Hodinkee reviews Apple Watch Series 5: ‘Surprisingly revolutionary’

Stephen Pulvirent for Hodinkee:

Because last year’s Apple Watch Series 4 was such a massive leap forward, consensus before last week’s event was that this year’s release would be much more minor. In hindsight that feels foolish and the Apple Watch Series 5 is yet another big jump in fit, finish, and overall experience.

Apple added this new [Always On] display without changing the physical size of the Watch models or the battery life. The 44mm and 40mm watches are exactly the same dimensions (which are 44mm x 38mm x 10.7mm for the larger model) as they were in the Series 4, and you still get 18-hour/all-day battery life. This solves what might be the most-heard complaint about the Apple Watch, which is that people don’t like having to flick their wrists to read the time. That gesture is so baked into our culture and oftentimes has a rude connotation to it – notice how you feel next time someone overtly checks their watch while you’re talking to them, if you have any doubts. Now, a quick glance is all you need and you’re good to go… Ultimately I think it’s much closer to a revolution than it might seem. The display staying on fundamentally changes how you use the watch and it’s something you notice constantly. That, to me, is a pretty big deal.

If you’re not yet an Apple Watch user and you’re at all curious about the Apple Watch, I do think this is something you should try and need to experience to fully understand… If you already have an Apple Watch, even a Series 4, I still think this is a worthy upgrade… It’s very clear to me that the days when the Apple Watch is nearly indispensable are coming – and probably faster than we think.

MacDailyNews Take: We’ve had Apple Watches on our wrist every day since April 24, 2015 — 4 years, 6 months, 8 days — and we’d never go back to any model, even Series 4, after wearing and using the revolutionary Apple Watch Series 5!