The Galaxy Watch 5’s changes are iterative.Īs a hearing, able-bodied person, I can’t speak authoritatively about how well all of these accessibility features work in everyday life. It’s not ideal, but it’s progress from last year and the year before that. But if I want to flip Bixby the finger or download half a dozen apps to replace Samsung Health, the Play Store is my oyster. One UI Watch 4.5 - Samsung’s watch interface on top of Watch OS - also gives the Watch 5 the ability to have two phone numbers, but only if it’s paired to a Galaxy phone with dual-SIM support. Samsung Pay is also hardcoded as a shortcut when you long-press the back button - and there doesn’t seem to be a way to reprogram it to launch Google Wallet instead. For starters, the ECG function only works with Samsung phones, and you’d need a half-dozen third-party apps to replicate all the wellness and fitness features of Samsung Health on a non-Samsung phone. To be clear, the Watch 5 is still better if you’re on a Samsung phone. The Watch 5 is still better with a Samsung phone, but you have more options than last year. While the Watch 4 was very much a Samsung smartwatch, the Watch 5 is less so. (The Galaxy Wearable app, however, is nonnegotiable.) I can use Strava to track my runs, Google Assistant to control my smart home, and Google Wallet to pay at the drugstore. This instantly made for a better experience because I was no longer shackled to Samsung Health, Samsung Pay, Bixby, or Samsung SmartThings. The second thing I did was download Google Wallet, Strava, Spotify, Calm, and a handful of other popular apps. The first thing I did once I unboxed and charged the Watch 5 was download Google Assistant and reprogram the Home button to launch that instead of Bixby. On-watch Google Assistant was a vague promise when the Galaxy Watch 4 launched last August, but it finally arrived a few months ago. The most obvious change is that you no longer have to endure Bixby. The Watch 5 is the definition of an iterative update, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t call out two much-needed improvements. But if you don’t like a new (or old) watchface, you’ll hardly notice it’s there because you won’t use it. The new purple dragon face appeals to me, as I’m on a purple gadget kick and a dragon in the Chinese zodiac. I happen to dig that you can now add complications to the blobby number face. Of course, there are new watchface options, too. That’s great, but it won’t be appreciated by anyone who isn’t a klutz, an adventurer, or an adventurous klutz. The Watch 5 also uses sapphire crystal glass for greater durability. Samsung claims it’s 9.8mm thick, but YouTuber DC Rainmaker found that it’s actually closer to 13mm when you include the sensor bump. That curved back doesn’t really change how it feels on your wrist. It’s got a curvier back to ensure better skin contact for greater accuracy. The 40mm and 44mm watches are a bit heavier - about the weight of a penny - because they have slightly larger batteries. I doubt most people will notice the handful of tweaks Samsung has made. The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, which ships alongside the Watch 5 on August 26th, is where you’ll see new design choices and snazzy features like turn-by-turn navigation, but the Watch 5 is a very vanilla update. As far as software goes, it also runs Wear OS Powered by Samsung (aka Wear OS 3 running a Samsung skin). It will allegedly improve sleep tracking accuracy, but as Samsung said during Unpacked, it added the sensor so developers can tinker around creating future health features. That, by the way, doesn’t do much of anything yet. Hardware-wise, the only new thing you’re getting is an infrared temperature sensor. You get the same health features via the slightly improved 3-in-1 BioActive sensor - heart rate tracking, ECGs, body composition analysis. The Watch 5 also has many of the same specs as the Watch 4, including the Exynos W920 processor, 1.5GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, contactless payments, GPS, optional LTE, contactless payments, and 5ATM of water resistance. Buy for $279.99 from Samsung Buy for $279.99 from Best Buy Buy for $279.99 from Amazon
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