Galaxy Watch 5 Pro is Here with Galaxy Watch 5 and the Upgrades are Nice

Like the Fold 4 and Flip 4, Samsung has announced the Galaxy Watch 5 and Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, their newest watches with upgrades in several areas. These new watches offer bigger batteries, more accurate health tracking, more storage, and for the first time, faster charging. You may like your Galaxy Watch 4, but there may be big enough upgrades here, as well as a nice trade-in deal, to get you to make a change.

Galaxy Watch 5 vs. Galaxy Watch 5 Pro

The new Galaxy Watch 5 and Galaxy Watch 5 Pro are very similar in many ways. Samsung used a lot of the same specs, like processor and display, RAM and storage, Wear OS, faster charging, and sensors. But the watches are being marketed to different people with different wearable needs.

The Galaxy Watch 5 is very much a follow-up to the Galaxy Watch 4, with familiar styling and sales pitch toward those who want a smartwatch with solid health tracking in a manageable package and decent battery life. The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro is a bigger device with a massive battery, meant for the outdoor types who need even more durability.

For matching specs, you’ll find the same Exynos W920 dual-core processor in both just like we got in the Galaxy Watch 4 from last year. Samsung then tossed in 1.5GB RAM and 16GB storage, the same BioActive Sensor for health measurements, WiFi, Bluetooth 5.2, and 5ATM water resistance. For the first time, Samsung also tossed in a temperature sensor.

Where we find differences is in size and battery capacity. The Galaxy Watch 5 comes in 44mm and 40mm sizes, with 410mAh and 284mAh batteries along for the ride. The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro only comes in a 45mm case with a 590mAh battery. We’ve got 1.4″ AMOLED displays on the bigger Watch 5 and Watch 5 Pro, plus a 1.2″ display on the 40mm Watch 5 model.

The new Galaxy Watch 5 line is powered by Wear OS 3.5 and Samsung’s One UI Watch 4.5 out of the box.

• Pre-order Now: Galaxy Watch 5 | Galaxy Watch 5 Pro

So what’s new in the Watch 5 and Watch 5 Pro?

You may be looking at the images here and the specs I mentioned above and wondering why I think upgrading will be worth it from the Watch 4. Well, let’s talk about the big changes.

• Better health tracking: Samsung says that their BioActive Sensor – which tracks optical heart rate, electrical heart signal, and bioelectrical impedance – is back for your heart rate, blood oxygen level, stress level, and ECG needs. The readings you get from the Watch 5 line will be more accurate, thanks to increased surface area that provides more direct contact with your wrist.
• Temperature sensor: Speaking of health, Samsung is introducing a temperature sensor into each watch. Temperature tracking is useful to determine if you might be getting sick, in case you needed an example or why that’s useful.
• Bigger batteries, faster charging: For the Galaxy Watch 5, Samsung has increased battery sizes by 13% and added fast charging that is 30% faster than Galaxy Watch 4. You can slap the Galaxy Watch 5 on a charger for 8 minutes to get 8 hours of sleep tracking time. For the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro’s battery, we’re talking a 60% increase in battery size, along with faster charging.
• Sapphire crystal displays: For the first time, Samsung is using sapphire crystal displays in all of the watches, so the chances of you scratching them have been greatly decreased. Samsung claims these offer a 60% harder outer layer.
• GPX files on Watch 5 Pro: Samsung is apparently going to finally let you share workouts or hikes or routes from the Watch 5 Pro with GPX support. Yay.
• D-Buckle Sport Band on Watch 5 Pro: Samsung is adding an ew D-buckle strap to the Watch 5 Pro, which they claim “offers rugged durability with a sleek and clean fit.”

So maybe nothing groundbreaking here, but the added battery life and faster charging are pretty significant upgrades. We’ll always be down for more accurate health tracking and will never say “no” to sapphire crystal displays. These are nice improvements over last year’s Watch 4 line.

Galaxy Watch 5, Galaxy Watch 5 Pro specs

Galaxy Watch 5 pricing and release info

Alright, so what are we looking at for pricing, colors, and release dates? The Galaxy Watch 5 and Galaxy Watch 5 Pro will go up for pre-order today (8/10) through August 25. They’ll then launch on August 26 to your favorite retail spaces.

Galaxy Watch 5 44mm comes in Graphite, Sapphire, and Silver. The Galaxy Watch 5 40mm comes in Graphite, Pink Gold, and Silver. Pricing starts at $279.99 for the Bluetooth models and $329.99 for the LTE models.

Galaxy Watch 5 Pro 45mm comes in Black Titanium or Gray Titanium and starts at $449.99 for Bluetooth and $499.99 for LTE.

• Pre-order Now: Galaxy Watch 5 | Galaxy Watch 5 Pro