Even with small changes, the Apple Watch Series 5 remains the best smartwatch

Stylish design; Comprehensive fitness features; Health features are genuinely helpful; Useful always-on display; Cellular model can replace your phone for a short time

No major changes over the Series 4; No native sleep tracking

With so many big advances in 2018, the Apple Watch Series 5 looks to hone and refine the experience that we saw with the Apple Watch Series 4 - which is no longer on sale. The changes, while welcomed, are fairly small this time around suggesting that Apple is putting the brakes on to avoid adding...

Always-on display; Compass; Heart-rate monitoring; Bands still fit from previous versions; Two sizes

Not much of an upgrade from Series 4; No sleep tracking; No international roaming

The Apple Watch 5 (or Series 5) is the best smartwatch on the market – if you're an iPhone user that is. While the upgrades this year are minimal on paper, the addition of a screen that displays the time whether you're looking at the watch or not should make lots of people very happy.

Always-on display makes it feels a lot more like a 'proper watch; All the previous straps still work; Great at making you want to move and be active

No huge improvements to battery life; No support for Android users

The 2018 Apple Watch Series 4 brought a lot to the table, and the Apple Watch Series 5 hasn't added a lot. But, Apple has added where it counts, and importantly, kept the same price point.

The Series 5 is a small upgrade on paper, but the always-on display has the desired effect of making this feel much closer to a real watch. You do sacrifice some battery life for it, but not drastically so.

Always-on display; Menstrual-cycle tracking; More options than ever

From the outside, and on paper, there's not a huge difference between last year's Apple Watch Series 4, and the recently released Series 5. The aluminum and stainless steel models look identical, but the Series 5 has bragging rights, thanks to new titanium and ceramic housings.

All-day battery life; Always-on display; Tight integration with the iPhone

WatchOS 6 is buggy; Still no sleep tracking

It's still the best smartwatch

The Apple Watch is still the best smartwatch. Though the Series 5 feels like a minor update to last year’s Series 4, it will fit the bill for the vast majority of people buying Apple Watches for the first time.

Bright screen; Always-on display is useful and power efficient; Compass is handy for hiking and walking directions; International emergency calling on cellular models; Generally fast performance

No battery life improvements; No third-party watchfaces; No new fitness features

From the outside, and on paper, there's not a huge difference between last year's Apple Watch Series 4, and the recently released Series 5. The aluminum and stainless steel models look identical, but the Series 5 has bragging rights, thanks to new titanium and ceramic housings.

All-day battery life; Always-on display; Tight integration with the iPhone

WatchOS 6 is buggy; Still no sleep tracking

An always-on display makes the best smartwatch even better.