Same iconic design

Compared to Series 4, the Apple Watch Series 5 is visually unchanged. For those with slimmer wrists, it comes in either a case size of 44 mm or a slightly smaller 40 mm. The case is still a svelte 10.7 mm, and only 36 grams weigh the 44 mm version. It’s hard to see on your wrist, it’s never caught under a shirt cuff, and the curvy case is wonderfully ergonomic.

An always-on display

Here’s the big change from Series 4 for Series 5— it has an always-on clock, meaning it always displays the time. It sounds a bit crazy, but until now on the Apple Watch this has never been an option. It wasn’t a big problem, as the Watch responded so quickly when you raised your wrist, but it cures the point of not being able to give it a quick look at the time.

Fitness and health tracking

The Apple Watch is the only fitness and health monitor you’ll ever need to wear, unless you’re hyper-focused on a particular sport, such as running marathons or another type of intense training where you need specific metrics.

Battery and performance

You can get a full day (about 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.) and then out of a single charge half the next day. Re-charging takes about an hour, and for the remainder of the second day of use, a top-up mid-day would easily see it last. Your own use will vary, and if you use the call features on an Apple Watch cell or an extended period of fitness tracking with GPS and heart rate monitoring, your battery life will decrease.

Price and availability

The Apple Watch Series 5 is now available from the online store of Apple, its retail stores, and its affiliate sites. The aluminum body costs $400 for the 42 mm model and $430 for the 44 mm model, or $500 for the 42 mm model GPS + Cellular and $530 for the 44 mm model. The Apple Watch in stainless steel starts at $700, the $800 titanium model, the $1,300 ceramic, and the $1,250 Hermés version.

TakeAway

The best smartwatch you can wear right now is the Apple Watch Series 5. No other smartwatch comes close to offering the same level of tracking fitness, comfort, performance, or wearability.