Apple Watch Series 5 (2019)

97 reviews

Nov, 2024

Positive
design (16)
software (12)
usability (10)
performance (9)
reliability (3)

Negative
battery (16)
price (8)

General overview
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alaTest has collected and analyzed 97 reviews of Apple Watch Series 5 (2019). The average rating for this product is 4.5/5, compared to an average rating of 4.1/5 for other products in the same category for all reviews. Views about the reliability and usability are on the whole positive. The performance and software also get good feedback. The portability and size get mixed views. There are some negative comments about the price and battery.

design, software, performance, usability, reliability

battery, price

We analyzed user and expert ratings, product age and more factors. Compared to other products in the same category the Apple Watch Series 5 (2019) is awarded an overall alaScore™ of 90/100 = Excellent quality.

Review analysis

(Based on 97 reviews)

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Showing 69 review(s)

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Showing 1 - 10 of 69 Show Reviews: in English | in other languages (26)

Expert review by : Andy Boxall (digitaltrends.com)

Apple Watch Series 5 review: A near-perfect smartwatch

The Apple Watch Series 5 is close to perfection. It has a design that's becoming timeless, and a feature list so long, it'll take weeks to explore everything.

Stylish design ; Comprehensive fitness features ; Genuinely helpful health features ; Useful always-on display ; Cellular model can replace your phone for a short time

No major changes over the Series 4 ; No native sleep tracking

Even with small changes, the Apple Watch Series 5 remains the best smartwatch

Nov, 2020

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Expert review by (engadget.com)

Apple Watch Series 5 review: The best smartwatch gets (slightly) better

The Apple Watch is still the best smartwatch. Though the Series 5 feels like a minor update to last year's Series 4, it will fit the bill for the vast majority of people buying Apple Watches for the first time.

Bright screen ; Always-on display is useful and power efficient ; Compass is handy for hiking and walking directions ; International emergency calling on cellular models ; Generally fast performance

No battery life improvements ; No third-party watchfaces ; No new fitness features

Sep, 2019

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Expert review by : Scott Stein (cnet.com)

Always-on is great, but battery life needs improvement.

The Apple Watch Series 5 adds an always-on display, so it can show the time all the time. An added compass aids navigation and improves elevation readings. Cellular models gain an international SOS mode.

Battery life remains a day and a half at best. No new health features, and the watch lacks native sleep tracking. Needs an iPhone to set up and work. Offers only Apple's growing but limited selection of watch faces.

Apple's subtly improved watch adds a key overdue feature and improved software with this update, but it remains largely the same great smartwatch as last year.

Oct, 2019

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Expert review by : Brenda Stolyar (pcmag.com)

Apple Watch Series 5

The Apple Watch Series 5 doesn't feature any drastic changes, but an always-on display makes the best smartwatch you can buy even better.

Always-on display. Excellent fitness tracking and heart rate monitoring accuracy. WatchOS 6 brings useful new apps. Smooth performance.

Expensive. No built-in sleep tracking. Battery life remains the same.

Bottom Line: The Apple Watch Series 5 doesn't feature any drastic changes, but an always-on display makes the best smartwatch you can buy even better.

Sep, 2019

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Expert review by : Dieter Bohn (theverge.com)

Apple Watch Series 5 review: the best smartwatch

There's basically no competition.

Finally, an always-on screen ; Big, beautiful display ; New apps round out its capabilities

Battery life hasn’t improved ; Still no third-party watchfaces ; Doesn’t work with Android phones

The Apple Watch has been on a very steady trajectory: slightly better every year. The price starts at the same $399 as last year, and cellular or material upgrades will add to that cost. Compared to the Series 4, the Series 5 has only a few minor...

Sep, 2019

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Expert review by : Chris Davies (slashgear.com)

Apple Watch Series 5 Review: Always-on makes all the difference

When it comes to smartwatches, there's the Apple Watch and then there's everything else. Five generations of wearable have seen Cupertino's timepiece lose most of its rough edges; now, the Apple Watch Series 5 is taking one of the last big usability...

Always-on display doesn't impact battery life ; watchOS 6 brings App Store and more to the wrist ; Display looks great ; Still the smartwatch to beat

Still no third-party watch faces ; Standalone features still aren't quite divorced from iPhone ; Battery life has stayed the same

Sep, 2019

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Expert review by : Jason Cipriani (zdnet.com)

Apple Watch Series 5 review: This is the watch I've been waiting for Review | ZDNet

After using the Series 5 for a couple of weeks, it's clear this is what the Apple Watch should have always been.

All-day battery life ; Always-on display ; Tight integration with the iPhone

WatchOS 6 is buggy ; Still no sleep tracking

Oct, 2019

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Expert review by : Ben Lovejoy (9to5mac.com)

Apple Watch Diary: Why I bought a ceramic Apple Watch Series 5 two years later

I'm bracing myself for the comments section as I confess that, almost 2.5 years after it was first launched, I bought a ceramic Apple Watch Series 5. I would like to put it on record that this whole thing started in a perfectly innocent fashion …...

Feb, 2022

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Expert review by : Caitlin McGarry (tomsguide.com)

Apple Watch Series 5 review

The Apple Watch Series 5 was once our favorite smartwatch. It introduced an always-on display and compass to the company's flagship wearable.

Always-on display ; Useful compass ; watchOS 7 brings sleep tracking

18-hour battery life

Compared to past Apple Watches, which delivered then-groundbreaking features like GPS and water-resistance (Series 2), cellular connectivity (Series 3) and medical-grade health features (Series 4), the Series 5 is an incremental upgrade. But Apple set...

Aug, 2021

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Expert review by : Chance Miller (9to5mac.com)

Apple offering free repairs for Apple Watch Series 5 and SE devices stuck in Power Reserve mode

Apple today released watchOS 7.3.1 for the Apple Watch Series 5 and Apple Watch SE . The release notes indicated that the update includes a fix to prevent a bug that caused those Apple Watch models to get stuck in Power Reserve Mode. Apple has...

Feb, 2021

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