Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 looks like a compelling smartwatch with some neat tricks, but it is still tied to a frustrating wireless charging restriction.
Samsung’s latest smartwatches — the Galaxy Watch 5 and Watch 5 Pro — just made their official debut, rocking a brand new temperature sensor that beats Apple to the punch. But there are a few other meaningful changes as well. The battery capacity has also gone up, and so has the charging speed. As a sweet surprise, the charging puck is finally embracing the USB-C standard. Welcome to 2022, Samsung!
The asking price is also not too shabby, at least for the entry-level Galaxy Watch 5. I was actually planning to buy one, especially with all those pre-order offers clubbed together with the exchange discount. However, as soon as I took a second look at the specifications sheet, I changed my mind.
WPC-based wireless charging. Those are the words that changed my mind. In a nutshell, it is bad news for wireless charging compatibility, be it drawing power from your phone or any non-Samsung wireless charging accessory. And, unfortunately, it’s not anything new.
A few weeks ago, I started testing the pace at which a phone can charge a smartwatch. The test subjects were the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic and the Galaxy S22 Ultra. It was slow, but I am glad that the ability to reverse wireless charge a smartwatch using nothing but my phone is an option.
I soon learned that the “option” exists only if I remain locked in the ecosystem. As I put my Samsung smartwatch on the Xiaomi 12 Pro and the OnePlus 10 Pro, nothing happened, despite the fact that phones support reverse wireless charging. The funny thing is, both of these phones were able to wirelessly charge other Samsung phones and Galaxy-branded earbuds.
The situation is the same with wireless charging accessories. When I put the Galaxy Watch 4 on a Samsung charging mat, it was charging just fine. However, there was no charge transfer when I put the watch on a third-party Qi-certified charging mat.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 continues that frustrating trend of non-compatibility. Just like the Galaxy Watch 4, the Galaxy Watch 5 series is also limited to WPC-based wireless charging.
