Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 - Buy or Pricey?

Written by Rahul Makwana

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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.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 price in India starts from Rs 27,999 and its available in Graphite, Silver with Purple Strap, Pink Gold, Sapphire and Silver color optionsr options.

Display

The Galaxy Watch 5 comes with a 1.40-inches sAMOLED display with a resolution of 450 x 450 Pixels.

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.

Also, as I have said, the physical touch bezel doesn’t work all the time. Out of 10, it might work only 4 times.

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

Overall, you will be more than happy with Galaxy Watch 5’s display quality

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.

Design, Comfort, and Build

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)

Yes, I do miss that ring but hey, it’s gone now, we have to accept the physical touch bezel.

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,

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.

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.

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.

Battery Life

Here is the tricky part, each variant has a different battery size. – 276mAh Battery – 40mm – 397mAh Battery – 44mm

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…

Software

Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 runs on 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Overall, the speaker and the microphone quality are superb, you won’t face any kind of problems while taking calls.

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.

*Image Credit: Chigz Tech Reviews