The Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 seems to rival the Apple Watch in the worst possible way

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 seems to rival the Apple Watch in the worst possible way (*two*)

One problem we mentioned in our review of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic was that it was priced too high, and it's hard not to see the problem with the standard Watch 4, which is only slightly cheaper but looks similar to the Samsung Galaxy Watch. 5 could cost even more.

This comes from reliable leaker Roland Quandt, who has listed some leaked prices for the upcoming Galaxy Watch 5 models; this includes versions of both sizes of the standard device, as well as the rumored single-size Pro version.

Samsung Galaxy Watch540mm BT ~300 Euro40mm LTE ~350 EuroPink Gold, Gray, Silver44mm BT ~350 Euro44mm LTE ~400 EuroBlue, Grey, SilverWatch5 Pro45mm BT ~490 Euro45mm LTE ~540 EuroBlack, Titanium*Prices conversion and taxes may cause figures differ from actual MSRP figures June 22, 2022

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As that headline suggests, these prices are all higher than the Galaxy Watch 4 series equivalents, by around €30-€50. This is a price increase that will likely be reflected in prices in other regions as well.

Raising the price is a strange decision by Samsung, given the price of Watch 4 devices, and we can't help but think that this decision would be wrong.

Admittedly, since Samsung is said to have changed the moniker from 'Classic' to 'Pro' this generation, it might not be fair to compare the two high-end smartwatches: they might offer something different there, low, but anyway, the new version is definitely more expensive.

We haven't heard enough Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 leaks or rumors to know why the device is seeing a price increase, but hopefully we'll hear some new features that justify the cost increase.

Notice: an Apple Watch bug

If there's one thing that puts me off the Apple Watch, it's the price: I've tried enough smartwatches to know that $399 / £369 / AU$599 is too expensive to buy one, regardless of the features it packs.

This is also an issue I had with the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4, I must point out: Apple is not alone in overpricing its products.

But unlike Apple, Samsung has a legacy of affordable but interesting versions of its products (and I'm not counting things like the iPhone SE, a phone that hardly deserves the descriptions "affordable" or "interesting"). In smartphones, the Samsung Galaxy A53 arguably gives you more for your money than the flagship S22, despite a much lower price, and Samsung also makes some lower-cost tablets that are proving very popular.

With that in mind, it's strange that Samsung insists on raising the prices of its smartwatches, even when it doesn't offer a cheaper version (the Galaxy Fit doesn't exactly count, since it's a fitness tracker and not a smartwatch).

Samsung is copying Apple in the worst possible way, pricing its devices too high without offering meaningful alternatives. And given the number of countries facing a cost-of-living crisis, that's not enough.

We haven't heard any rumors that Samsung is preparing a cheap smartwatch, and if the Galaxy Watch 5 price increase really happens, I'll have to go back to my list of the best cheap smartwatches to get inspiration for my new device.