Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Ditches Rotating Bezel, Adds Temperature Tracking
Samsung on Wednesday unveiled two new smartwatches: the Galaxy Watch 5 and the more rugged, outdoor-friendly Watch 5 Pro.
Fans of Samsung's smartwatches may be bummed to hear that both of these new models lack a physical rotating bezel, a feature available on last year's Watch 4 Classic that allows for quick scrolling. Feature-wise, the most notable addition headed to this generation of Samsung wearables is support for skin temperature tracking via a new infrared temperature sensor.
"Skin temperature analysis opens up new opportunities for developers to expand their health and wellness offerings," a Samsung spokesperson said during a briefing with reporters.
Several other wearable devices—including the Fitbit Charge 5, Oura Ring Generation 3, and Whoop 4.0—already track skin temperature variations, a metric that indicates whether you're running hotter or colder compared to your baseline. Rumor has it that the next Apple Watch expected this coming fall will feature a body temperature sensor.
Samsung also reshaped the curvature of the back glass on the Watch 5 series, increasing the surface area that the BioActive Sensor comes in contact with on your wrist. This change enables more accurate body composition, blood oxygen saturation, and electrocardiogram measurements, the company says.
Circling back to design, the Watch 5 and Watch 5 Pro both feature two physical buttons on the right side and a functional digital bezel instead of a physical one, like the Watch 4. The digital bezel doesn't physically turn, but still lets you navigate the interface by simply running your finger along the side of the screen.
Some Galaxy Watch wearers prefer the physical rotating bezel available on the Watch 4 Classic and older generations
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