Samsung launched the Galaxy Watch 5 and Galaxy Watch 5 Pro at its Galaxy Unpacked event Wednesday. The new watches ship with Wear OS 3.5, featuring the Korean firm’s One UI Watch 4.5 custom software on top. During the event, Bjorn Kilburn, the General Manager of Wear OS at Google, announced that a couple of major media apps, SoundCloud and Deezer, are coming to the platform later this year. Additionally, Kilburn revealed that Google Maps will work offline on Wear OS watches. You don’t need to connect your wrist wearable to a smartphone for navigation directions. It will work independently, even if you leave your phone at home. Currently, you can’t use Maps navigation on your watch if it’s not connected to a smartphone. To make it easier for discovering new apps, Google is also revamping the Play Store on Wear OS. Rolling out later this year, the redesign will bring an improved home page with personalized recommendations. The company is also promising newer app collections, though it didn’t name any. “I’m thrilled about continuing our collaboration to bring innovation to the next generation of wearables and I can’t wait for all of you to try this out on Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 5,” Kilburn said. He also gave us a glimpse of the new Play Store for Wear OS. You can check it out below (via).
Galaxy Watch 5 series is now available for pre-order
Samsung has already opened pre-orders for the Galaxy Watch 5 series. You get three different models to choose from — 40mm Galaxy Watch 5, 44mm Galaxy Watch 5, and 45mm Galaxy Watch 5 Pro. They cost $280, $310, and $450, respectively, for the Bluetooth versions. If you want LTE cellular connectivity, Samsung has priced the watches at $330, $360, and $500, respectively. You can find everything you need to know about the latest Galaxy smartwatches here. If you want to check out where you might get the best deal on Galaxy Watch 5 pre-order, go here. Stay tuned for our full review.
