The Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro takes aim at the Garmin watches, even though it really shouldn’t. Despite being the first Galaxy Watch of its kind, the 5 Pro is not really one of the best GPS watches for outdoor athletes. Instead, compared to the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5, the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro has a more rugged design, a few GPS tools, and longer battery life. Yes, all things worth appreciating. These advantages make it a great everyday smartwatch, not just a sports watch. Some may lament the lack of a rotating bezel, but that’s what the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic is for.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro is something of a new design for Samsung. It doesn’t have a rotating bezel like last year’s Galaxy Watch 4 Classic, but it does offer a more premium alternative to the flagship Galaxy Watch. Looking at the two watches side-by-side, the biggest visual differences are the size and titanium case. The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro comes in a unique and very impressive 45mm size, with a case that is uniquely raised around the display.
[content-egg-block template=offers_logo hide=price]The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro is available in 2 colors: Black Titanium and Gray Titanium. This version of the watch also comes with what Samsung calls the D-Buckle Sport Band. It’s a sophisticated looking. The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro features Samsung’s 3-in-1 BioActive sensor as well as the new temperature analysis sensor. Looking at the back of the watch, you can see that the skin temperature sensor sits slightly off-center on the bottom of the Galaxy Watch’s case.
Like the Galaxy Watch 5, the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro also runs Wear OS from Samsung. Although this is the same basic smartwatch software from Google that is used on the Google Pixel Watch, Samsung overlays the experience with many of its in-house apps, watch faces and menus. The additional interface should also ensure that the smartwatch can effortlessly connect and sync with other Samsung devices in the same ecosystem.
The biggest advantage of Wear OS 3 smartwatches is that they can use Google services, namely Gmail, Google Maps and, more recently for Galaxy Watch devices, Google Assistant. The best smartwatches for Android have been somewhat disjointed over the years, but the unification of software, as is common with smartphones, should lead to a better collection of smartwatches on the market.