Are you an adventurer? An explorer, even?Or maybe you just like it big? Haha, I am referring to a big smartwatch, eh? Well, if you’re either one of those or all three, then Samsung’s latest Galaxy Watch5 Pro may just be the friend you need! Let’s have a quick look, shall we?
Unboxing
First up, let’s see what’s in this sleek little box
So the box comes in black, with Galaxy Watch5 Pro text on top and the visuals of the watch in the middle.
Inside the box cover is a smaller box, and inside is the paperwork and the watch charging puck with a USB-C connector.
And of course, there is the watch itself
Design and build
Right out of the box, I can tell you this: IT’S BIG. Well, at least bigger than most smartwatches. However, its case size is smaller than other competitor’s sports watches like from Garmin or Polar, and It only comes in one size, which is 45mm of either black or grey color options.
The Galaxy Watch5 Pro has an elegant design, and it’s built tough. It comes with a titanium case and a scratch-resistant sapphire Crystal face. So make no mistake, Samsung wants you to take this watch everywhere and get really physical!
The watch features 5ATM, IP68 dust, and water resistance and meets MIL-STD-810 durability standards.
Now, notice that it doesn’t have a rotating bezel (like the Watch3 or Watch4 Classic) but does have a touch bezel function that provides haptic feedback when you “rotate” the virtual bezel. I love the titanium bezel with a raised edge. Looks good and feels nice.
There are two physical buttons on the side which have a nice solid, tactile feel to them. One is the Home key, and the next is a Back key. You’ll also find that little pinhole in between, which is the mic for you to call out Google or for voice chats.
On the underside of the case, you’ll see the familiar Samsung BioActive Sensor, which includes Optical Heart Rate, Electrical Heart Signal, Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis, and Skin Temperature sensors. Then there are others you don’t see, too, like the accelerometer, barometer, gyro, geomagnetic, and light sensors.
Then the Galaxy Watch5 Pro comes with a silicone strap with a D-buckle. It does feel nice, but I found the clasp mechanism to be something that would take time for you to get used to, especially if it’s the first time you are trying to put the watch on your wrist.
And if you’re into more extreme sports, then a tougher strap may be better, and because it uses a standard 20mm lug width so you’ll always have flexibility in getting watch bands.
Hardware + Software
Now let’s talk about the display. It’s a 1.4-inch 450×450 pixel Super AMOLED touchscreen display, and it’s gorgeous, super bright, and sharp. The touchscreen is responsive, and viewing it outdoors is not a problem.
The default watch faces are nice, and if you want to swap them out for more, you can easily do it via the Galaxy Wearable app. Yes, you’ll need to install this app if you haven’t during the setup process.
In terms of hardware, there’s a long list, but here’s a quick summary:
The watch is powered by a Samsung Exynos W920 dual-core chip and comes with 1.5GB of memory and 16GB of storage. Connectivity-wise, you get 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, GPS/GLONASS/Galileo/BeiDou as well as optional 4G LTE. Samsung has upped the battery to a 590 mili ampere hour battery, the biggest so far in any Galaxy Watch, which is a good thing, definitely!
The Watch5 Pro comes with Google Wear OS, so you not only get to enjoy your favorite Google apps like Google Maps, Google Assistant, Messages, and more, but you also have Samsung’s own collection like Samsung Health, Bixby, Samsung Pay, and more. Is Samsung and Wear OS the best combo ever? I think so!
Features
Now, when it comes with features, it really is all about health and fitness tracking. And the Watch5 Pro pretty much does it all. Note that the Galaxy Watch5 Pro will work with most Android phones but is best experienced on a Samsung phone. For instance, the Samsung Health app lets you make sense of all the data the watch is collecting and crunching, but only Samsung phone owners get to enjoy the EKG feature.
One of the most interesting Pro features is the support for GPS route tracking by supporting GPX files. This lets you use turn-by-turn route navigation and track back for hiking and biking. Strangely, runners are left out at this point, but I’m sure this will be included in the future.
What’s also great is the Auto Workout Tracking, which takes the hassle of inputting your activity manually. The watch just does it for you, which is great! And speaking of which, the Galaxy Watch5 Pro tracks more than 90 exercises, including complex activities like HIIT.
The other thing I really like and thought was interesting and useful is the Body Composition tool. Honestly, it’s the first time I’ve ever measured body composition on a watch and not on a smart scale like the ones you use in the gym.
Because thanks to the BIA sensor on the watch, I can get insights to my body fat, yeap all the desserts, skeletal muscles, and more
The Galaxy Watch5 Pro now also has Advanced Sleep Coaching, which I absolutely loved. It analyses your sleep stages and gives tips, checklists, and nightly sleep reports. It even assigns you a sleep symbol. And, if you have a Samsung phone, you can also turn on snore detection in Samsung Health.
I can’t wait to test these features (and more) further in a full review. Let me know what you’d like to see and what features you’re excited about!
First impressions
Overall, I’m liking how the Pro looks and feels. Is bigger better? It is definitely more suited towards people who are slightly more active than others or more adventurous (hah!). It has better smart features than most smartwatches, and it’s also more affordable than most flagship multisport GPS watches and it comes at a price of RM1,899
Should you go Pro? Well, Based on my first impressions, YES!
