Samsung announced 2 versions of the Galaxy Watch series, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 and the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro this year, along with the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 and the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro. There was already so much buzz and so many rumors going around about the watch before its official release, and I was extremely excited to finally try it out when it launched.
I’ll be honest, I was a little down after hearing the rumours that the much loved physical rotating bezel is being removed, but after trying out the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, its safe to say that I didn’t miss it as much as I thought I would. Before jumping into the review, let’s take a quick look at the specifications first.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro – Specifications
| Display | 1.4-inch 450×450 pixels resolution Super AMOLED touchscreen |
|---|---|
| Processor | Samsung Exynos W920 dual-core |
| Materials | Titanium body with Sapphire Crystal glass with 29GPa rating |
| RAM /storage | 1.5GB /16GB |
| Durability | 5 ATM/IP68 MIL-STD-810H |
| Connectivity | 802.11 a/b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, GPS/GLONASS/Galileo/BeiDou, LTE (optional) |
| Sensors | Accelerometer, Barometer, Samsung BioActive Sensor (Optical Heart Rate + Electrical Heart Signal + Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis), Skin Temperature, Gyro Sensor, Geomagnetic Sensor, Light Sensor |
| Battery | 590 mAh, up to two days in typical usage |
| Dimensions | 45.5 x 45.5 x 15 mm (includes sensor bump) and 46.5 grams (without strap) |
| Colors | Black Titanium and Gray Titanium |
What’s In The Box
- Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro
- Wireless Charger
- User Manual
Design And Display
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro has a screen size of 45mm, with an elevated case around to protect the sapphire crystal display screen. This causes the watch to be a little more on the bulkier end, and I’m personally not a huge fan of big bulky watches. This version of the watch also has the D-Buckle Sport Band, which gives the watch a slightly classy look while still giving sporty vibes.
The 1.4-inch OLED screen display on the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro is bright with vivid colours, which I loved. I also really liked that the screen doesn’t get affected by the bright sun and I could still clearly make out everything even when standing outside at 12pm on a sunny day.
User Experience
Having the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro was definitely helpful for me. I could easily see any incoming notification, and answer calls directly from the watch. I found myself relying more on the watch to keep track of my meetings and tasks, and it helped keep me focused. Normally when I check my phone for notifications, I tend to easily get distracted and divert to Instagram. This way, I don’t actually touch my phone unless I really have to.
There is an app designed to better improve your experience with the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, the Google Wear OS. It’s also advised to download the Galaxy Wearable and Samsung Health. The Galaxy Wearable is what you’ll use to change the watch face, decide what metrics will be visible and handle overall most of the display related settings. The Samsung Health is a great app to consolidate all the data collected by the watch in a visually appealing report. The data collected include steps taken, calories burned, sleep, stress, heart rate and so on.
Since the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro is meant to be an outdoorsy watch, I decided to go on a short hike to Broga with it. I love that the watch automatically went into the workout mode when it realised I’d been walking for close to 10 minutes. The watch itself is rather sturdy and well protected, so no reason to worry when hiking or working out with this watch. There is a TrackBack feature that allows you to retrace your steps to get back to where you started. I personally found this quite useful during my hiking trip.
Battery Life
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro lasted me 2 whole days without needing a recharge. I started with a full battery on the morning of day 1. I’d connected the watch to my phone, and pretty much relied on it throughout the two days. By the end of day 2, I was down to 17% when I put it out to charge.
I stuck to default settings, with pretty much everything being on, and I tend to get quite a lot of notifications on weekdays, due to work, so I’d say my usage was pretty average, leaning more towards heavy. I relied on the watch to answer most calls, and that was a huge deal to me because I no longer had to fish around my always full bag to find my phone when a call was incoming.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro took roughly a little close to an hour to reach a full charge. I used the wireless charger that came with it, and I loved it. All I had to do was put the watch display side up on the wireless charger and leave it be. No removing the watch from anywhere to find a cable or anything.
Conclusion
Overall, I quite enjoyed my experience with the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro. If I had one complaint, it would be that the apps don’t work on iPhones, so maybe iPhone users may not benefit well from this. Some extra functions only work on a Samsung device, but I personally feel like not having those extra features doesn’t make a big difference and you can live without it. The battery life was the biggest green flag for me.
Priced at RM 1,899, it can be considered expensive, but this would definitely be a good investment for anyone who is sporty and loves being outdoors. However, if you’re more of a homebody, consider investing in the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5, which is slightly cheaper than the Pro version, priced at RM1,099. The Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro is available on Samsung Retail Stores and on the Samsung Online Shop.
