Size and Design

The size of the Apple Watch Series 5 is completely unchanged from the Series 4. In fact, you’ll probably have a hard time telling them apart unless you pick up a Series 5 in one of the new titanium or ceramic case options, which aren’t available for the Series 4.

Specifically, there are still 44mm and 40mm versions available, which feature 977 sq mm and 759 sq mm display areas, respectively. It’s also still 10.7 mm in thickness.

In fact, the only significant design differences are the two aforementioned titanium and ceramic versions, with the former available in either brushed silver or brushed space black, and the ceramic available in the usual white. In the latter case, it’s a nice return of a design that was skipped for the Series 4, and if you held out on pulling the trigger on upgrading last year because of that, then you’ll be happy to see that it’s made a comeback.

The two new designs also mark a return to the Apple Watch Edition lineup that originally debuted with the 18-karat Gold Apple Watch back in 2015. The original ostentatious gold version was replaced by the ceramic finish when the Series 2 debuted, so it’s not surprising that this remains an “Edition” version — still the most expensive one, in fact — but it’s now also joined by the titanium models, which carry a smaller $100 or so premium over the equivalent stainless steel versions.

There are some subtler changes to the aluminum and stainless steel models as well, with the former now being made from 100 percent aluminum — a nice nod to the environment that won’t be visually apparent — and the stainless steel now available in a new Space Black version.