Standing out as the new face of the Apple Watch Series, the Apple Watch 5 provides you with a number of upgrades that make it stand out from the previous models. The always on display will make it easier for you to see the time whenever you need to, and although it does cut down on the battery life a bit, with a dimming and blurring feature you won’t have to be worrying about everything on the display staying permanently on. Other than that, with all the same features with slight upgrades in the software, it is pretty much the same watch as the Apple Watch Series 4 which is still potentially the best smartwatch out there. The question that remains is, why should you buy this, and not the Watch 4? So let’s find out why, shall we?
Why We Like It – Apple Watch 5 Review
Being an upgrade from the Apple Watch Series 4, the Apple Watch 5 comes with a bunch of new features which include an on board compass, the Activity Trends App and the slightly bigger size with an always on display. No longer will you have to flick your wrist every time to see the time and with the added benefit of the compass you can now easily use the maps app for better navigation.
- Always on display
- Compass allows for better navigation
- Waterproof
- Not the best battery life at about 18 hours
Performance
To start off with the sensing capabilities of the Apple Watch 5, you get a heart rate monitor, an ECG feature for further health monitoring, an on board GPS and most importantly the newly added compass. While the health and heart rate sensors provide you with better and more accurate data during workouts, the GPS and compass work together to provide you with a better navigation experience as well as a more accurate distance measurement for running. Now, if you’re someone who doesn’t actually use the maps App that much at all, or if you don’t like using it on the small display of the watch, then the compass isn’t of that much use to you. However, for everyone else this is a great thing to have. You do get a good amount of workout apps to help you stay fit and there are always a bunch of other apps to choose from. Shopping for a Full HD touchscreen smart watch that is an activity fitness tracker, sleep tracker and much more? Click our Anmino asm6c smartwatch review.
Moving onto further health apps and monitoring, the Apple Watch 5 may not have sleep tracking like the Letscom Fitness Tracker, but it does come with the ability to track women’s period cycles. Being a part of the new Watch OS6, this cycle tracking app is also available in the older watches with an upgrade, and you also get a Noise App, which measures decibel levels, as well as a calculator app. This is a great thing to have for those who want to measure the noise levels coming from devices or want to calculate everyone’s share after a meal. You also get an Activity Trends App unlike last year’s Apple watches which takes about 90 days to learn all your activities and then show you improvements as the time goes on. This can include both your workout activity, how much you’re walking each day and a whole lot more.
Furthermore, coming to the newly added feature that is not available on the older models of Apple Watches, the always-on screen. Now, while this was previously introduced in the Samsung Gear S3 Frontier Smartwatch, being a new addition to the Apple watch, it makes for a better flexibility of use. No longer will you have to flick your wrist to see the time, every time, as even when you’re using an app, if you’re inactive for a few minutes the screen will automatically dim and blur up, leaving you with the time and some other data to see if you need to. However, while the always-on display is a good addition, it does bring a slight drawback in terms of battery life, leaving the Apple Watch 5 to only last about 18 hours of normal use, meaning that you would need to charge it with the magnetic cable after almost everyday. You can however, turn off the always on feature if you need to. Do you want to cover your Apple watch with a 100% recycled aerospace-grade allow aluminum case? Read the Apple watch gps 44mm aluminum review.
Additionally, you also get music storage of upto 32GB along with LTE and WiFi connectivity which makes sure you can go on a run without your phone and even download apps through the app store on the watch, which however still remains less convenient than to use your phone.
And finally, with the elevation and fall detection as well as the waterproof capability like the Samsung Galaxy Watch, this new Apple Watch 5 makes working out and swimming monitoring a whole lot better. As for the display itself, being a touchscreen OLED Retina display for controls and also coming with a scrolling button on the side, the Apple Watch 5 is as easy and convenient to use as the previous Apple Watch Series 4. Just, remember that an Apple Watch isn’t compatible with android.
Design
When it comes to the review Apple Watch Series have received over the years, we have all seen how great and premium the design quality remains even after years of use. You can choose from an aluminum, stainless steel, titanium or even a ceramic finish all of which are slightly more expensive than the former. And while they do come with their own respective durabilities, you get to choose from three familiar colours, the Gold, Space Black and Silver finish whilst also being able to choose the strap you want before hand, may it be a sport sweat resistant one, or a leather more formal strap.
Aside from that, the Apple Watch 5 measures to have a thickness of 10.7mm, a display of either 977 sq mm or 759 sq mm depending on which of the 44 or 40 mm size you choose from. And with the many watch faces you can choose from with their respective image credits the Apple Watch 5 provides you with a pretty solid build and stylish design.
Value
Priced at about $380 on amazon and varying up depending on the finish material and strap, the Apple Watch 5 stands out as the premium product it is. However, you can still get the similarly performing Apple Watch 4 or even Apple Watch 3 for a much lower price that too with the same Watch OS 6. And so, unless you absolutely want the always-on display or the added benefit of a compass and watch apps it brings, the Apple Watch 5 isn’t that great of a deal compared to its previous models.
Apple Watch 5 Review Wrap Up
While it does provide you with a bunch of health features, a fall and elevation detection sensor for stationary workouts and even an included GPS and compass for navigation, the Apple Watch 5 remains too similar in performance but higher in price compared to the Apple Watch Series 4. And so, unless you prefer navigating through your watch and you absolutely want the newest Apple Watch, getting yourself a Apple Watch Series 4 might be the better way to go.
