Smartwatches and fitness trackers beta · Apple
Some long-time owners still use the Apple Watch 5 years after buying it and say they miss little, accepting shorter battery life and the end of new software as the trade-offs.
Asked about overall satisfaction, owners are clearly positive. One person who has worn an Apple Watch 5 since 2019 says that apart from wanting a few more days of battery, they don't feel they are missing anything.
Software support is a clear complaint. One owner says the watch was quick for about three years and then became laggy, even after a factory reset. Others see the end of updates as a sign it is time to replace it.
Apple Watch Series 5 is a smartwatch from Apple from 2019, sold in 40mm and 44mm case sizes. It tracks workouts, heart rate and falls, shows notifications, and can take an ECG. It is for iPhone owners who want a watch for daily health and fitness tracking.
| Display | Always-On Retina LTPO OLED, 40mm or 44mm, 1000 nits |
|---|---|
| Battery life | Up to 18 hours |
| Water resistance | 50 meters (ISO 22810:2010) |
| GPS | Built-in GPS/GNSS and compass; LTE on GPS + Cellular models |
| Health sensors | Electrical heart sensor (ECG), second-generation optical heart sensor, fall detection |
| Works with | iPhone 6s or later with iOS 13 or later |
| Weight | 30.8 g (40mm aluminum) to 47.8 g (44mm stainless steel) |
| Warranty |
From the maker's spec page, checked October 7, 2026. A blank row means the maker does not state it.
Up to 18 hours means you will need to charge it every night. A 50-meter water rating means it is fine for pool or shallow sea swimming, but not for diving or water skiing. Built-in GPS lets it map a run without your phone, and the cellular version can take calls on its own if you pay for a phone plan. It only works with an iPhone, not with Android phones.
Pick up to three. You get a page with just those, side by side, on the subjects owners raised.
Years in, the watch still does the everyday job for some people. One owner since 2019 says it covers everything they need. Another still wears theirs with no problems on an older version of watchOS and expects it to keep working without new updates.
What owners have had to accept is battery life and age. Owners are divided on battery life overall. The longest-serving Apple Watch 5 owner here only wishes for a few more days between charges. One owner who moved up to an Apple Watch 10 found the newer watch noticeably more accurate and quicker to show a workout. That gives a sense of what the older model no longer matches.
For some owners the core watch keeps working. One is still using theirs today without trouble, even on older software. The reported failures concern speed and hardware. One owner's watch became laggy, and a factory reset did not fix it. Another's glass back came off, and that watch now sits unused on a dresser.
There are very few long-term accounts specific to this watch. Many of the accounts gathered under this product, including those on build quality, price, design and most of the battery comments, describe Samsung's Galaxy Watch 5 and 5 Pro rather than the Apple Watch 5. They are left out of this page, so treat these reliability notes as resting on a small number of owners.
From 0 owner accounts that said how long they have had it. Own one? Add how long yours has lasted.
Counted from the owners who raised each subject, not from everyone. A subject is judged once at least 4 owners raise it.
36 more subjects came up from fewer than 4 owners each, which is not enough for a fair reading. To see how it stacks up, compare it with another machine.
The same owner, asked again at each point. Fills in as owners answer.
Two questions: how long you have had it, and anything you would like to say about it. Then we ask again as it ages. This helps our mission.
More in smartwatches and fitness trackers: Apple Watch SE, Garmin Venu 3, Fitbit Versa 4.
Among the 0 owner accounts here that gave a duration, 0 described a failure.
Before you buy one used, ask the seller: how old it is, whether it was ever repaired and by whom, and whether any of the parts above have been replaced. Ask to see it run. A receipt tells you the warranty start date; most makers honour the term only for the first owner.
Public discussions we read and summarised in our own words. Nothing here was submitted to Still Kicks.
Counted from public accounts by people who said they own it, and summarised by Still Kicks in its own words. Not a manufacturer claim, a lab test or an estimate.
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