84 MACWORLD DECEMBER 2019
FEATURE REVIEW: APPLE WATCH SERIES 5mmmmh
Apple Watch Series 5
PROS- Always-on display is
transcendent. - Design is as classic and
timeless as ever. - App Store and app support
is stellar.
CONS - Battery life is just OK.
- No native sleep tracking.
- It’s still very expensive.
PRICE
$399
COMPANY
Apple
The 44mm Apple Watch Series 5 (right) isn’t that much
bigger than the 42mm Series 3, but the screen is massive.of Apple’s tremendous
hardware and software
integration. Like the iPhone,
that’s Apple’s biggest strength
here, and it exposes just how
much of a mess the Wear OS
platform is.
BOTTOM LINE
There’s no question that the
Apple Watch Series 5 is the
absolute best smartwatch
money can buy. It has an
incredible screen, excellent app
support, and the strongest set
of sensors and features you’ll find
anywhere. It’s expensive for sure, but when
you consider Tag Heuer sells a $1,700 Wear
OS watch without LTE, the price doesn’t
seem quite so outlandish.
The Series 5 Watch starts at
$399 for an aluminum 40mm
GPS version and jumps to $499
for LTE. Another $30 gets you
the 44mm version and it goes up
from there, depending on the
band and your choice of
materials, which includes
titanium and ceramic this time
around. You could easily spend
upwards of $1,500, but that’s the
beauty of the Apple Watch—the
$399 version is just as good as
any of the thousand dollar-plus
models. The style is what you’re paying for.
That might be the best Series 5 feature
of all. Apple has made it easier than ever
to pick the watch you want by letting you
combine any body and band.
You’re no longer limited to the
pre-selected combinations.
When you buy one, you’ll get
two boxes, one with the watch
body and another with the band.
Presumably that’s how all Apple
Watches will be sold going
forward, and it makes a lot of
sense. From day one, Apple has
positioned its Watch as the
ultimate fashion accessory for
iPhone users.
If only you didn’t need to
charge it every day. ■