With the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, Samsung takes a new path with its smartwatches. It is a completely new model that has a huge battery and also some exclusive features. Is that enough to justify the high price? That's exactly what I'll tell you in my review.
Visually, a small step backwards
Personally, I'm a big fan of the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic's physical rotating bezel and I find it a shame that this design element, which also has a practical use, has been omitted from the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro. The raised edge of the Watch 5 Pro ensures that the digital bezel works safely and protects the display in the event of a fall, but it makes the watch unnecessarily thick.
The build quality and material selection of the watch are excellent. The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro looks and feels high-quality. It fits well if you manage to adjust the magnetic strap decently. The latter is not that easy, as the wristband is incredibly complicated and takes some time to adjust to the right size. Once that is done, however, the watch fits well. The magnetic clasp opened unintentionally twice during the two weeks of testing.
Bright display convinces
Samsung specializes in displays, and that is immediately apparent in the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro. The 1.4-inch AMOLED display is nice and bright and can also easily be read in direct sunlight. With a resolution of 450 x 450 pixels, content is displayed nicely and sharply. I used the watch mostly in my normal day-to-day life and while cycling on my road bike and e-mountain bike.
The display is protected by sapphire glass. I could not spot any scratches during the test period - not even micro-scratches, which actually always occur. Samsung also promises that it is a very scratch-resistant glass. The predecessor still used Corning Gorilla Glass DX+. Neither I nor a colleague who has been using the watch for a long time could notice any scratches. The new generation is supposed to be even more robust.
Exclusive features for the Pro model
Samsung's Galaxy Watch 5 Pro runs Wear OS 3.5 and has access to the Google Play Store and thus an extremely large number of apps. There are also Google apps like Maps or YouTube Music and some additional apps that Samsung has installed. These primarily include the Health app, which you can use to monitor your body or track your workouts. Hardly anything has changed.
It is a pity that you still need a Samsung phone to take an ECG or measure the blood pressure. This is not possible with every Android phone, which slightly restricts the use. I would wish for a bit more openness from Samsung here.
Only with the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, you get some exclusive features that no other Samsung watch has:
- Training routes in GPX format can be loaded onto the watch and used
- With the track back function you can get back to the starting point
- It all works with turn-by-turn navigation
Of course, you can also use Google Maps and get a similar range of functions. Cycling with the smartwatch was fun. Not only was I able to track my route and analyze my values, but I was also able to navigate directly on the smartwatch without having to worry that the battery would run out right away. Other smartwatches run out of steam much too quickly during sports. Samsung definitely made the right decision by installing a large battery.
No difference in performance
From a purely technical point of view, the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro is a Galaxy Watch 4, since Samsung did not change the processor. The performance of the watch is very high with Wear OS 3.5. There are very rare delays, but overall I could use the smartwatch smoothly. The internal storage makes the smartwatch independent of the smartphone. You can store music on the watch and connect wireless headphones directly to it. Thus, you do not always have to carry the smartphone with you during sports.
Battery life is finally good
The biggest advantage of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro is the battery life. The 590 mAh battery doubles the battery runtime in normal use. When I use the smartwatch with moderate restraint, I can easily achieve three to four days. I did not come close to two days with the predecessor. If I use the GPS tracking during sports and the sensors, the runtime drops significantly. Nevertheless, I always easily managed more than two days. And there were also longer bike rides on the weekend.
The charging speed is supposed to be much faster in the new generation. It is, but the large battery ensures that the charge still takes a relatively long time. I would have hoped for something more. I often charged at 20% or a bit less because I would not have been able to last the day. And charging on a 25 watt fast charger from Samsung takes well over an hour. That's okay, but not really impressive. The USB-C port is pleasing. The predecessor still had a USB-A port.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro: Rating
| Category | Rating (max. 10) |
| Sustainability | 8 |
| Design and processing | 8 |
| Display | 10 |
| Comfort and operation | 8 |
| Software | 8 |
| Fitness-Mode: | 9 |
| Battery | 9 |
| In total | 8.5 |
Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro in the test: conclusion
Rating: 8.5 / 10
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro impressed me in the test. It has a great display, a huge range of functions, a long battery life and a very high-quality build. Thanks to Wear OS, you can basically use the watch with any Android smartphone, but you have to accept some restrictions in the range of functions. The watch is ideal for you if you own a Samsung phone.
Visually, I would have preferred a physical bezel like on the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic, but the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro looks pretty good as is. The new wristband is certainly not perfect, but it can be replaced if necessary. Otherwise, Samsung has managed the smartwatch very well. The price of 469 Euros and up is very high, but it will drop over time, as was the case with the predecessors. And that is when the smartwatch becomes even more interesting.
Advantages:
- ✅ Battery life
- ✅ Display
- ✅ Sensors
- ✅ Build quality
- ✅ Update warranty
Disadvantages:
- ❌ Armband
- ❌ Software constraint
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