Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 (PRO) Introduction – I'm going to miss you, rotating bezel

Tags: Presentation | Samsung | Smart

17.8.2022 | 5 MIN

After a year, Samsung releases another model of its own watch, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5, and the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 PRO. And even though the inside is nearly the same, the design has undergone a drastic change.

Samsung has always been a brand making solely smart watches which belong in the chaos of a big city. You could always call, text, play music, check out some new YouTube trends, or order a pizza. Yes, the new watches will still be able to do this. What will join these are features for adventurers and athletes, which have never appeared in a Samsung before.

Let's quickly go through the new features of the Galaxy Watch 5 and the Watch 5 PRO:

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 5:

• 4 colours,
• sapphire glass,
• heavier,
• larger battery / quicker charging,
• improved sleep widget,
• longer battery life,
• Smart Switch – data transfer from your previous watch.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 in its 4 colour variants.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 PRO:

• Brand new model with a different design,
• titanium case / sapphire glass,
• D-buckle strap,
• longer battery life,
• improved sleep widget,
• temperature sensor,
• Smart Switch – data transfer from your previous watch,
• Offline navigation / Track Back navigation.

If you looked at the first picture closely, you noticed one important detail. Neither of the models have a physical rotating bezel, which Samsung users got so used to. And they unfortunately might have to get used to not having it. However, there have been some romours going around on the internet that a model with the rotating bezel might be introduced a bit later.

And now let's look at it from the ground up.

The sport version stayed, the even sportier came

We could say that the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 is the successor of the Galaxy Watch 4 line, which was a bit more sporty than the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic. The Classics are not known to be continued for now, but we got the more sporty Galaxy Watch 5  PRO instead, which seems very attractive (at least the design).

The basic version did not change much. The case is exactly the same, two sizes 44 and 40 mm / 1.73" and 1.57" in aluminium. I think that not many things could go wrong with the case, and I liked the minimalistic design of the previous models as well. Compared to the previous generation, the watch is a bit heavier. The 44 mm / 1.73" version weighs 33.5 g, the 40 mm / 1.57" one is 28.7 g. The reason is probably a bigger battery and that the models will come with a sapphire glass instead of a Gorilla one.

I appreciate using sapphire as a premium material as well as its usage in both models.

But let's have a look at the new arrival, the PRO model, which gives me goosebumps – and that has never happened before with a city model. Those curves of the PRO model do not cease to surprise me. The titanium case sized 45 mm / 1.77" (ladies will have to wait) has sapphire glass and quite an outdoor look. Although the rotating bezel is gone, the designers decided to at least keep a mini-bezel, which will protect the glass against scratches or breakage by slightly towering above it (the sapphire should be scratch resistant, but it is more fragile than mineral).

The PRO model also has a new kind of strap called the D-buckle, which is based on the principle of a folding clasp and magnet. This is combined on a silicone strap with the classic Samsung cut around the case. The whole watch weighs at 46.5 g, which is ideal for an outdoor sports watch!

Wow! This mounting excitement makes me hope that the watch will be this amazing in real life, too. and don't worry, if you need an LTE variant, it will be available in both the PRO and un-PRO. :-)

Insides are the same, the battery is bigger

The brand passed up on such novelties as sensor changes, so the sensor equipment is the same as was inside the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 model. Besides the basics, there is the BIA tracker measuring the ratio of fat, muscle mass, and water in your body, and ECG. A slight change in comparison with the previous generation is that you can set how much fat you want to gain, and the watch will suggest a workout and calories intake. So technically, it is a personal trainer on your wrist.

Samsung is trying to support all this with a longer battery life, it also did not state how many hours of battery life we get, but only mAh. Let's see those in a chart:

It's a shame that Samsung did not release the battery life as such, but I found on the internet that the PRO model should last 80 hours minimum in smartwatch mode and 20 hours with GPS on. 3.5 days in smartwatch mode is not the best, but 20 hours with GPS on on the other hand? Well, I'm curious if this data is true.

In the car industry, we are used to knowing the acceleration of a car. How much time does it take to go from 0 to 100 km, or from 0 to 60 miles. And Samsung decided to use 0 and 45 for this. However, it states the battery percentage. That's what you get after 30 minutes of charging, which is not bad at all. So, if you need a quick charge (like before going to sleep), it comes in handy.

New typically atypical features

As always, a new watch has to come with some new features. Samsung dared to challenge the previously unexplored land. To start with these features – the Galaxy Watch 5 PRO will have the option of offline navigation, where you can upload a GPX file and let the watch navigate you using it. The watch will also have the Track Back feature, meaning that if you get lost out in the wild, you simply press the track back button, and the watch will lead you back using the same path you came there.

This photo is originally from TechRadar

Features of all the new watches are, for example, an improved sleep widget or Smart Switch. The latter feature is supposed to help you easily transfer your data from your previous watch into the new one, which I think is quite an ingenious gadget. It used to be available only for phones, but it has spread now.

A new arrival is the improved sleep widget measuring your sleep phases, and pairing you up with an animal that sleeps as well (or as bad) as you. More information about what news this feature brings to the table in later review.

I will leave the ending open

From the screen, the watch looks amazing, and I'm looking forward to testing it on my hand. Especially the PRO version with its new outdoor gadgets. Meaning I will tell you my final word in the review, and so far, you can let us know your thoughts on the watches in the comments!

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