Hands-On With the New Apple Watch Series 5

Apple last Friday released the Apple Watch Series 5, the newest iteration of the Apple Watch that first debuted in 2015. The Apple Watch Series 5 isn't much different from the Series 4, but there are some notable changes.

In our latest YouTube video, we went hands-on with the Apple Watch Series 5 to check out what's new.


Design wise, the Apple Watch Series 5 is identical to the Apple Watch Series 4, featuring the same larger display over the Series 3 and 40 and 44mm case size options. There are two new materials this year, though.2017

Titanium, a never before used material, is lighter and more durable than stainless steel, and $100 more expensive, starting at $799 (stainless steel models start at $699). Also new this year is ceramic ($1299), which we had in 2016 and 2017 but wasn't an option in 2018. Ceramic and titanium Apple Watch models are considered higher-end "Edition" models.

Apple is still offering the standard stainless steel and aluminum, which starts at $399. As with last year, there are GPS only models and GPS + LTE models.

Aside from new case materials, the other major change to the Series 5 lineup is an Always-On display feature. As the name suggests, the display of the Series 5 Apple Watch is always lit up so you can glance down at your wrist to see the time, your complications, your notifications, or, with the Workout app running, your exercise metrics.

The display does dim when not in use, of course, but the watch face is clearly visible without the need to raise your wrist up.

There were no processor changes in the Series 5, so though Apple says it uses an S5 chip, the processor is identical to the Series 4. Display improvements, a low power display driver, and an efficient power management integrated circuit enable the Always-On display.

Apple says that battery life on the Series 5 should last for up to 18 hours just like the Series 4 despite the Always-On display, but we've seen some mixed results.

Some of us here at MacRumors haven't seen battery life changes, but others feel that the battery is draining quicker than before. Apple may have some optimizations coming in future software updates to solve any battery issues.

Other new changes include 32GB of internal storage, likely for the new standalone App Store in watchOS 6, and a new compass feature. The compass feature is available in a Compass app that tells you your heading, incline, latitude, and longitude, plus the feature is used in the Maps app so you can finally see which direction you're facing.

For LTE Apple Watch owners, there's an updated Emergency SOS feature that will contact emergency services in whatever country you're in when activated, something that's nice for peace of mind when traveling. In prior models, this feature was limited to the emergency services in the country of purchase.

All in all, while there are some useful features in the Series 5, there's not a compelling reason to update if you already have a Series 4. If you have a Series 1, 2, 3, or original Apple Watch, there's a lot more to gain in the Series 5 and it's potentially a worthwhile upgrade.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 10
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)

Popular Stories

maxresdefault

Apple Releases iOS 18.4 With Priority Notifications, Ambient Music, New Emoji and More

Monday March 31, 2025 10:03 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4, the fourth major updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating system updates that came out last year. iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 come two months after Apple released iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 18.3. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to...
iOS 19 Mock WWDC25 Feature

iOS 19 Expected to Run on These iPhones

Monday March 31, 2025 5:28 pm PDT by
iOS 19 will not be available on the iPhone XR, iPhone XS, or the iPhone XS Max, according a private account on social media site X that has accurately provided information on device compatibility in the past. The iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max all have an A12 Bionic chip, so it looks like iOS 19 will discontinue support for that chip. All other iPhones that run iOS 18 are expected...
iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

Sunday March 23, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of March 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4

Monday March 31, 2025 11:27 am PDT by
Apple today released new firmware updates for all AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 2 models. The new firmware is version 7E93, up from the 7B21 firmware that was installed on the AirPods Pro 2 and the 7B20 firmware available on the AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 with ANC. It is not immediately clear what new features or changes are included in the new firmware, but we'll update this article should we find ...
top stories 2025 03 29

Top Stories: WWDC 2025 Announced, iPhone 17 Pro and iOS 19 Rumors, and More

Saturday March 29, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
Apple's big developer event is a little over two months away, and rumors about what we can expect to see in Apple's next major operating system updates are becoming increasingly frequent. A public release of iOS 18.4 is also imminent with a number of updates and improvements, although we won't be getting the major Apple Intelligence Siri upgrades that had reportedly been planned for this...
iOS 19 visionOS UI Elements

Apple Codename Provides Clue About iOS 19's Rumored New Design

Sunday March 30, 2025 6:40 am PDT by
Multiple sources have claimed that iOS 19 will introduce a new design with more translucent buttons, menus, notification banners, and more, and there is now another clue that points towards this glass-like appearance. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today said the new design project is codenamed "Solarium" internally. A solarium is a room with glass walls that allow in plenty of sunlight, so this...
macOS Sequoia Feature

Apple Releases macOS Sequoia 15.4 With Mail Categorization and More

Monday March 31, 2025 10:04 am PDT by
Apple today released macOS Sequoia 15.4, the fourth major update to the macOS Sequoia operating system that launched in September. macOS Sequoia 15.4 comes two months after the launch of macOS Sequoia 15.3. Mac users can download the ‌‌macOS Sequoia‌‌ update through the Software Update section of System Settings. It is available for free on all Macs able to run macOS 15. With...
Magic Mouse Green

What to Expect From the Magic Mouse 3

Saturday March 29, 2025 10:15 am PDT by
Apple is reportedly working on a new Magic Mouse. Below, we recap what to expect. The two key rumors for the Magic Mouse 3 so far include a relocated charging port, along with a more ergonomic design. It was briefly rumored that the Magic Mouse 3 would also feature voice control, but that was misinterpreted information. Relocated Charging Port While the Magic Mouse switched from...

Top Rated Comments

Hazmat401 Avatar
72 months ago
Yup... nice stuff but no reason to upgrade from a series 4
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Macintoshrumors Avatar
72 months ago

Buy an S4 on discount or patiently await the S6, should it reinvigorate the aging design.
I don’t see how the design would change. A circle design would cut the amount of information the screen would present. I guess the same reason why traditional etches haven’t changed in centuries, there is just two ways one a product can show time

I rock a s4 and prob will skip this one and wait for the s6 tbh.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Phnwhowhen Avatar
72 months ago
I’ve always found battery life to be worse after setting up a new watch or phone. Happened to me with the series 4 and every update before. Those who are just setting up the series 5, I’d like to hear your experiences after using the new watch for a few days. I’ve found battery life always improves after a few days of use.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
QCassidy352 Avatar
72 months ago

Chips already a year old. AOD is a battery drainer anyways. Stick with S3 or S4.
AOD is the feature I’ve wanted most since AW launched. I’ll be buying for sure.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gleepskip Avatar
72 months ago
Buy an S4 on discount or patiently await the S6, should it reinvigorate the aging design.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
i4k20c Avatar
72 months ago

The processor in the Series 5 is identical to the processor in the Series 5?

No sh*t, Sherlock.
also

"All in all, while there are some useful features in the Series 4, there's not a compelling reason to update if you already have a Series 4. "

huh? someone really went lackluster with the editing on this post.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)