The Apple Watch Series 5 doesn't feature any drastic changes, but an always-on display makes the best smartwatch you can buy even better.

The Series 5 looks virtually identical to the Series 4—when placed next to one another, it's hard to tell the difference. The right side of the case is home to the digital crown (which features a red dot on the cellular version), above the microphone and side button. The left side holds the speaker, which gets loud enough to easily hear phone calls and Siri.

The biggest (and long overdue) design upgrade comes in the form of the always-on display. Rather than having to constantly flick your wrist to activate the screen, you can now see everything at a glance. To preserve battery life, Apple uses a low-temperature, polysilicone and oxide display, an ultra-low power display driver, and a new ambient light sensor.

The Series 5 packs a new S5 chip under the hood. It delivers smooth, snappy performance. Scrolling through menus feels fluid and apps load very quickly.

The Series 5 features an accelerometer, a barometric altimeter, an electrical heart rate sensor, a gyroscope, and an optical heart rate sensor.

The Series 5 has the same 18-hour battery life as its predecessors, but it's enough to comfortably get you through the day. Following a three-hour workout in the morning, a few phone calls throughout the day, and lots of music streaming, I still had about 50 percent of juice left by the end of the day.

New to the Series 5 is Apple's highly touted International Emergency Calling feature. No matter where you are, the watch can make calls to emergency services, even if you're in another country or if your cellular plan isn't activated. Also exclusive to the Series 5 is the Compass app, which shows information like heading, incline, latitude, longitude, and elevation.

With the Cycle Tracking app on watchOS 6, women can track their menstrual cycles by logging their period, along with any symptoms and notes, right from the watch.

Apple has added a new health and wellness element in the form of a Noise app, which measures the environmental sound levels around you periodically throughout the day. You can also choose a decibel threshold, and the Apple Watch will notify you if the average sound level around you exceeds it.