Samsung’s reignition of the Wear OS market over 18 months ago has been great for the smartwatch space. With Google also entering the smart wearable market for the first time, it puts pressure on Samsung to up its game. The Galaxy Watch 5 has been the Wear OS leader since its release, but how has it held up? We’ve spent an extended period with the watch to find out.
One of the biggest problems facing Wear OS at this present moment is the lack of Wear OS 3.0 and even the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 series processors. Despite many OEMs claiming they’ll have wearables adopting the chipset in the coming months, there are no such contenders available to buy. It’s compounded by the fact that this improved processor was announced half a year ago.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 series pack in last year’s Exynos W920 processor. At this early stage of 2023, it’s still the best and most powerful processor used in a Wear OS-powered smartwatch; even Google’s own Pixel Watch uses the practically ancient Exynos 9110 processor in tandem with a co-processor to alleviate some of the load. While Wear OS the platform looks to have a bright future, there is only one manufacturer actively leading the way – and that is Samsung.
Video – Galaxy Watch 5 long-term review
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Hardware and design
Samsung’s recent design approach across all hardware areas has been to refine and hone rather than redefine and reposition. In many ways, this is both a blessing and a curse as the Galaxy Watch 5 is practically a clone of the Galaxy Watch 4 from late-2021. You’re getting a round screen, sharp curves, flat edges, and plenty of metal.
While the design is visually identical, Samsung has made changes in the right areas. This includes an improved sapphire crystal coating screen. The benefits are said to be increased durability and scratch resistance courtesy of a Mohs rating 9. All you need to know is that the screen glass is extremely hard and shouldn’t scuff as easily.
Having worn the Pixel Watch and Galaxy Watch 5 in equal measure since the former wearable launched, I think that while I prefer Google’s visual design language, Samsung’s efforts result in something that’ll stand up to daily use and abuse more readily. That said, like the previous generation, there are risks associated with the design. Paint can chip and flake at the edges of the aluminum chassis, but flat screens and sharp edges make sense for this form factor even if a fully round watch can seem more appealing.
I’m not complaining. There are plenty of reasons to love the aesthetics and the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro offers a bigger, bolder option if you want/need a rugged Wear OS smartwatch. The loss of the “Classic” model is something to bemoan as the rotating bezel helped truly differentiate it from the most popular smartwatch brands.
Where I wish a change were made is in the default watch strap. The annoyance of the blocked-off design means that I find I need to fit the watch a little tighter than I would like to prevent a wrist wobble or constant readjustment. If like me, you don’t like the default silicone-style strap and clasp then the 20mm lug mechanism is a godsend. When you can get a compatible stretchy fabric band 5-pack for under $15, it’s a no-brainer.
Software and performance
One of the biggest compliments I can pay to Samsung with the Galaxy Watch 5 is that if you can about Wear OS, it’s the best experience out there. Visually, it’s an extension of One UI in all the right and all the wrong ways. If you’ve used a Galaxy phone, you’ll probably understand what I mean by that statement.
Things “feel” like Wear OS – because this definitely is Google’s software at heart – but with little changes that can be disorientating. Swiping up into the app grid is one such change I can’t get behind. Similarly, the leftmost notification section is great for organization purposes but feels like it’s siloed away for better or worse. Surely having access to your notifications is more useful than all apps for most people on a day-to-day basis given the lack of a huge app library on Wear OS in general?
Many of these complaints are just carried over from the previous generation. For all intents and purposes, the One UI build pre-installed is the same. You do get a few more watch face options, but overall I haven’t been able to tell the difference in most areas. The Google Assistant does ship with the Galaxy Watch 5 pre-installed after arriving for the Watch 4 in mid-2022. For those wondering, the “new” Assistant runs fine but isn’t a game-changing update over the previous Wear OS 2.0 version.
I’m a huge advocate for Samsung’s menu approach across mobile and wearable platforms, though. Sure, I wish that we had true consistency across all Android-powered devices in this regard, but adding hyperlinks to specific Settings sections is a great touch. However, you could argue that this is bad user interface design if the initial process of finding specific toggles and setting options is not clear without using such a solution.
Even without a chipset bump, everything is smooth and snappy on the Galaxy Watch 5. While I have been pleasantly surprised with what the Pixel Watch can do given its internals, it doesn’t quite match the slick Watch 5 experience. There’s still a performance hit when you reach sub-20% battery levels on Samsung’s wearable. Until that limit is reached, it’s smooth sailing all the way.
I still have some of the same complaints with the Play Store library on Wear OS. Over the past 18 months, things have started to improve and Google’s increased push with first-party apps does help out. You’ll likely find a workaround or an app that’ll do what you require but don’t expect everything to be catered for.
One huge annoyance that is impossible to ignore is the feature lock for non-Samsung smartphone owners. Missing out on features is one thing, but actively preventing people from using on-device sensors unless you have a Galaxy phone is nothing short of shady. It’s disappointing that this is still being done by one of the biggest players in the Android wearable space when others do not do so.
You also still need to use the Galaxy Wearable application to get paired and manage all on-device content. Although it’s annoying, it’s not a major problem as it allows for more controls than would ordinarily be available within the dedicated Wear OS app on Android phones so it gets a pass in our book.
Health and fitness tracking
Most of the improvements on the Galaxy Watch 5 are found in the BioActive sensor, which is the heart of the fitness tracking suite. While this should mean that data is more accurate, you’re not getting any major new modes for fitness tracking.
You do get a few extras in areas like sleep patterns including a new Sleep Coaching mode and Snoring Detection. Are these killer additions? I’d say no, but they are welcome. I find that while the sleep stage figures at least seem accurate, it would be hard for me to truly know without going to see a specialist or sleep expert. Take all of this extra data with a healthy helping of salt is what we’d say.
Combined with the solid Body Composition measurements and extensive workout modes available on tap and although you’re not getting Garmin or Coros-level accuracy, the Galaxy Watch 5 is an attractive option for most people that just want a bit of everything without too many compromises.
Even some five months after it was released, the skin temperature sensor is still not yet active or enabled on the Galaxy Watch 5. Given the promises before and after launch, the fact that it is not yet available is frustrating and disappointing in equal measure. Never buy a device on promises of future functions. The hardware is here, though, so the ball is firmly in Samsung’s court on this one. It would be a great combination with the SpO2 sensor for those concerned given the resurgence of COVID-19 in recent months.
In our experience, the Samsung Health suite also offers a far wider and more appealing set of metrics than Fitbit on the Pixel Watch. You don’t need a membership or subscription to access historical data, and it’s all presented in an easy-to-digest manner.
The auto-workout tracking is one of the major reasons I do often prefer the Watch 5 over other Android-based wearables. This makes walk-and-run tracking almost seamless, meaning you’re less worried about picking up even a short jaunt around the block. GPS data has improved over the previous generation but still remains imperfect. I wouldn’t call it a dealbreaker, although I only need basic GPS tracking.
Battery
Lifespan isn’t always guaranteed with any piece of technology, at least not wearable hardware. Samsung’s decision to up the internal cell by over 10% on both the 40mm and 44mm Galaxy Watch 5 has been a masterstroke.
While the Galaxy Watch 4 was capable of lasting up to one and a half days at the top end with low to light usage, the Watch 5 can stretch as far as two days with similar usage patterns – that’s not the best in the business, but it’s certainly better than most. When using all of the on-device functions, you’re more likely to hit the charger at the end of the day with headroom to spare.
Adding in 10W charging via the magnetic puck means that you shouldn’t have to wait quite as long to get things up and running again either. This is among the fastest-charging Wear OS watches and makes a huge difference day-to-day.
Wrap-up
We had high hopes for the Pixel Watch, and while it is certainly a solid contender the Galaxy Watch 5 remains at the summit of Android-based wearables. The design is more durable, the battery life a little more consistent, and the entire package is cheaper than its bigger, slightly better brother the Watch 5 Pro.
Locking features to Samsung devices is a major sore point that is hard to ignore. Given that the Pixel Watch lets you use every feature without inhibiting it in the same way, it makes a case for all Android users in ways that the Galaxy Watch 5 is unable to do. Because we’re still waiting for Wear OS watches with Snapdragon W5 and W5+ even if the older Exynos W920 chip is still present, it smokes the current competition. It might be worthwhile waiting to see just what the long-overdue competition has to offer in that regard.
Just as we said last year, there is no outright “perfect” smartwatch that will be the right fit for everyone. The Galaxy Watch 5 still hits enough high notes to be considered the best smartwatch for most Android users. The pricing, performance, software update schedule and fitness tracking usurp the Pixel Watch and although it’s a little older, it’s a far better buy in our book for most people. That’s a long way of saying that despite some niggling little flaws, it’s still the best Wear OS you can buy.
Where to buy the Galaxy Watch 5
The 40mm Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 retails for $279 while the 44mm Galaxy Watch 5 is priced at around $309; selected retailers often provide substantial discounts and trade-in incentives now that the Watch 5 series has been available for a while. Adding LTE connectivity bumps the price by a further $40 on each model if you require untethered connections for your smart wearables. You can pick up all models from the following retailers:
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