When it comes to smartwatches, many companies have jumped into this growing market, providing more choices than ever to consumers. Among them is Samsung, with its Galaxy Watch 5 Pro being one of its more expensive options. Recently, I decided to put it back on my wrist, and while initially everything seemed fine, I soon realized there was a problem. I knew what it was, and it makes perfect sense as to why Samsung is making the same mistake with its other smartwatch offerings.
The issue became apparent the moment I looked at the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro: there was no character to be found. The selection at Samsung’s disposal is comprehensive in quantity, with plenty of options from which to choose, but practically none of them possessed any lasting appeal. From a product standpoint, it felt like all the boxes were ticked with this collection, but from a design standpoint, there was no compelling factor to choose any one face over another.
This may lead some to suggest that it doesn’t matter, as a smartwatch should never be as important as a traditional timepiece. But the smartest timepieces are those you wear all the time, so it is essential that it has some kind of character that speaks to you on an emotional level. The Apple Watch Ultra, for example, offers numerous faces that look cool and stylish, but with the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, it lacks that kind of personality.
A common response to this is to suggest using the faces available on Google Play, but frankly, it shouldn’t be necessary to pay for more of the same. The Apple Watch Ultra and Google Pixel Watch provide an excellent selection of watch faces without having to break the bank, and it only makes sense that Samsung should be doing the same with its range of smartwatches.
What’s particularly aggravating is the fact that other watchmakers have been able to do exactly this with even more success. Tag Heuer’s Connected Calibre E4 and Montblanc’s Summit 3 are just two good examples, providing stunning and highly detailed watch faces on smartwatches that look fantastic. So why can’t Samsung put in the work to create a similar kind of watch face collection?
Given Samsung’s financial clout and its propensity to collaborate with other luxury brands, it should be able to do something similar. A special edition Galaxy Watch, tied to one or more watch makers, with a well-designed and thoughtful selection of watch faces producing an attractive and desirable product that appeals to both traditional watch lovers and smartwatch fans. Doing so would once and for all demonstrate Samsung’s commitment to creating an attractive and well-designed smartwatch.
The problem of characterless watch faces plagues the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro and its standard edition, but it is not beyond fixing. If Samsung can make the effort to recreate stunning and iconic watch faces on its smartwatches, it would go a long way towards cementing it among the top smartwatch manufacturers. It could also learn a thing or two from Apple, who have managed to make the Apple Watch Ultra a fashionable and desirable piece of technology. With the right watch faces, Samsung could do the same and change the game.
