The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro is for diehard Samsung fans who want a more durable smartwatch from the company. A nice watch for those looking for a more robust Samsung smartwatch with better battery life and durability.
What is different?
Available only in a 45 mm size, the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro features a Saphire Chrystal display and a titanium case. It also has double the battery life than the Galaxy Watch 5, with a 590 mAh battery. It will also enable “route-based” exercises, where a user can import GPX files from their phone and get turn-by-turn directions during a hike, as well as the ability to view offline maps. This feature is intended for people who often take long walks or rides.
The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro has a temperature sensor, but it is unclear what purpose it serves because Samsung has not yet activated the sensor. The watch also comes with other features such as BioActive Sensor and ECG function, which measure heart rate and the like. Disappointingly, these features are not yet available and it is still unknown why Samsung has not yet rolled out these updates.
What is good?
The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro is a great choice for anyone looking for a top quality smartwatch. It also comes with an additional “D-Buckle Sport Band” that uses a magnetic locking system to stay firmly in place. Compared to Samsung’s older models of watch bands, this one is definitely more luxurious. It would have been better if multiple band size options were available, as the standard band may be too large for someone with smaller wrists. The magnetic closure should alleviate any inconvenience of an ill-fitting strap.
The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro’s touchscreen is an AMOLED display that is very bright. Even when you keep the brightness to a minimum, you have no problems seeing the screen, even in direct sunlight. Always-On displays are battery-killers, so keep that in mind if you’re considering leaving it on all the time.
The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro has two buttons – the bottom one lets you back up, while the top one is the Home and power button (accented in red). If you press long, it also activates Samsung’s Bixby voice assistant.
The touchscreen can be used for all your navigation needs by swiping left, right, up and down on the screen. All applications can be opened by swiping up from the bottom. You can get new Watch Faces from the Play Store or download apps such as Spotify, Google Maps and others. There is much to love about this smartwatch from a user perspective. I could easily listen to Spotify on my Watch 5 Pro, but had to connect Bluetooth headphones to do so. The Watch 5 Pro includes a speaker, so you can make instant phone calls with LTE connectivity.
The watch is Galaxy Z Flip4 compatible and uses the Samsung Health and Galaxy Wearable app to connect. Fitness activity data can be found in the Health app, while more Watch Faces and settings such as the Quick Panel can be customized in the Wearable app. In addition, you have control over which “tiles” appear when you swipe right on the Watch’s home screen.
The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro is impressive with fitness tracking. In fact, the step count is more accurate than we have seen from Samsung in the past. The lap count is also very accurate during swim sessions. After a workout, a large amount of data is displayed on the screen: heart rate zones, elevation, etc., which is very useful for people who are into fitness.
The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro is not only accurate for fitness, but can also track sleep and snoring. Although to get reliable data on your snoring, you should keep your phone near where you sleep. Given its size, it is also not a comfortable watch to wear while sleeping.
The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro also measures your body composition and displays accurate data on body fat percentage, BMI, fat mass, skeletal muscle, etc. The fat percentage, in particular, is certainly accurate. However, measuring body composition requires you to place your middle and ring fingers on the two designated buttons and stay completely still for a few moments while holding your armpits open. It may take a few tries to get this right because Samsung wants you to make sure your fingers are touching only the relevant buttons and not the watch face or other parts of the watch.
What’s not right?
Even though the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro’s 590 mAh battery is large, if you use it frequently throughout the day with different activities, you may only get a few hours of battery life. For example, if you swim in the morning and take a walk in the evening, by the end of that day the watch is already at 10 percent battery. Keeping LTE on also drains the battery faster. The Watch 5 Pro also takes an excruciatingly long time to charge; when using a 20W charger, you can expect to wait 2-3 hours for it to reach 100 percent.
Is it worth your money?
The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro is a premium device that costs a lot of money. With the LTE version costing around €500.00, the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro is an expensive Wear OS smartwatch outside the Apple empire.
That said, you need to consider whether everything in this device is necessary for you. This watch is not for everyone, and the price point reflects that. If you exercise a lot, hike and want all the smart features that a Garmin smartwatch may not have, the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro is ideal for you.
Galaxy Watch 5 Pro – €519.00
