This is a real workhorse watch and well worth the $799 retail that JB Hi Fi and The Good Guys have on this device. Once you have accepted the design and the colour, I am confident that you will find the software is well designed and highly functional.
For me, the standout is the medical information functionality, it's accurate and delivers a lot of satisfaction. Just don't measure yourself when you are running late for an aircraft because it's deadly accurate and the dot appearing deep down in the red zone raised the question of what's next.
As soon as I sat down on my aircraft seat I was back in the green zone and my heart rate was back to normal.
I would have liked to have got access to Google Wallet and have a bezel for rotation management, apart from that this device is seriously an okay device that is well worth buying.
One thing that Samsung can’t tell you is that their new Galaxy Watch 5 Pro could save you money on medical bills or even save your life one day, especially if you have an ongoing medical condition such as a stent heart palpitation or are concerned that the stress levels your body can take when exercising.
That’s because their new Galaxy Watch 5 Pro comes, with a built-in stress manager, EPG, blood pressure capability and if that is not enough you can also check your heart rate as well as your Oxygen intake.
During my review I found that their information output was on par with the equipment that my doctor uses to pressure such activities as blood pressure.
A new name for the device could easily be the ‘Preventable” with the underlying technology a good reason to engage in regularly if not daily checks of one’s health which over time could improve your health period, especially if you can prevent a problem with a series of simple daily checks.
While you get a lot of other features that are found in most smart watches today such as sports activities measurement, the new Samsung Watch 5 Pro is seriously up there with some of the best devices in the market today including the latest Apple watch.
While the Watch 5 may not look as if little has changed from the previous Watch 4 on the outside, there are some neat new colours wrapped around this device, what is really new is new software and the inclusion of a new processor that sets this device apart making it a worthwhile purchase.
Under the bonnet is Google’s new Wear OS 3 while on the outside you have the choice new colours Silver Pink and Gold to supplement the Graphite and Sapphire which were among last year’s colours.
My favourite is the blue band with the blue coloured Samsung watch casing, it not only looks stylish and sporty but could still be worn in a business environment with jeans sweater or shirt.
While this device has a 45mm case that measures 15mm thick and weighs 44 grams it is acceptable especially as Samsung has introduced a new magnetic lock watch band with a deployant clasp which Samsung calls the D-buckle.
This band carries the weight and form factor well and I was able to go for several hours wearing this watch without really noticing it on my wrist.
Described as a multisport GPS watch I found that it was excellent for more than measuring sporting or walking activities.
When I had to catch a train to a trade show in Berlin recently, the times of the train and directions to various platforms were easily transferred from Google Maps to the watch including walking distance and the time the train would be arriving at the platform.
Right from the start this smartwatch is not about multisport fitness it’s more a great all-rounder watch for mapping, sports and health management and obtaining information quickly, it’s dressy for the office and the fact it can deliver such vital medical information makes it an exceptional device if what you are after is a watch that can deliver a multitude of information capabilities.
During my recent trip to Berlin and Singapore I used the device extensively to navigate around a public transport system, obtain mapping information while walking up to 21 kilometres a day around a massive trade show.
The Pro houses a 590mAh battery, which is the largest on any of the Galaxy Watch 5 series and it seriously delivered with the watch only sucking in 25% power use during a full day of use. In fact, I easily got three days of use before the screen started to dim.
One thing I did was disable certain notifications and the “Hey Google” app more so because I did not need to be bombarded with information.
You must remember Battery life is down to how you set up the device and while Google is trying to push information to the screen, you can disable a lot of those battery sucking features which nine times out of ten you don’t need.
One thing I missed with the new Watch 5 was the rotating bezel, and with this device housing two buttons on the right-hand side, the display is bright and sharp, and information is quickly sent to the Samsung Health app. For example, I was able to compare several EPG readings and what was interesting was it identified that I had a Sinus problem which was 100% accurate.
As for apps there is an abundance of choice from Spotify to YouTube and if you want you can pay $5.00 a month to Telstra and get mobile connectivity to the phone for tap and go payment functionality etc.
Personally, I still prefer to use my phone for financial transactions.
The relationship between a Samsung phone and the Watch 5 Pro works well and that’s not surprising though users do have to use Samsung Pay over Google Wallet which I use on my Android 12 Samsung mobile.
Like the Suunto watches this device delivers turn-by-turn route navigation and track back which is an ideal feature for exercise users spanning cyclists or walkers.
Runners appear not to have made the software cut.
Another feature is a sleep activation mode. This is designed to help you sleep better but as this entailed setting it up over a week to two weeks of measurement I gave up because I was sleeping on aircraft or in a hotel bed most of the time during my review period.
This is a real workhorse watch and well worth the $799 retail that JB Hi Fi and The Good Guys have on this device. Once you have accepted the design and the colour, I am confident that you will find the software is well designed and highly functional.
This is a real workhorse watch and well worth the $799 retail that JB Hi Fi and The Good Guys have on this device. Once you have accepted the design and the colour, I am confident that you will find the software is well designed and highly functional.
For me, the standout is the medical information functionality, it's accurate and delivers a lot of satisfaction. Just don't measure yourself when you are running late for an aircraft because it's deadly accurate and the dot appearing deep down in the red zone raised the question of what's next.
As soon as I sat down on my aircraft seat I was back in the green zone and my heart rate was back to normal.
I would have liked to have got access to Google Wallet and have a bezel for rotation management, apart from that this device is seriously an okay device that is well worth buying.