The Apple Watch Series 5 is in the market for almost 7 months now. This beautiful and elegant timepiece is one of the best gadgets that Apple has produced so far.
Yes, with upgraded hardware and new features introduced by Apple, the Apple watch series 5 is definitely worth it if you are using Series 3 or lower. Always-ON display and better performance on new watchOS is also worth mentioning here.
I have been using Apple Watch from the time when the 1st Apple watch was introduced but I don’t upgrade regularly every year. The last one I had was Series 3 so Series 5 was definitely an upgrade and the difference in look and performance is remarkable. Let’s quickly check the features of the Apple Watch Series 5.
How is it different from the Previous Series?
Apple has discontinued the Series 4 after the launch of Series 5 but continues to sell Series 3. If you own a Series 4, there is not much difference in design and performance but an upgrade in the technical aspect and introduction of new casings in Series 5 are worth exploring. As Series 4 is discontinued, so I will include Series 3 in comparison as well.
Always-ON display: Series 5 has an Always ON display which was missing from Series 3 and 4. Always On Display is a nice feature to have as it doesn’t require you to move your wrist up to see the display. The watch face gets dim when the watch is not active and it conserves battery usage as well. Apple claims that it gives the same 18 hrs of battery life with this new feature. Also worth noting, that the displays on Series 4 and 5 are 30 percent larger than Series 3.
Both series 4 and series 5 use special kind of OLED display, a low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (LTPO) display. It is a special kind of backplane technology designed for OLED screens and developed by Apple. Series 3 has Second-generation Retina OLED without LTPO
Built-in Compass: Apple has introduced a built-in compass and Compass Application in Series 5. This feature was not available in any previous Series of Apple Watch. You can also add a compass to certain watch faces.
More Internal Storage: The Apple Watch Series 5 comes with 32GB of internal storage capacity which is twice what is available in Series 3 and 4.
Also Read: Comparison of iPhone 11 Pro Max And Samsung S20 Ultra 5G
You can check an in-depth comparison between Apple Watch Series 3, 4 and 5 below (Source: https://www.gsmarena.com)
 Apple Watch Series 5 |  Apple Watch Series 4 |  Apple Watch Series 3 |
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| NETWORK | Technology | GSM / HSPA / LTE | GSM / HSPA / LTE | GSM / HSPA / LTE |
| 2G bands | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 | |
| 3G Network | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 2100 / 800 - Europe, Australia HSDPA 850 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 800 - USA, LATAM, Canada HSDPA 2100 - China | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 2100 / 800 - Europe, Australia (A1891) HSDPA 850 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 800 - USA, LATAM, Canada (A1861) HSDPA 2100 - China (A1892) |
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| 4G Network | LTE band 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(1700/2100), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 18(800), 19(800), 20(800), 25(1900), 26(850), 39(1900), 40(2300), 41(2500), 66(1700/2100) - Global LTE band 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(1700/2100), 5(850), 7(2600), 12(700), 13(700), 17(700), 18(800), 19(800), 25(1900), 26(850), 39(1900), 40(2300), 41(2500), 66(1700/2100) - USA, LATAM, Canada | LTE band 1(2100), 3(1800), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 18(800), 19(800), 20(800), 26(850) - Europe, Australia LTE band 2(1900), 4(1700/2100), 5(850), 12(700), 13(700), 17(700), 18(800), 19(800), 25(1900), 26(850), 41(2500) - USA, LATAM, Canada LTE band 1(2100), 3(1800), 39(1900), 40(2300), 41(2500) - China | LTE band 1(2100), 3(1800), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 18(800), 19(800), 20(800), 26(850) - Europe, Australia (A1891) LTE band 2(1900), 4(1700/2100), 5(850), 12(700), 13(700), 17(700), 18(800), 19(800), 25(1900), 26(850), 41(2500) - USA, LATAM, Canada (A1861) LTE band 1(2100), 3(1800), 39(1900), 40(2300), 41(2500) - China (A1892) |
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| Speed | HSPA, LTE | HSPA, LTE | HSPA, LTE | |
| BODY | Dimensions | 44 x 38 x 10.7 mm (1.73 x 1.50 x 0.42 in) | 44 x 38 x 10.7 mm (1.73 x 1.50 x 0.42 in) | 42.5 x 36.4 x 11.4 mm (1.67 x 1.43 x 0.45 in) |
| Weight | 47.8 g (1.69 oz) | 48 g (1.69 oz) | 52.8 g (1.87 oz) | |
| Build | Glass front (Sapphire crystal), ceramic/sapphire crystal back, stainless steel frame | Glass front (Sapphire crystal), ceramic/sapphire crystal back, stainless steel frame | Glass front (Sapphire crystal), ceramic/sapphire crystal back, stainless steel frame | |
| SIM | eSIM | eSIM | eSIM | |
| Water Resistant | 50m water resistant ECG certified (region dependent SW application; HW available on all models) | 50m water resistant ECG certified (region dependent SW application; HW available on all models) | 50m water resistant | |
| DISPLAY | Type | LTPO OLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors | LTPO OLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors | OLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors |
| Size | 1.78 inches, 10.0 cm2 (~60.0% screen-to-body ratio) | 1.78 inches, 10.0 cm2 (~60.0% screen-to-body ratio) | 1.65 inches, 8.6 cm2 (~55.4% screen-to-body ratio) | |
| Resolution | 448 x 368 pixels (~326 ppi density) | 448 x 368 pixels (~326 ppi density) | 390 x 312 pixels (~303 ppi density) | |
| Protection | Sapphire crystal glass | Sapphire crystal glass | Sapphire crystal glass | |
| 3D Touch display 1000 nits max brightness (advertised) Always-on display | 3D Touch display 1000 nits max brightness (advertised) | 3D Touch display 1000 nits max brightness (advertised) |
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| PLATFORM | Chipset | Apple S5 | Apple S4 | Apple S3 |
| CPU | 64-bit dual-core processor; W3 wireless chip | 64-bit dual-core processor; W3 wireless chip | S3 with dual-core processor; W2 wireless chip | |
| GPU | PowerVR | PowerVR | PowerVR |
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| MEMORY | Internal | 32GB | 16GB | 16GB |
| COMMS | WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n | Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n | Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n |
| Bluetooth | 5.0, A2DP, LE | 5.0, A2DP, LE | 4.2, A2DP, LE | |
| GPS | Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS | Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS | Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS | |
| NFC | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| FEATURES | Sensors | Accelerometer, gyro, heart rate (2nd gen), barometer, compass | Accelerometer, gyro, heart rate (2nd gen), barometer | Accelerometer, gyro, heart rate, barometer |
| Natural language commands and dictation (talking mode) | Natural language commands and dictation (talking mode) | Natural language commands and dictation (talking mode) | ||
| BATTERY | Stand-by | Up to 18 h (mixed usage) | Up to 18 h (mixed usage) | Up to 18 h (mixed usage) |
What’s new in watchOS 6
Apple started to rollout watchOS 6 in September 2019. Here are some of the new features available after updating your watch to watchOS 6.
Source: www.apple.com
App Store on Apple Watch: With watchOS 6 you can browse and download watch apps directly on your wrist with the App Store app on your Apple Watch
Listen to audiobooks: Audiobooks are now available on Apple Watch, and they’re easy to enjoy when you’re on the go. The next five hours of the audiobook you’re currently reading is synced to Apple Watch so it’s ready to play, even when you’ve left your iPhone behind.
Check your activity progress over time: Apple Watch is great for snapshot activity tracking, but WatchOS 6 makes it even better, offering access to all the other data your Watch captures without you perhaps realising. The new software introduces a new Trends feature that shows whether a metric is heading up or down, from VO2 Max to walking pace. Trends compares your latest 90-day averages to longer-term performances over a year to see how you’re doing. If you’re slacking, you’ll get coaching suggestions to get you back on track.
Hearing health: The Noise app measures the ambient sounds in your environment and can display a notification when sound levels may affect your hearing
More watch faces: Perhaps one of the more unsurprising new features, WatchOS 6 brings several new watch faces. There are several options, from fashionable to practical, such as one similar to Infographics but with a solid colour in the middle. New complications also offer instant access to more apps and features with a tap, such as decibel labels, signal strength and weather information. In terms of time, you can set a chime to ring in a new hour or hold two fingers on your watch face to hear the time out loud.
Making calculations: With the new Calculator app, add, subtract, multiply, and divide right on Apple Watch.
Voice Memos: Turn your Apple Watch into a wrist-worn audio recorder that you can use to capture personal notes
Cycle Tracking: Use the Cycle Tracking app to log daily information about your menstrual cycle.
Redesigned Reminders: Add new reminders, get proactive suggestions based on tasks you routinely perform and view shared lists, subtasks, and attachments
Animoji and Memoji support: You can now add Animoji and Memoji stickers to messages sent from your Apple Watch
The latest version watchOS6.2.1 is recently released that included bug fixes and performance improvements
Comparison with Other Smart Watches
The comparison of Apple Watch with other Android Smartwatches seem unjust, mainly because of different iOS and compatibility.
The Apple watch can work only with iPhone so all comes down to user preference of phone and OS
Just for the sake of information, I am including a comparison with the Best Smartwatches from Samsung and Huawei. Both Samsung Galaxy Watch Active2 and Huawei Watch GT2 were released around the same time as Series 5. The latest version of Huawei Watch GT2e is expected to release later this month.
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| NETWORK | Technology | GSM / HSPA / LTE | GSM / HSPA / LTE | No cellular connectivity |
| BODY | Dimensions | 44 x 38 x 10.7 mm (1.73 x 1.50 x 0.42 in) | 44 x 44 x 10.9 mm (1.73 x 1.73 x 0.43 in) | 45.9 x 45.9 x 10.7 mm (1.81 x 1.81 x 0.42 in) |
| Weight | 47.8 g (1.69 oz) | 42 g (1.48 oz) | 41 g (1.45 oz) | |
| Build | Glass front (Sapphire crystal), ceramic/sapphire crystal back, stainless steel frame | Glass front (Gorilla Glass DX+), stainless steel frame 316L | Glass front, ceramic back, stainless steel frame | |
| SIM | eSIM | eSIM | No | |
| DISPLAY | Type | LTPO OLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors | Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors | OLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors |
| Size | 1.78 inches, 10.0 cm2 (~60.0% screen-to-body ratio) | 1.4 inches, 6.3 cm2 (~32.7% screen-to-body ratio) | 1.39 inches, 12.5 cm2 (~59.4% screen-to-body ratio) | |
| Resolution | 448 x 368 pixels (~326 ppi density) | 360 x 360 pixels, 1:1 ratio (~364 ppi density) | 454 x 454 pixels, 1:1 ratio (~326 ppi density) | |
| Protection | Sapphire crystal glass | Corning Gorilla Glass DX+ | ||
| 3D Touch display 1000 nits max brightness (advertised) Always-on display | Always-on display | |||
| MEMORY | Internal | 32GB | 4GB | 4GB |
| SOUND | Loudspeaker | Yes | Yes | No |
| COMMS | WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n | Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n | No |
| Bluetooth | 5.0, A2DP, LE | 5.0, A2DP, LE | 5.1, LE, EDR | |
| GPS | Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS | Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS | Yes, with GLONASS, GALILEO | |
| NFC | Yes | Yes | Yes (In China Only) | |
| FEATURES | Sensors | Accelerometer, gyro, heart rate (2nd gen), barometer, compass Natural language commands and dictation (talking mode) | Accelerometer, gyro, heart rate, barometer Natural language commands and dictation | Accelerometer, gyro, heart rate, barometer, compass |
Conclusion
If you are upgrading from Series 3 or older, then you need to consider upgrading to Series 5 as there is a noticeable difference in design and features. Also, 40mm and 44mm case sizes were only introduced in Series 4 and 5.
If you are currently using Series 4, the always-on display feature in Series 5 will significantly change how you use the Apple Watch. The introduction of ceramic or titanium materials in Apple Watch Series 5 also gives a different feel to the watch.
So yes, it is worth upgrading to Apple Watch Series 5. What is your decision? Are you going for an upgrade? Leave a Comment below 🙂
Sources:
www.macworld.com
www.pocket-lint.com
www.gsmarena.com
www.digitaltrends.com
www.businessinsider.com
www.9to5mac.com
www.apple.com
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