Galaxy Watch 5 vs Watch 4: Better health tracking and battery, similar design

Samsung’s new Galaxy Watch 5 series seemingly found an interesting balance. While the standard Galaxy Watch 5 has quite a lot in common with the Galaxy Watch 4, the new Watch 5 Pro model is not a direct sequel to any previous Samsung smartwatches, and therefore, it’s free to experiment with new ideas. But leaving the Pro model to the side for a bit, what about the standard Galaxy Watch 5? Is it a worthy sequel to the 2021 model — even though it’s kinda samey at first glance? Let’s take a closer look.

The new Galaxy Watch 5 follows the same design language as the Watch 4. It has a virtual bezel, two rectangular side buttons, and a silicone strap. Simply put, the Galaxy Watch 5 doesn’t look all that different from the previous model, and it, too, is available in two sizes: 40mm (1.2-inch display) and 44mm (1.4-inch display).

However, Samsung has expanded upon its Bespoke platform, and the Galaxy Watch 5 Bespoke Edition enables customers to pick from more than 1,000 unique color combinations and designs.

Galaxy Watch 5 vs Watch 4: Improved health tracking and more battery life

Like the Galaxy Watch 4, Samsung’s new Galaxy Watch 5 has a 3-in-1 BioActive Sensor array featuring an optical heart rate monitor, ECG sensor, and Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis sensor.

In addition, the new Galaxy Watch 5 employs a temperature sensor. It’s based on infrared technology, which should allow for accurate readings in a variety of environments. This additional sensor will expand the Health platform further, giving customers a more comprehensive view of their health and daily habits, and allowing third-party devs to create new concepts.

The Samsung Health platform for Galaxy Watch 5 customers now offers better sleep tracking, complete with sleep coaching, daily goals, and targets. And, there’s more. Although the Galaxy Watch 5 uses the same Exynos W920 chipset, 1.5GB of RAM, and 16GB of storage as the Watch 4, it employs bigger batteries.

The 40mm Galaxy Watch 5 has a 284mAh battery (up from 247mAh), while the larger 44mm model uses a 410mAh unit (upgraded from 361mAh). The new smartwatches should last up to 50 hours on a full charge, which is a significant improvement. On top of that, the new model supports faster 10W charging.

All in all, the new Galaxy Watch 5 seems to offer upgrades where they matter the most but doesn’t go out of its way to reinvent the wheel. It remains true to the established design formula but addresses some of the areas that were a bit lacking, and improves the Health platform with a new sensor and better tracking.

The Galaxy Watch 5 is available for pre-order for the starting price of $279. Samsung expects to ship the wearable on August 26.