Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 review

If you've been on the lookout for the best smartwatch, you will probably already have come across the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5. Bursting with features such as an advanced fitness tracker, advanced sleep monitoring and 44mm touchscreen, there's a lot to like about this slick and responsive release. But how does the Galaxy Watch 5 fair in everyday life? We put it to the test.

Key features

Smart exercise

Supporting over 90 exercises that you can track from your watch, the built-in counter will keep track of your steps so you can measure how far you’ve gone in a day while the onboard heart rate monitor helps you work on your cardio.

Handy health tools

Samsung Health provides insight into what you personally need more of to be the healthiest version of you. Whether it's body fat, ECG, blood oxygen level tracking or blood pressure measurements, you’ll know exactly where you stand.

Sleep tracking

Samsung's improved sleep tracking technology helps you get to really know your sleep. You'll be able to detect snoring and understand and track your sleep stages (awake, light, deep, REM) via 8 animal sleep symbols representing your sleep type.

Testing the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5

When I received the product, I was pleased to see that it was presented in the usual crisp, clean fashion that you usually get with Samsung products. The watch itself is beautifully designed and whilst it is chunky enough that you know it’s there, it does hang off your wrist like a 10KG kettlebell!

I opted for the graphite strap which blends nicely with the matte black bezel and complements the shimmering black glass watch face. The strap is very flexible and it is easy to adjust how snug the watch sits on your wrist. I have found the strap to be very comfortable although I do notice at times that the strap rubs and marks the outer edge of my wrist when I wear it extra tight during a run or when sleeping but not enough to cause any significant discomfort.

I am also very impressed with the sapphire crystal display which has held its own against the constant knocks and scrapes that I have subjected the watch face to over the last couple of months; it looks as good as it did on day 1 after I satisfyingly peeled off the plastic protector!

As a keen runner and regular gym goer, I was eager to see how the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 held up to my active lifestyle. For running, this watch is definitely a winner! Linked with a pair of headphones you can receive regular updates on heart rate, pace, distance and time during your run and once you have finished your run you can access oodles of data via the Samsung Health app including cadence, elevation, Vo2 max, sweat loss and other advanced running metrics.

I was also really impressed with the performance of the Galaxy Watch 5 when I climbed Scafell Pike recently. It accurately plotted the route that I took up and down the mountain and kept me updated on changing weather conditions during my ascent.

Alongside measuring and monitoring your physical activity, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 has some brilliant features that enable you to monitor your health and wellbeing including sleep, body composition, ECG recording and blood pressure monitoring capabilities.

As someone who struggles with sleep, I have found the nightly sleep score to be very insightful. The watch monitors the length of time that you spend in each stage of sleep and also records your blood oxygen level across the duration of your shut-eye.

The watch also has the capability of conducting a full body scan in less than 30 seconds which I have found to be accurate when compared to results I have had from the larger body scanner machine at my local gym. The scan measures your muscle, body fat and water which is great data to have access to when bodybuilding or dieting.

The other feature that I have used a lot since owning this watch has been the stress measurement and breathing exercises that you can do anywhere at any time. We all have those moments of stress that sneak up on us during the day and with the Galaxy 5 Watch you can take a few seconds to complete a guided breathing exercise which you are guided through with a gentle vibration to prompt inhales and exhales. Before you know it, you are hooked on making sure that the stress chart on your wrist stays in the green!

Final thoughts

So, would I recommend the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5? I have really enjoyed using this watch and it has nicely integrated itself into my day-to-day. It really does everything that I need it to do from a health and fitness perspective and I like that it has more specific capabilities such as ECG and blood pressure monitoring that I can tap into if I want in the future.

The only thing that I have found to be slightly frustrating is the battery life. The battery during normal use will last maybe 2 days but I will say that it only takes less than 60 minutes to charge back up which is very impressive and convenient. The downside here is that you need to give a bit more consideration to when you charge your watch if you want to monitor regular activity and also get accurate and consistent sleep scores.

Because the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 boasts so many features it does come at a relatively high price point for the Smart Watch market at £289. If you are looking for a watch that comes at a lower price point and has a longer battery life then I would recommend the Fitbit Versa 4 although this does not have some of the features that the Galaxy Watch 5 has and in my opinion, does not look as attractive to wear.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 is a beautiful product and if you already own other Galaxy products then you will not be disappointed. Apart from the battery, there is nothing significant about this watch that I do not like and whilst I look forward to seeing what Samsung have to offer in the future, for now, I am set with the Galaxy Watch 5 which is having a genuinely positive impact on how I manage my health, fitness and wellbeing.