The new Apple Watch 5 has been revealed and it has a feature everyone’s been asking for – a new always-on display.
Despite the always on the display, the Apple Watch 5 is slated to have 18 hours of battery life. Apple cleverly manages the battery with a set of three sensors – an ambient light sensor, display driver and power management integrated circuit.
The Apple Watch 5 keeps the display brightness low when the smartwatch is not in use but – if you tap or raise it – the brightness raises for use.
The watch features an LTPO display which refreshes dynamically from 60hz to as low as 1hz for power saving.
An always-display has been a glaring absence from the Apple Watch for several years now – as competitors adopted the technology.
Our reviews of the Apple Watch Series 3 and Series 4 highlighted the missing feature as a primary issue – saying: “I still have a big complaint, though, and it’s the same complaint Richard Easton levelled at the Series 3 – why is there no always-on display option so I can constantly see the time? This is something just about every other high-end smartwatch we’ve reviewed this year has implemented and it’s sorely missing here. I understand this would heavily impact battery life and Apple wants to ensure everyone’s watch makes it through the day, but there’s nothing wrong with giving consumers the choice.”
Away from the new always-on display, the Apple Watch 5 looks largely the same as the previous iteration. The other differences include recycled aluminium and titanium finishes for the Apple Watch 5. The Apple Watch 5 also has a new built-in compass and emergency calling internationally.
Apple Watch faces and workouts have been updated for the series 5 to integrate the advantages of the new always-on display.
The Apple Watch 5 is priced from $399 for the GPS model and $499 for the mobile data version. The new watch will be released on the 20th of September.
Apple also announced a price reduction for the Series 3 watch. The Apple Watch Series 3 now starts at just $199.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
