Apple Watch Series 5: Is It Worth The Upgrade?

Apple has just unveiled the latest iteration of its health-focused wearable, the Apple Watch Series 5. The new model adds a few interesting features compared to the Series 4 models, and also comes in two new casings that weren’t available for the Series 4.

That said, it is worth upgrading to the Apple Watch Series 5? Here’s a quick look at some of its key features revealed as per Apple.

Always-On Retina Display

The Apple Watch Series 5 has a new Always-On Retina display that never sleeps. Users of the Series 5 models won’t need to flick their wrist or tap on the display to wake it up to show the time. Instead, the display on the Series 5 models only dims when the user’s wrist is down and turns bright when the user’s wrist is raised up.

This feature is what easily sets the Series 5 apart from other Apple Watch models. It works with every watch face on the Series 5.

New Navigation features

The Series 5 models boast of location features that will prove useful for every traveler or adventurer alike. These features include a compass that tells users their heading, incline, latitude, longitude and current elevation. The Maps app has also been updated to show users the direction they are facing relative to their position on the map.

International emergency calling

Users with cellular models of the Apple Watch Series 5 have an added safety feature in the form of international calls to emergency services. This feature works with fall detection to alert emergency services if the wearer has taken a fall and is unable to move within a minute.

New cases

As previously reported, the Apple Watch Series 5 will come in a ceramic and, as a first for Apple, a titanium version. The titanium version comes in a natural brushed finish or in a sleek looking black finish.

watchOS 6 Features

The fifth-gen Apple Watch comes packed with watchOS 6’s features, which includes more health-centered apps like Cycle Tracking and the Noise app that informs users if the noise around them is too much for their own good.

What’s the catch?

With all those features, users shouldn’t expect the Apple Watch Series 5 to be cheap. The GPS-only model starts at $399 in the U.S., and the GPS + Cellular versions starts at $499. The GPS-only version is available for order in 41 countries, while the GPS + Cellular version is available in 21 countries.

Those who find the Series 5 models too expensive or have no need for the display to be always on have the option to buy the Apple Watch Series 3 at a very low price. The GPS-only models are now available starting at $199 while the Series 3 GPS + Cellular models starts at $299.