Not only did Samsung announce its flagship phones for late 2022, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Z Flip 4, but we also introduced a brand new smartwatch.
Last year’s Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic brought a fundamental shift in Samsung’s wearable strategy, as the company ditched Tizen after partnering with Google on the new Wear OS 3. This gives users access to more apps through the Play Store, while also introducing the company’s new Bioelectric Impedance Analysis (BIA) sensor.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 vs Galaxy Watch 4: What’s the Same
As soon as you take a look at the Galaxy Watch 5, it’s clear that Samsung has decided to take a “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” approach. Compared to the Galaxy Watch 4, you might even have a hard time telling the two apart.
The Galaxy Watch 5 is available in two different case sizes; 40mm and 44mm, while displaying the same size, 1.19 inches for the former and 1.36 inches for the latter. Even the two generations of smartwatches are the same size, which is great if you’re concerned that Samsung is trying to shake things up with the Watch 5.
Under the hood, things are about the same, as Samsung continues to use its Exynos W920 chip paired with 1.5GB of RAM and 16GB of onboard storage. In terms of navigation, you’ll find two buttons on the right side of the case, while Samsung’s unique digital bezel makes a return for the standard Watch 5 once again. This gives you the ability to scroll, essentially acting as a digital crown without the need for a physical crown.
When it comes to health and fitness tracking, both the Galaxy Watch 5 and Galaxy Watch 4 have many of the same sensors. These include Samsung’s Bio-Impedance Analysis (BIA) sensor, which captures over 2,400 data points, providing the ability to check your body composition directly from your wrist. Then, we have other sensors like built-in ECG and optical heart rate, and the ones found in almost all the best fitness smartwatches for activity and step tracking.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 vs Galaxy Watch 4: What’s changed
On the surface, you’d be hard-pressed to notice any physical differences between the Galaxy Watch 5 and Galaxy Watch 4. The most obvious difference is definitely the color options, as Samsung is ditching the green and black options for the Watch 5. Instead, those opting for the 40mm version can choose between Boa Purple, Graphite and Pink Gold. If you choose the larger 44mm model, you can choose from sapphire, silver and graphite.
While the Watch 5 may look and physically identical to the Watch 4, Samsung did make a major upgrade to the display glass in use. Last year’s iteration used Corning Gorilla Glass with DX+, which was designed to be as close to sapphire as possible.
With the Watch 5, Samsung went all out to bring sapphire glass to its latest smartwatch. According to Samsung, the upgrade makes the Watch 5s’ glass about 1.6 times stronger than its predecessor.
The next big difference between these two smartwatches is battery life. Somehow, Samsung managed to fit a bigger battery into the Watch 5, using a 284mAh battery on the 40mm model and a 410mAh battery on the 44mm model.
Fast charging has also been improved, as the Watch 5 is able to reach 45 percent battery life in just 30 minutes. To accompany the new advanced sleep tracking feature, Samsung claims the Galaxy Watch 5 offers 8 hours of sleep tracking on just an 8-minute charge.
Arguably the biggest new feature in the Galaxy Watch 5 lineup is an all-new body temperature sensor. This feature has long been rumored to be coming, and now it’s finally here. While this isn’t a new feature in the smartwatch market, this is the first time we’ve seen a Samsung smartwatch include it. But contrary to other options, Samsung is using an infrared temperature sensor designed to provide more accurate results.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 vs Galaxy Watch 4: Should you upgrade?
Not only does the Watch 5 offer an extra 10 hours of battery life, it’s incredible to get 8 hours of sleep tracking on a charge of less than 10 minutes. Unlike Bluetooth 5.0 in the Watch 4, it also includes Bluetooth 5.2 for a more reliable and stable connection to your phone. Also, you will enjoy having a more durable smartwatch thanks to the sapphire crystal glass.
But if you care a little bit about fitness tracking, the Watch 5 knocks it out. Samsung continued to use its excellent BIA sensor, but redesigned the bottom of the watch to provide more reliable readings. And the added skin temperature sensor is just the icing on the cake.
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