The connected watch will probably be one of the most present high-tech gifts under the tree. It must be said that there is now something for all tastes and for all wallets. Samsung, with its Galaxy Watch 5, sold around 300 euros (depending on the characteristics), hopes to impose itself there. We tested this watch for several weeks.
We liked
Its simplicity. An Android owner will have no difficulty adapting to the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5: there are the same gestures as on the smartphone. Thus, just swipe up to see all the applications, swipe down to see the possible settings, swipe to the right to go to a previous screen… The possibility of having various and varied cards by swiping to the left – to display the balance of his night, his heart rate, the weather or his agenda for example – is also an interesting feature. A physical button, marked in red, allows you to return to the home screen in any case: this can, in our opinion, be practical for someone who is not very comfortable with technology.
His style. The connected watch turns out to be space-saving on the wrist. It weighs 33.5g (for the 44mm), roughly the same weight as an Apple Watch, compared to 52g for the previous edition. Besides its attractive weight, the screen is clean and neat, with a nice finish. The basic bracelet, very simplistic, will not please everyone, but it is possible to change it. The AMOLED screen is of very good quality and can be seen without any problem despite the sun or strong light.
We liked less
A strapped watch without a Samsung phone. It’s a bad surprise if you are not warned (like us). Some features of the Galaxy Watch 5 are reserved for owners of a Samsung Galaxy smartphone only. Thus, the realization of an electrocardiogram and the measurement of blood pressure are only possible via the Samsung Health Monitor application, available only on the Galaxy Store, itself accessible only via a smartphone from the Korean brand. It’s a big black point to have in mind. Note also more broadly that the watch only works with an Android smartphone.
Its autonomy. Samsung anticipates an autonomy for its watch of up to 40 hours. Our test confirms it: difficult to imagine staying two days without recharging it. Good point, however: it recharges quickly. We can therefore imagine putting it on charge each time that we are not “using” it in order to keep the battery on (in the shower, in front of the television, etc.). An “Energy saving” mode also allows you to extend its autonomy when you start the last battery percentages (but in this case, its functionality is reduced). Another function, “Watch only”, cuts out all functions other than the dial and theoretically allows up to three days of autonomy.
Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 is a nice smartwatch with, in our opinion, very good value for money. This one is all the better as it benefits, according to the brands, from good reductions at the end of the year. We can however regret the “clamping” of the watch, in the manner of what Apple can do with its Watch, even if the positive, the ease of use of the device and its style outweigh the few black points raised.