Apple Watch Series 5 full review: the best, but not worth upgrade if you have Series 4 watch already

Last year’s Apple Watch Series 4 was a major hardware improvement over the Series 3 — it pulled off the rare feat of shedding bulk while increasing screen size, and to boot introduced a life-saving sensor that track heart rhythm.

This year’s Series 5, by contrast, doesn’t bring nearly as many changes and upgrades from the Series 4 watch. So is the Series 5 worth upgrading to? Here’s my review after a week of use.

Design and hardware

Very little has changed in terms of the Apple Watch’s look and feel. It’s still a rectangle, with either a 40- or 44mm OLED screen making up most of its “face”, and a sleek chassis. It still has a digital crown you can rotate and press, along with an additional button, both on the right side of the watch. The sensors for heart rate and rhythm are there. Even the processor is the same.

Here’s what’s new: titanium and ceramic chassis, in addition to the stainless steel and aluminum options available previously, a digital compass, and an “always on display” that allows users to check the time without needing to wake the screen by tapping it or making an exaggerated wrist movement.

The breakthrough here is that Apple managed to add always-on functionality without reducing the watch’s battery life, thanks to an intelligent OLED panel that slows the refresh rate to a near halt when the Watch does not sense movement.

Software and features

Features new to WatchOS 6 include a standalone app store that allows users to add apps without going through their iPhone; menstrual cycle tracking for women; a calculator app; and a couple of new watch faces.

Performance and battery life

Let’s address battery life first, as it is the only weak point of the Apple Watch. Apple says the Series 5 can last about a day and a half on a single charge, which means you still have to charge the Watch every single night if you plan on wearing it all day. Its battery life is poor relative to competing products. Fitbit’s Versa 2, for example, can last five days on a single charge, and Samsung’s Galaxy Watch can last at least two days.

Still, neither watch is nearly as capable as the Apple Watch, whose operating system is significantly superior to Samsung’s Tizen, Fitbit’s FitbitOS, or Google’s WearOS.

Apple’s Watch is still in a class of its own as an interface between the user and their phone. I can trigger its digital assistant, Siri, simply by bringing the Watch to my face, or saying “Hey Siri” loudly, then ask questions or set reminders by voice. I can respond to WhatsApp or WeChat messages with similar ease via voice or by scribbling letters on the Watch’s screen. It is not nearly as easy to respond to messages or command digital assistants on competing smartwatches.

I turned off the “always-on display” after two days – I didn’t like the fact that my screen was always visible to people sitting around me, especially in dim settings such as cinemas.

Conclusion

In my review of the Series 4 last year, I wrote that the improvements made it “nearly flawless”, and by far the best smartwatch on the market. That is still true of the Series 5. But ultimately, this is a minor update over last year’s model, and I find it very hard to recommend any Series 4 owners upgrade.

However, for Apple Watch users who didn’t upgrade to the Series 4, or for those considering their first Apple Watch, the Series 5 is absolutely the best smartwatch on the market.