Xiaomi’s Watch 5 has just launched globally, and it could be an affordable Google Pixel Watch 4 rival
- The Xiaomi Watch 5 is now available for sale outside China
- The smartwatch originally launched in China in late 2025
- It’s switched operating systems from HyperOS to Google’s Wear OS 6
Back in December, Xiaomi launched its Watch 5 wearable with Wear OS 6 compatibility. The bad news is that it was only released in China, but the company has now made the device available worldwide, bringing its new features to a much wider audience.
The Watch 5 comes with a 1.54-inch AMOLED display featuring sapphire glass on both the front and back and reaching up to 1,500 nits of brightness. The body is made from a stainless steel frame and is available in Juniper Green or Black, while the 3D-printed strap weighs 43g, which Xiaomi says is about 50% lighter than a stainless steel equivalent.
Xiaomi’s watch is powered by a combination of a 4nm Snapdragon W5 and a low-power 6nm BES2800 chip. This move is to “balance performance and energy efficiency,” Xiaomi says. When used in Performance Mode, you’ll get six days of battery life on a single charge, which extends to 18 days when Power Saving Mode is activated.
Gesture control gets a boost in the form of an electromyography (EMG) sensor that brings Xiaomi’s “most precise gesture control to date,” the firm says. This supports seven gestures and interactions. Aside from that, there are over 150 sports modes, 3D-animated workout guidance, and ECG analysis.
Switching to Wear OS 6
Xiaomi often releases many of its best smartwatches in China first, then expands them around the world. That’s proven to be no different in the case of the Watch 5.
We’ve not reviewed a device in Xiaomi’s Watch series yet, but we have cast our eyes over other wearables made by the company. That includes the Watch S1 Pro, which we scored 3.5 stars out of five, and the four-star Smart Band 9. When we tested those products, we were impressed by their premium-feeling hardware, but we felt they were let down by sometimes-erratic software. We’ll have to see if that’s something Xiaomi has addressed with the Watch 5.
Speaking of software, Xiaomi has switched from its own HyperOS operating system to Google’s Wear OS 6. We’ve not been told why, but that should help to give it similar software features to the likes of the Google Pixel Watch 4, which we reviewed favorably last year.
How much will you have to shell out for a Watch 5? That’s a little unclear, as US pricing doesn’t appear to be available yet, but it’s listed at £269.99 in the UK and AU$499 in Australia. Either way, it’s available to buy now in various regions around the world.
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