Samsung is focussing on holistic health innovation with its latest smartwatches unveiled this month.

The Galaxy Watch 5 and Watch 5 Pro bring insightful sleep tracking, personalised design options and durability to help shape everyday health and wellness habits.

“We’re dedicated to giving our Galaxy Watch community the tools, data and resources needed to not only understand their overall health and wellness better but to coach them on their journey,” said TM Roh, head of mobile experience at Samsung Electronics. “With Samsung’s ground-breaking bioactive sensor, we’re empowering users with the most complete picture of their health-related insights yet.”

The Galaxy Watch 5 is equipped with the bioactive sensor for digital health monitoring. First introduced on the Watch 4, the sensor uses a single chip that combines optical heart rate, electrical heart signal and bioelectrical impedance analysis to provide heart rate, blood oxygen level and stress level measurements.

In addition, users can get a deeper understanding of their heart health by monitoring blood pressure and ECG from their wrist.

Since 2020, Samsung has expanded these capabilities to 63 markets including five new ones – Bolivia, Nicaragua, Réunion Island, Türkiye and Venezuela.

With an increased surface area and more direct contact with the wrist, Galaxy Watch 5 tracks health metrics with greater accuracy than Watch 4. Plus, the bioactive sensor works with other sensors, including the newly introduced temperature sensor, to provide users with an in-depth understanding of their wellness.

The temperature sensor uses infra-red technology for more accurate readings, even if the temperature of the surroundings changes. This opens possibilities for developers to expand their health and wellness options.

The Watch 5 offers an end-to-end experience that goes beyond fitness activities and into the post-workout, rest and recovery process. The body composition measurement tool provides a snapshot of the user’s overall health, providing them with a tailored approach to set goals, guide them through personalised workouts and track progress. And when it’s time to rest, it provides recovery data, including post-cardio heart rate after an intense workout, and customised recommendations on water consumption based on sweat loss.

Wearers can understand sleep patterns through sleep scores that monitor stages of sleep, along with snoring detection and blood oxygen levels. Sleep coaching gives a tailored month-long guided programme. Through SmartThings integration, Watch 5 automatically sets connected lights, AC units and TVs to predetermined settings that make for a better sleep environment. Enhanced fall detection ensures an emergency contact is notified if the wearer stumbles at home or falls out of bed.

It comes with a 13% larger battery and provides eight hours of sleep tracking with eight minutes of charging, which is 30% faster than Watch 4.

The sapphire-crystal display offers a 60% harder outer layer. Wearers can pull up a song on Spotify with their voice using Google Assistant. And, coming soon, they can find their way using Google Maps from their wrist without a smartphone connection.

The Watch 5 Pro is suitable for hiking and cycling and beyond with sapphire crystals that resist wear and tear and a durable titanium casing that protects the display with a protruded bezel design. It also comes with a D-buckle sport band that offers rugged durability with a sleek and clean fit.

The battery is 60% larger than in Watch 4. GPX is available for the first time on a Galaxy Watch. Wearers can head out on a hike and record and share it with fellow trail-lovers on the Samsung Health app with Route Workout. They can also download hiking and cycling routes as they practice for the next race or look to mix up their routines. It provides turn-by-turn directions. A track back feature guides users back the way they came.

Both watches are available for pre-order in select markets, with retail availability starting towards the end of August.