One of the most interesting features in Samsung’s new Galaxy Watch 5 series over the 2021 generation is the larger battery with faster charging. The new Galaxy Watch 5 and Watch 5 Pro enable 10W wireless charging as opposed to 5W. And because we have both the Watch 5 Pro and the Galaxy Watch 5 (40mm) in our possession, we decided we should investigate Samsung’s claims regarding wireless charging.
The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, according to Samsung, can recharge 35% of its large 590mAh battery in just 30 minutes. The basic Galaxy Watch 5 can charge to 45% in the same period of time, according to the company.
In a recent YouTube video, which you can watch below, we evaluated the charging rates for the Galaxy Watch 5 (40mm) and Galaxy Watch 5 Pro. We connected the contained charging puck to a 45W approved Samsung charger as neither smartwatch comes with a wall charger. Even so, keep in mind that the battery capacity is still 10W, thus switching from a 15W or 25W charger to a 45W charger shouldn’t have any noticeable effects.
Results of the Galaxy Watch 5 battery charging tests
In our test, the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro charged from 0% to 30% in 30 minutes, whereas the Watch 5 (40mm) charged from 0% to 36% in the same amount of time. Although it is somewhat unfortunate that both smartwatches didn’t live up to Samsung’s claims, as you’ll soon see, they did okay.
The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro had a 55% battery capacity at the hour point, while the smaller model had an incredible 85%. In actuality, the Galaxy Watch 5 (40mm) battery was fully recharged in just under 90 minutes, but the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro’s battery was only 78% full at that time. The Pro model’s battery was fully charged in 2 hours, 9 minutes.
The 10W wireless charging improvement has improved the performance of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 series. Remember that the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro should last up to 80 hours on a full charge, compared to the Galaxy Watch 5’s usual 50-hour battery life. An hour and a half to two hours of charging time for two to three days of usage is not a bad deal.
