At the Unpacked 2022 event, Samsung officially unveiled the new smartwatches Galaxy Watch 5 and Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, which use the Wear OS operating system developed in cooperation with Google and the new One UI Watch 4.5 version operating interface, emphasizing significant improvements in health, fitness, and watch functions.
The biggest change in the new Galaxy Watch 5 and Galaxy Watch 5 Pro is that they abandon the previous physical bezel interface design and fully adopt a virtual bezel and touch operation. The surfaces of both watches are designed with sapphire glass, which is 60% or more than twice as hard as the previous generation of watches. At the same time, the watch bodies meet the US military standard MIL-STD2H certification. The Galaxy Watch 810 Pro's watch body is even made of titanium, which is 5 times harder than the aluminum watch body.
Both watches are powered by the Exynos W920 processor, and the new three-in-one BioActive sensor element at the bottom is more fitted than the previous generation, making measurement data more accurate. It can also measure heart rate and sleep quality, and analyze body composition ratios. It can also record more than 90 types of sports and fitness data, and the newly added body temperature measurement function can also help you better understand your physical condition.
This time, a turn-by-turn navigation function has been added through watch vibration and voice reminders, making it easier for users to know when to turn or change walking routes when navigating through maps. In addition, the built-in GPS positioning function can record the roads they have traveled. The trackback route function allows users to return to their original starting point more quickly along the original route if they get lost.
The newly added support for importing GPX format content allows users to download and add their favorite hiking routes, running routes and other maps.
The Galaxy Watch 5 comes in two sizes: 40mm and 44mm, with battery capacities of 284mAh and 410mAh respectively. This represents a 13% increase in battery capacity and a 30% faster charging speed compared to the previous model. The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro is only available in 45mm size, with a 590mAh battery capacity, which provides approximately 80 hours of continuous use. When GPS positioning is enabled, this corresponds to approximately 20 hours of continuous use.
In terms of color matching, the Galaxy Watch 5 is available in three colors: graphite black, silver, and pink gold in the 40mm version, and in three colors: graphite black, silver, and blue in the 44mm version. Both specifications are divided into Wi-Fi version and LTE connection version. The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro is available in black and gray, and the strap adopts a magnetic D-type buckle design, which is also divided into Wi-Fi version and LTE connection version.
As for the Wear OS 3.5 operating system and the new One UI Watch 4.5 version of the user interface, it provides a full QWERTY keyboard input and supports dual eSIM linkage design. It can also adjust the length of time the information is displayed on the watch screen by adjusting the action execution time, and set commonly used functions, or integrate all auxiliary tools into the same menu for users to directly select and use.
In addition, the new version of One UI Watch 4.5 also allows users to directly operate SmartThings IoT devices in their homes. In the future, it is expected to add support for the Matter universal IoT specification to enable the operation of more cross-brand IoT devices.
In terms of suggested retail price, the Galaxy Watch 5 will be sold at a starting price of US$279, and the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro will be sold at a starting price of US$449. Both watches will be launched in specific markets on August 8.
In addition, Samsung also plans to launch the Galaxy Watch 5 Golf Edition in specific markets. It will also be pre-loaded with the Smart Caddie app, which includes information on more than 60000 golf courses around the world, and also provides shot suggestions and personal score recording functions.
