Apple Watch Series 5 Review

There’s much to love about the Apple Watch Series 5. For starters, it’s chock-full of amazing features that enable users to track their fitness goals and monitor their health. Additionally, it boasts several unique specs that make it stand out from its rivals and provide the ultimate experience. If you seek a smartwatch that can connect to your iPhone and allow you to enjoy crucial functions like reading messages and playing music, you’ll love the Series 5.

Let’s take a look at Apple Watch Series 5 Review, drawing close attention to its design and build and other features it offers. We’ll also talk about what we loved about it and what wasn’t too appealing.

Design and Build

Apple Watch Series 5 is sleek and stylish. Like other Apple watches, Apple Watch Series 5 is rectangular, with round edges. It also comes with a 40mm curved watch face. This gadget’s sleek body complements the vibrant screen exquisitely well. Plus, it’s relatively lightweight, weighing around 30g. Its weight makes it comfortable to wear for extended periods. The watch has a space gray case, giving it a subtle elegance and timeless appeal. Its overall aesthetic makes it ideal for all occasions, from business meetings to social gatherings.

Display and Interface

All Apple Watch Series 5 smartwatches with an aluminum case have an Ion-X Glass display face, including this gadget. The material is tear-resistant, cheaper, and lighter than other alternatives, including Sapphire Crystal.

The smartwatch’s display type is OLED, which guarantees vivid, high-contrast images and allows you to enjoy wider viewing angles. Also, OLED has exceptional self-illuminating qualities, which is why the smartwatch doesn’t rely on a backlight. The OLED display screen also helps the Apple Watch Series 5 to provide long-lasting performance.

Health and Fitness-Tracking

With the Apple Watch Series 5 smartwatch, you can keep track of your fitness goals. The gadget has an Activity app that monitors your activities, including how often you move or stay put. The app also counts the duration of your workout sessions and records the data.

Series 5’s Activity app has three colored rings included to help you track your progress. The rings represent three primary goals: less sitting, more moving, and exercising. And lastly, thanks to this watch, you can monitor crucial metrics like heart rate and quickly ascertain if you are in tip-top health or need to make lifestyle changes, and, in extreme circumstances, whether you need to see a physician urgently.

Smart Features

Like other top-notch smartwatches, the Apple Watch Series 5 has numerous smart features. The most outstanding is the Always-On Retina display, which enables the gadget to show vital information like time and notifications without requiring the user to turn on the display. While using this smartwatch, you only have to flick your wrist and glance at the screen. And after you are done, there is no need to switch off the display.

The gadget will automatically dim the screen when your wrist goes down. You can also dim it by simply covering the screen with your hand. Besides this next-gen display feature, the Apple Watch Series 5 can receive notifications from your iPhone, and you can use it to pay for goods and services via the Apple Pay app. Lastly, this watch allows you to install supported third-party apps.

Battery Life

At 18 hours, the Apple Watch Series 5 has a decent battery life. If you opt for this smartwatch, expect it to last said hours, especially when the always-on feature is on. The battery life also takes into account vital elements like using apps, receiving notifications, checking the time, and working out for an hour. That said, the battery life isn’t set in stone. While using this gadget, you can switch to low power mode, lower screen brightness, reduce notifications, or turn off background app refresh and extend battery life.

Pros and Cons of Apple Watch Series 5

Pros- What I Like

The Apple Watch Series 5 is stylish and elegant. With the enchanting space gray color and timeless appeal of the aluminum casing, this gadget can be a fitting accessory for different fashion styles, from minimalist and business casual to athleisure and outdoorsy.
To people who love swimming, the Apple Watch Series 5 is a godsend. This gadget is swim-proof, meaning you won’t have to take it off while enjoying a few strokes in the pool. You can also take along while surfing, snorkeling, and scuba diving, provided you don’t plan to dive below 50 meters.
One of the unique capabilities of the Apple Watch Series 5 is it can detect when you fall and provide you with 2 options: either indicate you’re ok or ask the gadget to contact emergency services. If the watch detects a fall and senses you’ve remained motionless for at least one minute, it gets in touch with emergency services automatically.
Besides the fall detection feature, Apple Watch Series 5 also comes with an international emergency calling feature. As the name suggests, this feature allows you to contact local emergency services, even when you’re abroad, regardless of the carrier network you use.
The Apple Watch Series 5 is equipped with a built-in compass. It can tell where your smartwatch faces, the surrounding elevation, and your current location. With this feature, you can also map points of interest whenever you’re exploring a specific place and use Backtrack to retrace your steps when you get lost.
With the Apple Watch Series 5, you can easily and conveniently take an ECG. This gadget has an ECG app and an electrical sensor, which enable it to record the user’s heartbeat and rhythm. The watch can use the recorded data to check for irregular heart rhythm, known as atrial fibrillation.

Cons- What I Don’t Like

This smartwatch’s battery life is pretty limited. It can only last up to 18 hours, meaning charging it every night isn’t an option; it’s a necessity. Many cheaper and less advanced gadgets out there last longer than the Apple Watch Series 5.
One of the most basic specs in many smartwatches is sleep tracking. Unfortunately, the Apple Watch Series 5 doesn’t support it. So, with this gadget, you can’t monitor your sleep habits and kickstart your journey to healthier routines.
The Apple Watch Series 5 is quite pricey. Most Apple products come with steep price tags because the company makes high-quality products. If your budget is limited, this Apple Watch might be beyond your means.
Like all other Apple Watches, the Series 5 is only compatible with a user’s iPhone. You cannot connect it to an Android device or any other person’s iPhone. So, forget about using the gadget when your iPhone is out of reach.
This smartwatch has Ion-X Glass, which is more susceptible to scratching. Don’t expect the display screen to maintain its pristine appearance infinitely. You may even start noticing scratches on it after a few months of use.

Read Also: How to Track Water Aerobics

Tracking Your Daily Activity with Apple Watch Series 5

Since the Apple Watch integrates with the Activity App on the App Store, you’ll get to see important data on your daily activity. I was able to see how often I could stand in one place, how much I moved, and the amount of time I spent exercising. There are three rings on the app, each with different colors, to summarize your progress. I loved how it encouraged me to sit less, get out and exercise more, and strive to complete each ring daily.

As per the screenshot above you will notice:

The red ring indicates the number of calories you have burned. Active calories.
The green one shows the minutes of activity you’ve actually completed
The blue one indicates how many times you have stood within a day.

If you’ve specified that you’re on a wheelchair, then the blue ring translates to roll ring, showing the number of times you have rolled in a day.

The activity history, on the other hand, will show you your trends in a summary, as you can see below:

Key Takeaways

The Apple Watch Series 5 is an elegant gadget that boasts most of the right features, including fitness and health tracking. Plus, it has a high-quality OLED display, which enables users to enjoy vivid colors and wider viewing angles. Sadly, the Series 5 smartwatch leaves much to be desired, especially concerning battery life. This smartwatch can only last 18 hours tops. If you prefer using a gadget that lasts longer, choose a better alternative, like Garmin Fenix 6 Sapphire.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the Unique Features of the Apple Watch Series 5?

The Apple Watch Series 5 boasts an Always-On Retina display, enhanced health and fitness tracking capabilities, built-in GPS, ECG app, and a comprehensive range of smart features.

How Accurate is the Heart Rate Monitoring on the Apple Watch Series 5?

The Apple Watch Series 5 offers advanced heart rate monitoring capabilities. While it performs well for everyday activities, there have been reports of inaccuracies during high-intensity workouts.

Does the Apple Watch Series 5 Have GPS?

Yes, the Apple Watch Series 5 includes built-in GPS functionality, enabling accurate tracking of outdoor activities without needing to carry your iPhone.

What is the ECG App on the Apple Watch Series 5?

The ECG (electrocardiogram) app on the Apple Watch Series 5 allows users to take an ECG right from their wrist, providing valuable insights into their heart’s rhythm and health.

Can I Swim With the Apple Watch Series 5?

Yes, the Apple Watch Series 5 is water-resistant up to 50 meters, making it suitable for swimming and water-based activities. It even offers swim tracking features.

Can I Receive Notifications on the Apple Watch Series 5?

Absolutely, the Apple Watch Series 5 allows you to receive calls, texts, apps, and other notifications directly on your wrist, keeping you connected while on the go.

What Kind of Fitness Tracking Features Does It Offer?

The Apple Watch Series 5 includes a range of fitness tracking features, including activity rings, workout detection, menstrual cycle tracking, and metrics like steps, distance, and calories burned.

How Does the Battery Life of the Apple Watch Series 5 Compare to Previous Models?

The battery life of the Apple Watch Series 5 is similar to its predecessors, providing around 18 hours of use on a single charge.

Can I Customize Watch Faces on the Apple Watch Series 5?

Yes, the Apple Watch Series 5 offers a variety of customizable watch faces, allowing you to personalize your watch’s appearance and display the information that matters most to you.

Is the Apple Watch Series 5 Compatible With Older iPhone Models?