch 5. However, it’s a good option for those who’re looking for a premium Android smartwatch.
Do note that, Galaxy Watch 5 is not an Android-first smartwatch, it’s a Samsung-first smartwatch.
So if you’re using a Samsung smartphone then it makes more sense to buy Galaxy Watch 5 otherwise, you won’t able to use sensors like ECG or even Blood Pressure on non-Samsung Smartphones.
One More thing, ECG and Blood Pressure is not enabled in the Indian variant because to use those sensors, Samsung needs permission from the Indian government which Samsung didn’t ask.
I hope Samsung works with the Indian government, so we can use all the functions of the Galaxy Watch 5.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 is a bit pricey in India, so if you’re using a Samsung smartphone then you can consider Galaxy Watch 5, else, Galaxy Watch 4 is still a good option as it’s only available for Rs 12,999.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pros and Cons
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| Superior Build Quality | ECG and Blood Pressure Sensor is Not Enabled in Indian Variant |
| Exellent Speaker and Micrphone | The Skin Temperature Sensor is Not Functional yet |
| Smooth UI | Doesn’t Work the best with Non-Samsung Smartphones |
| Filled with tons of Features | Bit Pricey |
| Slightly Better Battery Life | Haptics Could have been Better |
| Super Bright Display | |
| Samsung Pay Support | |
| IP68 Water Resistance | |
| Comes with all the Necessary Sensors | |
| 90+ built-in Sports Mode | |
| Wireless Charging Support |
Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Specifications
| Available on | Amazon |
| Indian Price | 40mm Bluetooth: Rs 27,999 40mm LTE : Rs 32,999 44mm Bluetooth: Rs 30,999 44mm LTE: Rs 35,999 |
| Display | 1.40-Inch Touch sAMOLED, 1000nits Pick Brightness Anti-Fingerprint Coating, Always-on display 311 PPI Density, 450 x 450 Pixels |
| Build | Glass front (Sapphire crystal), aluminum frame |
| Dimensions | 44.4 x 43.3 x 9.8 mm Weight: 33.5 g (44mm), 28.7 g (40mm) |
| Strap | 20mm Removable |
| OS | Android Wear OS 3.5, One UI Watch 4.5 |
| Processor | Chipset: Exynos W920 (5 nm) GPU: Mali-G68 CPU: Dual-core 1.18 GHz Cortex-A55 |
| Storage | 16GB Internal Storage 1.5GB RAM |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.2 |
| Microphone & Speaker | Microphone: Yes Speaker: No |
| Sensors | Accelerometer, Temperature Sensor, gyro, heart rate, barometer, Natural language commands and dictation, Samsung Pay, |
| GPS | Yes |
| System Requirement | Only Android |
| Battery | 276mAh Battery – 40mm 397mAh Battery – 44mm Qi wireless charging 10W 45% in 30 minutes |
| Features | IP68 Water Resistance 5 ATM, NFC Support, ECG certified, Blood pressure monitor, ESIM Support, Body composition Analysis, Built-in GPS, Built-in Assistant and Bixpy, 90+ built-in sports Mode, Calories Burned, Menstrual Cycle Tracking, Step Tracker, Snore Detection, Breathe, Drinking Reminder, Activity Tracker, Heart Rate Monitor, SpO2, Stress Monitoring, |
| Colors | 40mm: Graphite, Silver with Purple Strap Pink Gold, 44mm: Sapphire Silver |
| Application | Galaxy Wearable |
| Model Number | SM-R905FZSAINU |
| In The Box | Galaxy Watch 5 Watch strap Wireless charger Quick start guide |
Design, Comfort, and Build
The Galaxy Watch 5 looks the same as Galaxy Watch 4 in terms of design but Samsung has refined some of the features, so they can call it a successor.
For example,
Galaxy Watch 4 has corning gorilla glass for display protection while Galaxy Watch 5 comes with Sapphire crystal which is 60% more durable. (Samsung Claim)
So if you’re a rough user then Sapphire crystal will help you one or two times but in the end, it’s just glass, so be careful with it.
You also get a 20mm strep with the smartwatch which feels comfortable just like Galaxy Watch 4, I didn’t notice anything new.
You won’t face any kind of problem even if you wear the Galaxy Watch 5 all day, all night.
One of the key factors of Galaxy watches was the physical ring around the display but Samsung has removed it and added the physical touch bezel which doesn’t work all the time.
Out of 10, it might work only 4 times.
The Watch has two physical buttons, the red button is the power button and another one is the back button. Long pressing on the power button will trigger the Google Assistant and Bixpy (you can choose only one).
Yes, I do miss that ring but hey, it’s gone now, we have to accept the physical touch bezel.
Display
The Galaxy Watch 5 comes with a 1.40-inches sAMOLED display with a resolution of 450 x 450 Pixels and pick a brightness of 1000 nits while it has 321 PPI Density.
The 1000 nits pick brightness is extremely good, it helps a lot outdoors. There won’t be any kind of problems while reading the text in the sunlight, the screen is visible enough to do all kinds of tasks.
The front is protected with the Sapphire crystal while the frame is made out of aluminum. This will give you that premium feeling because you’re also paying a premium for it.
Also, as I have said, the physical touch bezel doesn’t work all the time. Out of 10, it might work only 4 times.
Overall, you will be more than happy with Galaxy Watch 5’s display quality
Health and Fitness Tracking
The Galaxy Watch 5 has the same sensors as Galaxy Watch 4 but Samsung has added one additional sensor which is the Skin Temperature Sensor.
Now, Samsung is yet to enable the Skin Temperature Sensor, so I didn’t test the sensor because it’s not available for anyone.
The ECG and Blood Pressure Sensor only works with Samsung Health Monitor App which only works with Samsung smartphones, so yes, Samsung is forcing you to buy Samsung smartphones to use all the sensors and features.
Related: 20 Sensors Present In Smartwatch: How They Work, Use Case, And More?
The watch also supports the Body Composition Analysis which means, you will be able to measure your body fat, muscle mass, and even weight by pressing the power and back buttons at the same time for 30 seconds.
I tried my smart scale and the Galaxy Watch, the result are the same. So yes, the accuracy is on point.
Sleep tracking is also accurate too and this time, Samsung has added Snore Detection too which will help a lot if someone Snores a lot while sleeping.
The watch supports all the sleep stages like REM Sleep, Deep Sleep, Light Sleep, and NREM Stage 1. The heart rate data is accurate as well, which you can see in the images I have added above.
It also has 90+ sports modes which you can directly access from the Galaxy Watch 5 and in addition, more modes can be added through the Galaxy Wearable app too.
While there is also built-in GPS support which works well as it was working on Galaxy Watch 4.
Considering the price, the Galaxy Watch 5 provides more accurate data compared to any other WearOS smartwatch which says a lot.
The improvements are not that big, so if you’re using Galaxy Watch 4 then there is no need to upgrade.
WearOS Got Better
Google has ignored WearOS for a long time but now, they have partnered with Samsung, so things have changed. When a smartwatch is running on WearOS, it can do more than fitness tracking, for example, playing games, to-do lists, calendars, playing podcasts, and much more.
Related: 20 Best WearOS for Galaxy Watch 5
Now, Samsung is using OneUI 4.5 on top of WearOS 3.5. This has made everything smooth at the same time, the watch has deep integration with Samsung devices whether it’s a smartphone or Galaxy buds.
Samsung was working on an Apple-like Ecosystem which you can clearly see on the Galaxy Watch 5 Series, also, Samsung disabled some of the features for non-Samsung smartphones.
By the way, for those who don’t know, WearOS has play Store support because it’s Google Product, so you will be able to use all the apps which are made for WearOS by the developers, you can also sideload some of the apps too.
The UI is smoother too, there is no frame drop or lag whatsoever, and you will get a buttery smooth experience.
Gestures:
- Swipe up: Opens the Apps
- Swipe Down: Quick Settings (DND, brightness, etc)
- Swipe Left: Notifications Panel
- Swipe Right: Fitness Features
Overall, you will get the best WearOS experience and Samsung has made it even better with OneUI 4.5 while the integration with Samsung devices makes it even more useful.
Microphone and Speaker
All the variants come with a microphone and speaker but if you want SIM card support then you have to buy the LTE variant which will cost more money.
By the way, the LTE variant supports eSIM.
The microphone, as well as the speaker quality, is excellent, you won’t face any kind of problems when taking calls or using the smartwatch outdoors.
Another person on call will be able to hear your voice clearly even in crowded places, the only thing is, you have to keep the smartwatch near your mouth.
You can either pick up the call or reject the calls directly from the smartwatch.
The issue is,
Whatsapp messages only show the images and text, it doesn’t show the videos or GIFs which is kind of odd because the Galaxy Watch 4 is able to showcase everything unless they disable it via update.
By the way, it also supports the QWERTY keyboard which will make typing experience even better.
Overall, the speaker and the microphone quality are superb, you won’t face any kind of problems while taking calls.
Battery Life
Here is the tricky part, each variant has a different battery size.
- 276mAh Battery – 40mm
- 397mAh Battery – 44mm
It also has 10W wireless charging support, it will take about 30 minutes to charge 45%.
Battery life depends on user by user, if you’re a heavy user who uses everything from sleep monitoring, heart rate monitoring, SpO2, and even Bluetooth calling then you will end up with 15% by the end of the day.
Now, if you plan to buy the 44mm variant then you will end up with 30% by the end of the day…
For normal users, the battery will last for 1.5 days depending on what kind of feature has been used.
Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy 5 is not a worthy upgrade from the Galaxy Watch 4, it comes with minor upgrades that are barely noticeable. While Samsung has increased the price too which doesn’t make any sense, especially in India.
Unless and until, you have money to spend and wanted the latest Android Smartwatch then, just go with Galaxy Watch 5 Pro.
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*Image Credit: Chigz Tech Reviews
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