Gadget

Apple makes it difficult for users to choose the right model, as the Apple Watch Series 5 comes in countless combinations. First you have to decide whether the case should be made of aluminum or stainless steel, the latter costing the buyer much more. At the same time, you will have to choose between four case colors and four types of bracelet. At the next stage, you need to decide on one of the nine colors of the strap and choose the appropriate watch size — 40 mm or 44 mm. Well, in the end, there are smart watches with and without mobile telephony.

Everything has its price here: you can get an aluminum watch with a sports bracelet for about 32,000 rubles. The most expensive smartwatch option is a combination of a stainless steel case and a leather strap – you will have to pay 60,000 rubles for it. The device we tested was an Apple Watch Series 5 with a 44mm aluminum case with a sports band and equipped with a mobile communication module. Such a «middle class» will cost customers about 40,000 rubles. Due to special locks, only Apple bracelets are inserted into the Watch, so the straps with standard sizes sold in stores with regular watches will not bring you happiness.

Great display and top performance

In terms of features, the Apple Watch Series 5 easily tops our smartwatch rankings. There is nothing to complain about here. Of course, Apple continues to hold on tight to the rectangular shape of the display. Those who prefer a round watch face would be better off looking for an alternative in the Android world. The Watch Series 5 display has the same pixel density as the previous model at 330 ppi on a 1.8-inch diagonal screen, thus offering a sharp picture with well-read fonts. The menu is a matter of taste, some users may find it overloaded.

But there’s one big change that makes the Apple Watch Series 5 stand out from its predecessors: The Always-On display now shows you the time and useful additional information like workout data all the time, without having to lift your wrist or touch the device. It is more than convenient in everyday life, in all situations a short glance at the dial is enough. To conserve battery power, the display darkens when you lower your wrist, but it is still always active.

Smart watch works Apple S5, a 64-bit Dual-Core processor, whose specifications Apple, as usual, does not disclose, but which provides high performance. In addition, the amount of internal memory has been increased here to 32 GB, which is twice as much as in the Series 4. Thus, there is a place for the music library on the smart watch, transfer is possible using the Watch application. Alternatively, you can play music from the iPhone through the Watch, it works great. For compatibility with the operating system watchOS you’ll need at least an iPhone 6s.

Large set of features for fitness and everyday life

GPS, WLAN, Bluetooth and NFC will always be at your disposal, and if you choose the option with mobile communication, then a “hard-wired” e-SIM card and an LTE module for mobile Internet will also be part of the equipment. In addition, this smartwatch has a speaker, a microphone and many sensors: an acceleration sensor, a position sensor, a compass, an altimeter and a brightness sensor provide all the standard functionality. For fitness on board, among other things, there is an optical heart rate monitor, as well as a pedometer. At the same time, the smart watch is reliably protected from water damage when diving to a depth of 50 meters. There is also a fall sensor and an ECG function — the device recognizes a fall and other accidents, so if you wish, it can call for help on its own, which provides additional user safety.

In the Apple App Store, you’ll find a rich selection of watchOS apps, with many useful apps already preinstalled on your device. All of them allow you to create training plans and analyze the results on the one hand, and check notifications and read notes on the other. If you connect your Apple Watch to your iPhone, you will get, as usual, a large number of smartphone control functions. We were hindered only by the fact that although with the help of the watch you can receive phone calls, but at the same time contact photo not showing. In addition, the Apple Watch is for the most part not compatible with Android.

Convenient control and Always-On-display

Control of the Apple Watch Series 5 can be considered impeccable, and this applies to the touch screen, and voice commands, and buttons. The case is of high quality, the performance is excellent, and the screen is read very well. As a bonus, the already mentioned Always-On display, made possible by the particularly energy-efficient OLED technology. In this way, you will be able to see the dial at all times, even if your hands are not free. When the battery is low, the smartwatch switches to power saving mode, which allows you to continue using your Apple Watch as a regular watch.

Reduced battery life

While the Apple Watch Series 5 can last a full day on a single charge, we were still a bit disappointed. Based on our battery tests, the Series 3 could last about 30 hours, the Series 4 had about 27.5 hours, and the novelty was only able to deliver a result in almost 24 hours battery life. Part of the reason lies, of course, in the Always-On display. In principle, you will have to charge your smartwatch every night, especially if you use the gadget more or less intensively. This was shown by our practical testing.

At the same time, in general, the duration of battery life is normal, and it does not impose any restrictions on everyday use. So despite the above, we gave the Apple Watch a good score in the Battery category. But for other manufacturers, endurance of more than 30 hours is a common thing, and sometimes competitors overcome the 40-hour mark. It should also be noted that the Series 5 takes longer to fully charge than its predecessors, namely more than 2 hours. You need to charge the battery wirelessly.

Large selection but high prices

The cheapest model without a mobile connection can be obtained by paying approximately 425 euros. An expensive stainless steel model with mobile equipment will cost the buyer about 775 euros. Between them, you can choose from a great variety of alternative combinations. The model we tested costs about 555 euros. But no matter how you look at it, the Apple Watch Series 5 is expensive anyway. The top smartwatch from Samsung, for example, costs around 300 euros. Other Android alternatives are even cheaper. The Apple Watch is a high-quality, high-performance product, but as always, you pay a premium Apple markup.

Product Conclusion

Apple Watch Series 5 according to the results of test tests can be considered an excellent product. You won’t find better equipment in any other smartwatch right now. Therefore, the new product from Apple wins the top spot in our respective rating. There’s decent performance in a small device, and the amount of functionality is nearly perfect. The size of the built-in memory has been increased again and this is a good reason to install more applications. The tactile feel of this smartwatch is excellent, aside from a few Apple quirks. However, the battery life of the Apple Watch from generation to generation is constantly decreasing, and the Series 5 has noticeably worse endurance.

Alternative: Samsung Galaxy Watch LTE

Perhaps the best Android alternative to the Apple Watch is the Samsung Galaxy Watch. They are also available in various versions, but here, even if you choose the largest case and the availability of mobile communications, the cost of the gadget will not exceed 300 euros. The equipment here is also generous, although it does not reach the level of the Apple Watch. But you get perfect control and excellent battery life.

Read also:

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