Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 vs. Watch 5 Pro: Cheap or chunky?
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The Galaxy Watch 5 is one of the easiest Android smartwatches to recommend thanks to its great performance, bright display, and solid battery life. It’s also available at a reasonable price and has support for software updates for years to come.
The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro features the same basic performance and features as the basic Galaxy Watch 5, but with a much larger display and a battery that can literally last for days. There are also some exclusive outdoor exercise features, so if you want the Galaxy Watch with the most to offer, this is it.
Even though the newerGalaxy Watch 6 seriesis available, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 and Watch 5 Pro still perform great and are a solid option for those looking to save a few dollars. Samsung gave us two different flavors to choose from: the smallerGalaxy Watch 5and the much largerGalaxy Watch 5 Pro. While both devices are very similar, the Watch 5 Pro has a bigger battery and some exclusive features you can’t find on the Watch 5. But which one comes out on top when you put them side-by-side? Should you go with the cheaper Galaxy Watch 5, or is the extra splurge of cash worth it for the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro’s exclusive features, bigger battery, and more durable casing? Let’s find out.
Price, availability, and specs
Despite being over a year old, Galaxy Watch 5 Pro still carries a ‘pro’ price tag, retailing at $450, with the LTE version costing an extra $50. The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro is substantially more expensive than the Galaxy Watch 5, which launched at $279, but is now regularly available for less. The 44mm Watch 5 variant retails for $310. If you’re comfortable with a pre-owned model, the Watch 5 Pro can be found for as little as $280, while the Watch 5 can be had for around $150. It’s a significant difference, and at this point in their lifecycles, it’s best to find a deal.
Both watches are available everywhere you’d expect to find them, including Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, and other retailers, as well as from Samsung itself. Here’s what these two devices look like side-by-side.
Hardware and design
The Galaxy Watch 5 is available in 40mm and 44m sizes, while the Pro model only comes in a 45mm casing. The Watch 5 design looks very similar to the Watch 4, but Samsung tweaked the underside’s curvature to ensure better contact with your wrist. The Watch 5’s case is made of aluminum; the Watch 5 Pro is titanium. Both watches use a sapphire crystal glass over the display, which is purportedly 1.6x times stronger than the glass used in the Galaxy Watch 4 series.
The more durable build makes the Watch 5 Pro heavier and thicker than the base model. The Watch 5 Pro is 46.5g and 10.5mm vs. the Watch 5’s 28.7g and 9.8mm thickness. Both smartwatches are IP68 + 5ATM certified, so you can wear them while swimming.
Unlike the Watch 5, the Watch 5 Pro uses a D-Buckle Sport Band, which we found a little fiddly. Like the Galaxy Watch 4 series, the entire Watch 5 lineup uses 20mm watch bands, so you may swap bands if the in-box band ends up too loose or too tight on your wrist.
The beefier design of the Watch 5 Pro means it might not be suitable for smaller wrists. Even the 40mm Watch 5 might feel too big for some with especially narrow wrists, as the in-box band with its sculpted ends can keep it from rotating enough for a proper fit. To alleviate that, swap to ahigh-quality 20mm watch strapwith flat ends. If you are not a fan of big and bulky watches, opt for the regular Galaxy Watch 5.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 and the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro have been updated to run on One UI Watch 5 based on Wear OS 4, which shares some similarities to the Tizen software that Samsung’s older Galaxy Watches ran while also enjoying access to the Play Store. There’s no difference between the general software experience, with Samsung supporting them for “up to four years after launch,” into 2026.
Health and fitness
Health sensors match across the entire Galaxy Watch 5 series as well. Both include an accelerometer, barometer, gyro sensor, geomagnetic sensor, and light sensor. Samsung’s BioActive Sensor also measures your heart rate, electrical heart signal, and body mass. The temperature sensor is a new addition to the Watch 5 series that was enabled after launch with a software update.
The sensors on the Galaxy Watch 5 will take your measurements with greater accuracy because they now have direct contact with your wrist over a larger surface area, which helps those with thin or narrow wrists.
Both watches can measure your heart rate and body composition and track your workouts, sleep cycle, and more. Plus, all the recorded data is synced to Samsung Health, where you can further analyze it. The only difference is that the Watch 5 Pro has some exclusive outdoor exercise features, like “find your way back” hiking guidance — a big get for certain users, but not very useful for most.
Battery life
Samsung claims the base-model Watch 5’s battery can last 50 hours on a single charge. That may be closer to true in the 44mm model, but the smaller 40mm version only manages about a day and a half of real-world use. The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, with its massive 590mAh cell, is in another league altogether. It has a 60% bigger battery than the Galaxy Watch 4, which Samsung claims can last up to 80 hours between charges. In our review, we found the Pro could make it through three days of casual use before needing a top-up. If you want a smartwatch with the best possible battery life, go for the Watch 5 Pro.
Besides bigger batteries, the Galaxy Watch 5 lineup also supports faster charging speeds, courtesy of a new USB-C charger. The company claims you can top off the cell to 45% in 30 minutes or get eight hours of sleep tracking after eight minutes of charge. For the Watch 5 Pro, a full charge takes a bit longer due to its large 590mAh battery.
Which is right for you?
The price difference between the Galaxy Watch and Watch 5 Pro gives you a more durable casing, a significantly longer battery life, and access to those exclusive outdoor exercise features we already mentioned. For some, these small improvements might make it hard to justify the extra cash you’ll be throwing down to get the Watch 5 Pro. So, unless those features are extremely important to you, the Galaxy Watch 5 makes the most sense as your next smartwatch purchase. The Watch 5 alone can last up to two days on a single charge if you baby it, and quick charging times mean you can top it off before heading out for the day if needed. If you’re just looking for acapable Android smartwatchat a fair price, this is probably your best bet.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 is a refined upgrade to the phenomenal Watch 4. Sapphire glass makes Samsung’s newest wearable more durable, and its larger battery makes it easier to get through the day without charging.
Overall, the Watch 5 Pro is bulkier, and while the larger battery does come in handy, the colors and sizes that you can pick up this pro-level watch in are very limited, with just one size and two color shades available compared to the multiple color options and sizes seen with the Watch 5. While the longer battery life can be tempting, and those outdoor features are useful for exercise lovers, you’ll only get the most out of them if you go on hikes or trail walks and rely on your smartwatch to track your workouts quite often.
With a huge battery, titanium case, and exclusive features for hiking and cycling, the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro is a good pick for anyone who wants a wearable they don’t have to fuss over in the great outdoors. Its durability and long-lasting battery life also mean it should last quite a few years before you’ll need to upgrade.
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