Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Professional overview: The perfect wearable for Android followers

Samsung introduced two variations of its Galaxy Watch 5 this 12 months, however not like earlier years the place we noticed a normal mannequin and one with a bodily rotating bezel, Samsung is eliminating the bodily dial and has launched a “Professional” mannequin.

The Professional advertising and marketing of this watch is a bit excessive, with Samsung doing its justifiable share of selling how a lot better the Watch 5 Professional is for out of doors adventures than the usual Watch 5 mannequin. It bodily has a tougher sapphire glass show, titanium watch case, and far bigger capability battery, so these might assist it face up to a bit extra abuse.

Additionally: Black Friday smartwatch offers

A few software program options spherical out the “Professional” moniker resembling the flexibility to import GPX recordsdata for mountain climbing and biking whereas additionally having your return routes routinely mapped out for while you neglect to do it your self. For the entire particulars on learn how to use the brand new Route tile and GPX recordsdata, try this detailed walk-through. It is clear that the Galaxy Watch 5 Professional will not be going to problem your Garmin, Coros, or Polar GPS sports activities watch for severe out of doors adventures and need for weekly charging, however it’s the most lasting flagship smartwatch and can fulfill most informal athletes.

Additionally: Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 vs Galaxy Watch 5 Professional: How to decide on

I’ve gone mountain climbing, working, fishing, and sleeping with the Black Titanium Galaxy Watch 5 Professional over the previous three weeks and have constructed a good understanding of what Samsung is attempting to do with the brand new watch. And whereas it might be the corporate’s newest smartwatch — and the primary to go Professional — there are a couple of shortcomings that may be fastened with future software program updates.

The Watch 5 Professional comes with Google’s Put on OS powered by Samsung, so meaning you get Google Maps, Google Assistant, Google Pay, Messages, Preserve Notes, and extra. As well as, Samsung Pay, Samsung Messages, Samsung Well being, Bixby, and different Samsung apps are supplied. It’s a Samsung Galaxy Watch in any case. 

Additionally: The perfect Android smartwatches

{Hardware}

There is no such thing as a Galaxy Watch possibility with a rotating bezel this 12 months, however the Watch 5 Professional does have a little bit of a singular design with the brand new sapphire glass show. Changing the bodily rotating dial is a concave transition from the glass as much as the sting of the casing that lets your finger swipe up and right down to set off the same bezel impact. I discover this finger information design to be superior to the flat glass of different Galaxy Watch fashions and whereas the mechanism is all software-enabled now, it does give followers of the unique rotating bezel a little bit of closure.

Additionally: I put the Apple Watch Extremely by a Powerful Mudder

The Watch 5 Professional is out there in a single measurement, so it might not even be a viable possibility for these with smaller wrists. It is a pretty thick watch, as a way to accommodate the big capability battery, outsizing final 12 months’s Galaxy Watch 4 Traditional, however it’s lighter and feels nice on the wrist. 

As a fan of massive watches although, the Watch 5 Professional will not be almost as huge as a few of the Garmin and Coros watches that I put on day by day, so do not feel too intimidated by the brand new design. Samsung additionally says that the bigger measurement permits the bottom of the watch to be wider and protrude additional out, permitting the wrist sensors to higher learn and monitor your well being.

The 1.4-inch Tremendous AMOLED show is attractive, with crisp fonts, sensible colours, and a seamless touchscreen expertise. With rugged, outdoorsy smartwatches, enter delays and lag could be frequent. Not with the 5 Professional; Faucets and swipes have carried out flawlessly, and I’m particularly having fun with the default watch face choices.

This 12 months, the watch case is made with titanium and accessible in black or grey. You may have to purchase the common Watch 5 for the extra vigorous colours. The speaker is oddly positioned on the highest of the watch — the place the bands kind of cowl it — whereas the microphone is discovered on the best aspect between the navigation buttons. 

Additionally: I made an enormous Apple Watch mistake

The default band that shipped with the Watch 5 Professional is the brand new D-Buckle Sport band, which is a lot better than the default band I obtained with my Watch 4 Traditional final 12 months. It’s a mushy silicone band that you simply modify by sliding open a latch, becoming the band, after which locking the latch. How safe is the brand new buckle? I’ve but to see the band pop open throughout any of my exercises or day by day actions.

Two {hardware} buttons are positioned on the best aspect of the Galaxy Watch 5 Professional: A Residence key and a Again key. A single press of the Residence key takes you again to your default watch face. You may assign any app you need to a double press and lengthy press of the Residence key, so I’ve mine set to Google Pockets and Google Assistant, respectively. This integration and help for Google have remodeled the Samsung Galaxy Watch expertise into one which Android lovers will likely be glad with.

Nonetheless, not the whole lot is geared towards Google companies. Samsung Pay is the default press and maintain motion of the Again key and there may be presently no setting accessible to alter this to Google Pay or some other utility. Let’s hope Samsung offers a software program replace to permit customization of this button motion, too.

Additionally: How the Galaxy Watch 5 Professional might assist these attempting to conceive

Flipping the watch over we see the Samsung BioActive sensor that’s used to seize your coronary heart fee, bioelectrical impedance for blood stress (not within the US), irregular heartbeat (ECG), blood oxygen ranges, and extra. To the left aspect of the again sensor unit is the pores and skin temperature sensor however this has not been activated but, so keep tuned for extra on the monitoring characteristic.

Google Put on OS powered by Samsung

While you first energy on the Galaxy Watch 5 Professional, you are greeted with a well-known Samsung wearable expertise. There are the standard Tizen OS watch faces, tile UI components, Samsung apps, Bixby, and extra. The 5 Professional is clearly nonetheless a Galaxy Watch, and with Google Put on OS powering the software program, the watch solely will get higher.

Open the app drawer and you’ll begin to see why the Galaxy Watch 5 Professional working Put on OS is a sport changer for Samsung and Google’s watch platform. I presently have the next put in that had been not current on my previous Galaxy Watch fashions: Google Pockets, Google Maps, Google Assistant, Google Match, Gboard (sure, a keyboard on your watch), and extra. Because of Put on OS, the Watch 5 Professional good points extra performance and entry to a few of my most widely-used apps throughout gadgets.

Nevertheless, that is to not say that the software program expertise — notably the Google Play Retailer — is ideal. There have been many occasions once I would seek for watch-supported apps on my cellphone and can be introduced with outcomes that weren’t even appropriate. This was as a result of every time I searched a key phrase, the Google Play Retailer would leap out of its watch-filtered system and present me all ends in {the marketplace} — together with cellular and pill apps. My hopes for a Telegram or Starbucks app had been dashed a few occasions. 

To see which Put on OS apps you may confidently set up in your Galaxy Watch 5 Professional, leap into the Play Retailer discovered immediately on the watch itself. I discovered many extra apps utilizing the Play Retailer on the watch, together with looking by way of voice to textual content. 

Personalizing the Galaxy Watch expertise

The Galaxy Watch 5 Professional is managed by two key Samsung apps: Galaxy Wearable and Samsung Well being. To take advantage of out of your smartwatch, you may need to sync up with the 2 companies, each of that are free however very helpful.

Additionally: How Samsung surpassed the Apple Watch, with a bit of assist from Google

• Galaxy Wearable: You are introduced with the fundamental Galaxy Watch info, together with the watch title, its battery standing, hyperlinks to observe faces, settings, and extra. It’s inside the app the place you may modify the weather of the Watch 5 Professional’s watch faces, together with what metrics you would like to look on the house display screen, and the colour theming. There’s even a compass index possibility within the Professional analog watch face to check out.
• Samsung Well being: Samsung Well being is a smartphone-based utility that consolidates information collected by the Galaxy Watch 5 Professional right into a visually-appealing expertise. Knowledge resembling steps taken, workout routines accomplished, sleep, stress, coronary heart fee, and extra are supplied right here on a house web page, with entry to detailed reviews. Tapping on ECG or blood stress (in nations the place supported) will open up the Samsung Well being Monitor app, a separate service that consolidates your metrics into understandable reviews on your doctor.

To encourage wholesome habits, it’s also possible to begin challenges with mates, achieve achievements, and think about weekly efficiency reviews by way of Samsung Well being. There’s additionally a health part of Samsung Well being the place you’ll find packages supplied by third-party companies. There usually are not a ton of accessible packages, and plenty of are focused towards newbies, however it appears to be like like a good free service supplied by Samsung Well being.

Additionally: The perfect health trackers

The one actual “Professional” characteristic: GPX monitoring

The one “Professional” software program characteristic of the Galaxy Watch 5 Professional is help for GPX for mountain climbing and biking. GPX, or GPS Alternate Format File, is a file sort that comprises geographic data resembling tracks, routes, and waypoints. It’s kind of odd that that is the main target of the Watch 5 Professional when there isn’t a help for path working, mountain biking, and even working.

The very first thing you’re going to want is a GPX file for the placement you propose to hike or bike. You may attempt looking on-line, however you’ll shortly notice {that a} third-party service subscription is required to create GPX recordsdata. Trailforks is a reasonably inexpensive subscription with GPX recordsdata for well-liked hikes. Personally, I’m a Strava subscriber.

The GPX help is attention-grabbing and if you happen to construct up a library of routes, it could possibly be helpful even for offline journey. Nevertheless, my GPS sports activities watches have preloaded topographic maps and for much longer battery life, so they’re way more helpful for mountain climbing within the wilderness. It is not clear if Samsung goes to prioritize GPX studying as a lot transferring ahead. I hope it does, as a result of whereas the characteristic on the Watch 5 Professional is missing in comparison with the sports activities watch market, it is an incredible first step. 

Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Professional or Apple Watch Sequence 8?

There is not a lot level in evaluating the Galaxy Watch 5 Professional to the Apple Watch Sequence 8 working WatchOS 9 since each fashions are unique to their respective working methods and platforms. An Android person will discover extra advantages utilizing the Galaxy Watch, whereas iOS customers will really feel at dwelling with the Apple Watch. 

That mentioned, the Galaxy Watch 5 Professional beats the Apple Watch 8 when it comes to battery life and physique composition measurements. Nevertheless, Apple’s  WatchOS 9 brings higher health help with working energy from the wrist, higher choices for viewing information as you’re employed out, extra sturdy watch purposes, and a strong Apple Healthkit system. 

Additionally: Apple Watch Extremely vs. Garmin Enduro 2: Exploring the important thing variations

Backside line

The Galaxy Watch 5 Professional is accessible now for $449.99 in Black Titanium and Grey Titanium. Samsung gives compelling trade-in offers so I despatched in my Galaxy Watch 4 Traditional for a LTE Watch 5 Professional and shaved $140 off the worth. The Watch 5 Professional has confirmed to be an ideal companion to my new Galaxy Z Fold 4. I’ve held many calls on the watch, by Bluetooth and LTE connections, and revel in having the entire Google apps on a Samsung watch.  

The Watch 5 Professional simply lasts two full days, together with monitoring my sleep at evening, and capabilities into the third day. This simply beats the Apple Watch 7 and eight Sequence, however we’ll quickly be testing it towards the Apple Watch Extremely. The D-Buckle band appears to be like nice, stays securely in place, and could be very snug whereas the sensible Tremendous AMOLED show makes it straightforward for my growing old eyes to work together with the watch.

Additionally: Apple Watch vs Fitbit for sleep monitoring. How the info compares

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Professional is well one of the best wearable for Android smartphone homeowners and it excels in the entire smartwatch classes. It is made with supplies usually reserved for high-end GPS sports activities watches, however nonetheless priced at $450. Samsung might have missed on the Professional label, however the firm nailed the watch and there may be extra coming in future updates. Android smartphone customers not should be envious of the Apple Watch and iPhone customers.