After you read my re-review of the Apple Watch Series 3 at its new Fitbit-killing price, dig into the just-released early reviews of the brand new Apple Watch Series 5. This year’s hardware builds on the success of Apple Watch Series 4, touting a new always-on display and built-in compass. Here’s what the reviewers are saying:
Always-on display and battery life
The Verge jumps right in with the biggest new feature this year: always-on display. So how it is? Here’s Dieter Bohn’s take:
And in terms of battery life, Dieter says Apple Watch Series 5 lives up to its claim of maintaining enough to get through one day:
I love the always-on screen on the Series 5. Apple’s implementation is better than other smartwatches I’ve used for two reasons: it legitimately doesn’t hurt the battery life as much, and Apple keeps a little color visible in ambient mode.
For whatever reason, I’ve never been able to get earlier Apple Watches to show their screens with subtle wrist movements. I’ve always had to cartoonishly raise my arm. An always-on screen means I am a little bit less of a jerk in conversations and meetings.
John Gruber at Daring Fireball likens the importance of the new always-on screen to the iPhone 4’s high-resolution display:
And Brian Heater at TechCrunch puts numbers to the battery life test using the new always-on display:
I’d have placed an order for a Series 5 watch even if Apple had put up a slide that said “Just one new feature: Always-on display.”
What about the battery life experience with always-on display turned off in Apple Watch Series 5? Nicole Nguyen at Buzzfeed has this to say:
There’s even an excellent chart to show battery life with various activities like working out.
Another (positive) side effect of the always-on display is that, when the feature is turned off, there are significant battery gains. Apple claims its latest watch’s battery life is 18 hours, which my testing found to be true. With always-on disabled, the battery lasted over 21 hours (with sleep tracking!) and was still at 43% when I woke up the next day.
For the best look at how each watch face responds to the new always-on display modes, see Rene Ritchie’s iMore video review:
Built-in Compass
The less visible upgrade this year is inside with the newly built-in compass, and Patrick O’Rourke at Mobile Syrup summarizes the benefits:
The new sensor will benefit other apps too, not just Maps, although TechCrunch explains that apps will need to be updated to adopt features (like this one shared at the keynote):
Further, elevation data is utilized during workouts, which is particularly useful when hiking, running or riding a bike.
Improved walking directions alone should make the compass useful however.
Emergency Calling
Apple Watch Series 5 also touts the ability to make emergency calls in countries beyond where you bought your watch. For example, if you’re traveling abroad from the US, the watch can know to call the 911 equivalent, something that was limited on previous models.
That feature requires a trip to another country, however, but Lauren Goode at Wired does mention its inclusion:
Materials
Apple Watch Series 5 is still a watch after all, and watches play a role in fashion. That’s why Apple has introduced two new titanium finishes and the return of ceramic this year.
Speaking of chips, the Apple Watch Series 5 has the same performance specs as the smartwatch before it. It technically has a new SIP—that’s system in a package—because Apple has added the sensors needed to power a digital compass on the watch, plus a modem that supports international emergency calling. But the processor speeds are the same as last year’s, a surprise from a company that boasts about its mobile chip innovation almost annually.
I wasn’t able to test the brand-new international emergency calling feature. My editors did not approve a last-minute trip to Mexico, if you can believe it. But I did use the smartwatch to make phone calls independent of my actual phone. I didn’t experience any glitches when I walked out of the office and initiated phone calls—a scenario that caused issues in the earliest days of cellular Apple watches because of the handoff from Wi-Fi networks to cellular—and calls sounded great, for a smartwatch. My mom, my main phone-call squeeze, agreed.
Stephen Pulvirent at Hodinkee has his experience with the new case material to share:
His analysis goes on to ask the question about the role of premium case materials in smartwatches:
Hodinkee’s video (below) also shows that the Apple Watch Edition has its own version of white as a unique color option.
Conclusions
Apple Watch Series 5 reviews generally reach the same conclusion so far: the always-on display is a big deal, and Apple Watch generally maintains promised 18-hour battery life. To quote Patrick at Mobile Syrup one more time: It finally feels like a regular watch.
