The time marks 5 ‘and 40 ”per kilometer. It could be better, but the heart rate, stable at around 145 beats per minute, suggests not pushing any further, giving the body time to get used to running again while having to deal with the typical overweight at the end of the holidays. And with the outside temperature, still over 30 degrees at 6 pm.
Balanced on the wrist thanks to the soft D-Buckle Sport strap, the new Galaxy Watch 5 Pro relentlessly measures a performance that is not exactly exhilarating. The wearable is the latest and richest version of the smartwatch series presented at the beginning of August by Samsung (together with the foldable Galaxy Z Flip4 e Galaxy Z Fold 4), and punctually provides all the data necessary to define the progress of the running performance. While running, the information is clearly legible thanks to the excellent 45 mm AMOLED display, with a resolution of 450 x 450 and always-on function, which in the Pro version of the Watch 5 is protected by sapphire crystal and set in a titanium chassis. high resistence. Ideal for a watch whose main vocation is to measure multiple sports activities including weightlifting, hiking and cycling. And if your sport is swimming, there is no shortage of IP68 certification and water resistance up to 5 atmospheres, or fifty meters deep.
The Watch 5 Pro replaces the Classic version of Watch 4. More beautiful and massive, equipped with new features, it loses the physical bezel in favor of a touch bezel, which however can be improved at the moment: with this software version, already in normal conditions it requires a bit of familiarity to measure gestures and be able to scroll through the screens in a usable way. And if you’re sweaty and in the middle of a workout, things get a little more complicated, but that’s perhaps just the only flaw of an otherwise very successful product.
More autonomy for everyone
Extremely light with its 46.5 grams, the watch is characterized by a pleasant and minimalist design that communicates solidity, while thanks to its generous dimensions it can count on a 590 mAh battery, larger and more capable than the Watch 5, with which two consecutive days of use are easily reached. The recharge, passed from 5 to 10 W, is able to bring the autonomy to 45% in about 30 minutes, while the complete cycle takes at least an hour and a half. Samsung claims a battery life of 80 hours in case of “normal” use of the device. The intensive use of GPS, very precise in detecting the position in all conditions and central to the functionality of a smartwatch with a strong sporting vocation, however reduces the autonomy to 20 hours, suggesting to equip yourself for recharging in case, for example, of articulated excursions. in several days.
The Exynos W920 chipset, already seen and tested with identical configuration on the Watch 4 series, makes the use of the various functions fluid, and without hitches, also thanks to the excellent implementation of the operating system born of the close collaboration between Samsung and Google, with the One UI Watch 4.5 user interface that fits perfectly onto Wear Os 3.5.
A smartwatch at the center of the ecosystem
With Galaxy Watch 5 and Watch 5 Pro, Samsung confirms the strategy that aims to make wearable devices increasingly central to the user experience: on the one hand, because their effectiveness in monitoring parameters relating to the health and well-being of the person is growing ; on the other, because the interaction with smart objects is evolving through the Samsung SmartThings platform. Thus, using the smartwatch, not only can you interact with the smart and connected appliances in your home, or even unlock the lock of a Tesla-made car, but it is also possible to set the smart home ecosystem to automatically create the right conditions. to restful sleep, for example by adjusting the ideal lighting. Just a taste, for now limited to Samsung’s “walled garden”, of what wearables will be in the future, once they reach full maturity.
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Health and well-being under control
With the Watch 5 series, the trio of “BioActive” sensors for heart rate monitoring, electrical signal and bioelectrical impedance analysis introduced last year receives a hardware and software update which, in the field test, it improves efficiency and general performance. The watch also features an SpO2 sensor for blood oxygen monitoring, and of course also measures stress and sleep quality, as well as offering dedicated female health monitoring tools through the Samsung Health app. Not only that: in the lower part there is also a sensor for the body temperature: it is currently inactive, but when Samsung decides to activate it via software, it should improve and complete the sleep monitoring.
More generally, Samsung Health is a great app that offers a complete picture of overall wellbeing, albeit less in depth than other platforms. With the app you can set goals, analyze performance over time, access dedicated video content for training. The main tab is the Home, where all the measurement data is located. From here you can then access the dedicated sections that record data relating to sleep or body composition, to obtain further information.
For many but not for everyone
We have tested the smartwatch with both Android devices from other brands and with Galaxy series smartphones, and it is only with the latter that the Watch 5 Pro can enable advanced health monitoring functions such as electrocardiogram (ECG) and blood pressure measurement. blood, as these require the exclusive Health Monitor app. In order for the Galaxy Watch to work properly on other Android phones, in addition to the Samsung Health and Samsung Wearable apps, the system itself downloads other applications that work in the background, such as the Samsung Accessory Service.
Apart from this specific limitation, non-Samsung phones can take advantage of all the features of the Watch 5 Pro such as notifications, support for phone calls on the wrist (whose received and transmitted audio is among the best experienced), support for payments (including Samsung Pay), or the transfer of music files directly to the watch. When you pair the Watch with your smartphone – an operation that is slightly more cumbersome outside the Galaxy ecosystem – it automatically installs the compatible apps already on the phone. On the other hand, as was previously the case, there is no compatibility with Apple iPhone.
When the game goes outdoors
The Watch 5 series allows you to record the number of steps taken in a day and over 90 different sports activities, but the Watch 5 Pro, the only one compatible with GPX files, is the ideal tool for those who love cycling or hiking and it needs to smoothly add new paths to follow. Particularly useful in this context is the Track Back function, which at any time allows you to reverse the path to the starting point and return to the base quickly if necessary.
To be available on the Watch, a route in GPX format must be uploaded to the phone and then imported into the Samsung Health app. The only oddity: we were not able to use this feature even for running, so at least for the moment, trail running lovers will have to make do a little. More generally, performance tracking, from step counting to speed and heart rate measurement, was reliable and in line with the competition.
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Who sleeps produces data
Finally, sleep detection deserves two separate words, which on the Galaxy Watch 5 is already very advanced and which should improve in the future with the aforementioned temperature sensor. Currently the Samsung Health app offers information on the different stages of sleep, monitors blood oxygen and – by enabling and holding the smartphone near the bed – also detects snoring. These activities are scored and, after the first seven days of detection, the system proposes strategies to improve sleep.
We like it
- The titanium chassis and the sapphire crystal screen protector make the Watch 5 Pro a device that can be used in all conditions.
- The increased battery, which finally allows up to two days of consecutive use.
- Compatibility with GPX files, which allows you to load itineraries useful for cyclists and hikers on the smartwatch.
We do not like it
- The absence of a physical dial: the touch one still requires good software fine tuning.
- Reduced compatibility with non-Galaxy devices.
- The lack of iPhone compatibility.
In fine
Galaxy Watch 5 Pro is a smartwatch that improves the previous generation in many respects, in some cases adding new features, completing and enriching the Samsung wearable offer without claiming to revolutionize. Ideal for monitoring health and well-being, as well as recording outdoor sports activities, it is a solid, easy to use and complete product, which is best associated with Galaxy series smartphones. Available in the colors Black Titanium and Gray Titanium, it costs € 499 for the Bluetooth and wi-fi version, which become € 549 for the LTE version.
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