Along with the iPhone 11 range, Apple also announced its brand new smartwatch with Apple Watch Series 5. For the most part, Apple hasn’t made any radical changes when it comes to the look and feel of the smartwatch. However, the Apple Watch Series 5 gets a bevy of hardware and software changes, along with a plethora of choices for cases and straps.
To begin with, the Apple Watch Series 5 is the first Apple Watch to come with an always-on display, which Apple calls the ‘Always On Retina display’. With this new feature, the latest Apple Watch joins the number of competitor smartwatches that come with ‘Always On’ displays. Apple has used an LTPO (Low-Temperature Polysilicone and Oxide) Retina Display, which allows the watch to adjust the display’s refresh rate. It goes up to 60Hz when a user is interacting with the smartwatch, and drops to 1Hz in Always On mode.
The addition of an ‘always-on’ display wouldn’t affect the battery life, as the Apple Watch Series 5 is rated to deliver the same 18-hour backup as its predecessor.
“Apple Watch Series 5 features an innovative new display that allows the time and important information to remain visible at all times. Each watch face has been carefully optimized for the new display and to preserve battery life, the screen intelligently dims when a user’s wrist is down and returns to full brightness with a raise or a tap. This combination of hardware innovation and incredible software design allows Apple Watch Series 5 to offer an all-day 18-hour battery life,” said Apple.
Elsewhere, Apple’s latest smartwatch features a built-in compass and an updated Map app to give users a navigation device right on their wrist. There’s also a new compass app that displays latitude and longitude, heading, incline, and current elevation. And to give users an extra layer of safety when traveling, the Apple Watch Series 5 comes with the international emergency calling.
Like its predecessors, the Apple Watch Series 5 focuses on health and fitness. The smartwatch now features menstrual cycle tracking, as well as a new research app. As far as software goes, the Apple Watch Series 5 gets powered by watchOS 6.
Besides, Apple Watch Series 5 is also the first of its kind available in four different casing materials. These include aluminum, stainless steel, ceramic, as well as titanium. Apple has also made the App Store accessible within the smartwatch. The company has also created a brand new online “Apple Watch Studio”, which allows users to mix and match Apple Watch cases and straps and choose a combination that works for them.
In terms of pricing, the Apple Watch Series 5 starts at $399 for the GPS version, while its 4G version gets a price tag of $499. It is now available for pre-order via Apple.com and the Apple Store app, while it’ll arrive on store shelves on September 20.
You can find out more about the Apple Watch Series 5 on the official Apple website.
