comprehensive Wear OS smartwatch full of health features

Samsung has released its second line of Wear OS smartwatches. After the Galaxy Watch 4, it is now the Galaxy Watch 5 that should ensure success. In recent weeks we have tested the smartwatch, you can read our experiences in the Galaxy Watch 5 review.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 review

Samsung has made the switch to using the Wear OS platform with the Galaxy Watch 4, as you could read in the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 review. That is apparently well liked, because the new model, the Galaxy Watch 5, is also equipped with the smartwatch platform from Google. Previously, the manufacturer used the Tizen platform with significantly fewer options. Samsung has released the Watch 5 series in the form of the Galaxy Watch 5 and the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro. We test the Galaxy Watch 5 44 mm. You also have it a bit smaller with a diameter of 40 mm. The Pro model has a larger 45mm clock.

Compared to the previous model, several improvements must have been made, Samsung promises us. A bigger battery for longer endurance, and there are also improved health options. In this review we will go through the different options with you.

Sales package

The sales package of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 is an elongated package containing the watch first. The cradle, to charge the watch, is of course also included, although you have to provide an adapter yourself. Samsung also included some paperwork. You can also purchase your own straps if you want to change them. The black model comes with us with a black strap.

Design and design

The design does not differ much from that of the Galaxy Watch 4. The clock case is still round, the watch strap is made of silicone. However, the rotating ring is a thing of the past and is no longer present on the model. However, you can still conjure up the rotating ring using software. This way you can swipe along the edges of the screen, and use the same controls, without having to see this rotating ring. However, I don’t think this has any advantage at all and the ‘normal’ scrolling works fine. The screen of the watch has a size of 1.4 inches and offers a resolution of 450 x 450 pixels.

The screen of the watch is easy to read, even on days when the sun shines in abundance. You can use the automatic brightness or manually set the brightness. You can choose whether you also want to enable the Always On Display. This always shows the watch faces. When this is off, the watch face and similar information can also be shown, but this only happens when the screen is touched, or when you rotate your wrist. I always do the latter, and it works quite well. While driving, you sometimes have to turn your wrist a bit more to activate the screen.

In terms of materials, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 is actually good. This feels very solid and does not seem to scratch the screen easily. So if you bump it against the edge of the table or against the wall, you don’t have to shoot straight into the spots. The glass consists of sapphire crystal; the aluminum housing. There are two buttons on the side.

You can adjust the functionality of these two buttons to your own chosen action. Choose an action or an application you want to open with it. When you hold down the red-covered button, you can choose from three options; Bixby, the Google Assistant or turn it off. Great, because that way you are not tied to Bixby, the assistant who does not work in the Dutch language. At least you would think, but the Dutch Google Assistant cannot be used in this way either, as we see when setting it up. It is unknown when this will happen. However, this is possible via a detour.

Speaking of this support; As far as I’m concerned there is a downside to the watch. Incidentally, the same flaw as with the previous model. If you want to reply to a message with voice input, this will not work with the Dutch language, but only in English, for example. Very annoying. Because you are then automatically dependent on the keyboard for a Dutch message, and that is far from ideal in traffic, for example, where voice input is very useful. This does work on an Oppo Watch, for example. Another alternative is that you sign your signs, but that is certainly not safe behind the wheel. It still remains unclear when Samsung will add support for the Dutch language, something we have unfortunately been hearing for years.

Interface and Applications

The operation of the Galaxy Watch 5 is mainly via the screen, and that is no problem at all. This works without any problems. You can go to the Google Play Store for the applications, although Samsung already supplies a lot with it. You can also get started with different dials that you can personalize one by one with colors and properties of your choice.

The menu with the apps and icons can easily be opened with a swipe. You will then see the applications in a vertically scrolling overview. You will also find the watch face on the home screen, although you can also scroll vertically through this. From left to right you open your notifications, from right to left your overview with how you are doing today in terms of movement. You can start activities and perform various measurements. Also things like your agenda, your stress level and more.

The notifications that arrive on your smartphone arrive on your smartwatch. However, you have to select the apps for which you want to receive the notifications in the special Galaxy Wearable app. In this application you can also quickly adjust the watch face or other things. You can also quickly adjust the order of tiles here to your own liking. The same applies to the Quick Panel, where you can find the quick settings.

Health

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 is an excellent companion during exercise. Numerous measurements are taken during exercise. Running or walking can be recognized automatically, which is useful if you forget to start your activity on the watch. However, this does not work for bicycles, which is still a shame, since you have to start the activity manually for that.

With the option ‘body composition’, according to Samsung, specific goals can be set for you, for example to lose weight. Things like your fat percentage, muscle mass and more can be measured and noted. Then the Galaxy Watch 5 gives you personalized workouts and you get feedback on your performance.

The smartwatch can also give you advice about recovery after an (intensive) workout, but also, for example, to get enough fluids back in by drinking water. In the screenshot below you can see an example of an activity, with only a selection of the information kept. If you want to see all the information, you have to download the Samsung Health app on your Android device. What I regret is that when a measurement is started automatically, it does not show the location on a map, it only does this if you start the activity yourself.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 also gives you the option to sync it with a blood pressure monitor. This works simply and easily and is done via the Samsung Health Monitor. You have to perform certain actions such as placing the blood pressure monitor on the other arm than where you wear your watch. The app gives you the instructions for this. You do need a Samsung smartphone for this function.

There is also a temperature sensor on board the Samsung, although it is not yet active. This should be done at a later date via an update. There are also many other measuring instruments available, such as measuring your sleep, your stress level and of course your heart rate. It’s a pity that the activities you do cannot be directly linked to your Strava account. This is also possible via a detour, but it would have been nicer if this was standard.

It is good to know that if you do not have an Android smartphone from Samsung, you cannot use certain functions. This is about the EKG or measuring your blood pressure. This is done via the Samsung Health Monitor app, which can only be downloaded officially via the Galaxy Store. In our opinion, this could have just been a Play Store app.

For example, you can download flight radar for your smartwatch

Battery life and charging

Samsung supplies the Galaxy Watch 5 with a 410 mAh battery, which is more than with the previous model, but we don’t notice any huge changes in the endurance. With the Always On Display, continuous wear and the sleep mode, you can get just over a day out of the battery. If you use it every now and then for some activities, not while sleeping and the screen is not always on, you will get about two days. That remains a thing with smart watches, with Wear OS in particular. Yet this is already better than many other Wear OS watches, although that offer is not very large.

Specifications

• 1.4 inch Super AMOLED (450 x 450 pixels)
• Dual core processor (1.18GHz)
• NFC, GPS, Bluetooth 5.0, WiFi 2.4 and 5 GHz
• Wear OS 3.5 with Samsung skin One UI Watch 4.5
• 1.5GB RAM
• 16GB storage space (of which 7.5GB is available)
• 410 mAh battery (the 40mm model with 248 mAh)
• Compatible with Android, not with Apple iOS

Rating

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 is a very nice smartwatch, but in practice it doesn’t seem to differ much from the Galaxy Watch 4, which was also a nice smartwatch. In fact, we note almost the same pros and cons. We are in 2022 and Bixby (and also the Google Assistant) on the Galaxy Watch 5 still cannot handle the Dutch language. The automatic tracking is nice, but does not bring all the features as you see when manually starting an activity. Also, it still doesn’t work for cycling, which is a shame. In addition, we would have liked to see a somewhat longer battery life, but this remains a pain point with Wear OS smartwatches in general.

Does that make the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 a bad smartwatch? Absolutely not. It works very quickly, is quite endless in terms of possibilities thanks to Wear OS and you also have a really decent watch on your wrist with a nice screen. Samsung is known for a very good update policy, so you will be fine in that area for the time being. You will certainly enjoy this.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 is for sale at Samsung itself and via Coolblue, MediaMarkt and Bol.com. The 40 millimeter variant will cost you 299 euros, for 329 euros the 44 mm model will go home with you. The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro costs 469 euros.