Tech Review: Samsung Galaxy Watch5

Samsung Galaxy Watch5

Bad news first. The Galaxy Watch5’s battery lasts 24 hours before it stops ticking. I wear a 15-year-old analogue watch and can’t remember when I last changed the battery – 2020, I think – so the future doesn’t entirely smell of roses. Dubious battery aside, the Watch5 is a fine digital companion. Set up is easy: instantaneous. The watch connects with your smartphone, issuing pulses on your wrist like digital kisses.

You can receive and make calls from the watch, even when it’s not connected to a phone. Downloaded companion apps pop up on both devices and you can take screenshots from the watch and view them on your phone. If you have a Samsung phone, you can use the watch as the camera’s viewfinder and a remote shutter (not for other makes). Samsung’s Health app won’t work without a Samsung phone either.

The watch corresponds with any Android device to inform you of irregular heartbeats, body fat and skeletal muscle. The in-depth sleep app measures stuff like sleep stages, snoring, and scores you on your snoozing. This stuff is a bit snake-oil – some neurologists suggest sleep apps are counterproductive and can cause anxiety and insomnia.

Fortunately, you won’t lose any sleep over the watch’s design. It’s a comfortable fit with a panoply of home screen clock motifs. Double press the Home key to revert to recently used apps, swipe right for notifications, swipe up for the app library. Use gestures to answer or decline calls. Galaxy Watch5 has fantastic accoutrements for fitness fanatics – the swimming app is a joy – but such devices may not be for everyone. Do we really need bioactive sensors and skin-temperature readers to get through the day?

In the end, I thought it best for my blood pressure to stick with my vintage timepiece.

5/10