Xiaomi Watch S5 Review — First launched in China on March 19, 2026, and rolled out globally on May 28, 2026, the Xiaomi Watch S5 is the brand’s most ambitious non-Wear OS smartwatch yet.
Sitting between the budget Smart Band 10 Pro and the full-fat Xiaomi Watch 5, it arrives with a stunning 21-day battery promise, a slimmer stainless steel chassis, and serious health and fitness credentials — all at a starting price of €179 / £179. But is it the best value smartwatch of 2026? Let’s dig in.
Design and Dimensions
The Watch S5 ditches the bulk of its predecessor and arrives with a noticeably sleeker profile. The 46mm stainless steel middle frame measures just 10.99mm thick and weighs a light 46g (without the strap) — making it one of the slimmest long-battery smartwatches on the market.
Bezels have been trimmed by up to 40% compared to the Watch S4, which makes the 1.48-inch circular AMOLED display feel more modern and immersive.
Available in Black, Silver, Jungle Green, and Ceramic Blue, the watch also supports interchangeable bezels and swappable 22mm straps — so you can dress it up or down depending on the occasion.
The Jungle Green model ships with a premium fluororubber and nylon braided strap that feels both sporty and premium.
Design Specs at a Glance
| Feature | Specification |
|---|---|
| Case Size | 46mm |
| Thickness | 10.99mm |
| Weight (no strap) | 46g |
| Display | 1.48-inch AMOLED, 480×480px, 323 PPI |
| Peak Brightness | 2,500 nits |
| Frame Material | Stainless steel |
| Strap Width | 22mm (standard, interchangeable) |
| Water Resistance | 5ATM |
| Operating System | Xiaomi HyperOS 3 |
| Colours | Black, Silver, Jungle Green, Ceramic Blue |
Xiaomi Watch S5 Health Tracking Features
Xiaomi has upgraded the sensor array inside the Watch S5, moving to a 4 LED + 4 PD biometric sensor system that the company claims delivers 98.4% heart rate accuracy. That’s a significant improvement over the previous generation and puts it in genuine competition with more expensive rivals.
Key health features include:
- All-day heart rate monitoring with high-precision continuous tracking
- Blood oxygen (SpO₂) monitoring with low-level alerts
- All-day stress monitoring with proactive relaxation reminders
- Advanced sleep tracking with a new algorithm for improved sleep/wake detection, weekly and monthly sleep architecture reports, and sleeping HRV analysis — sleep precision has been boosted by 14% over the S4
- Women’s health management including menstrual cycle tracking and prediction
- Breathing exercises including box breathing and bee breathing modes
- NFC payments supporting Mastercard and Visa (global version)
A standout new addition is Passion Mode — a gesture-recognition feature that detects cheering movements and records heart rate, calories burned, and an engagement score during live sports events. It’s a fun, novel idea that sets the S5 apart.
Sports Tracking Features : Dual Band GPS
For fitness enthusiasts, the Watch S5 packs more than 150 sports modes, ranging from running and cycling to swimming and hiking.
The headline upgrade on the tracking side is the continuation of Xiaomi’s dual-frequency five-system GNSS, which combines GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, BeiDou, and QZSS satellite systems for significantly more accurate outdoor positioning.
Dual-band GPS is particularly valuable in urban environments with tall buildings or under dense tree cover, where a single-frequency chip can struggle. The S5 also supports connection to external Bluetooth cycling power meters, a feature that genuinely caters to performance cyclists.
Other sports-specific highlights include:
- Route tracking with offline maps support
- Calorie and VO2 max estimation
- Auto-workout detection
- Compatible with Suunto and popular fitness apps via Health Connect (Android)
- Passion Mode gesture tracking during spectator sports
Battery Life
This is where the Watch S5 makes its biggest statement. The watch houses an 815mAh battery — a massive 68% increase over the Watch S4’s cell — powered by Xiaomi’s new Surge Battery technology.
Claimed battery life figures:
- Up to 21 days in light/Bluetooth mode
- Up to 14 days with eSIM connectivity active
- 9 days under normal use with Always-On Display enabled
Real-world results will vary, but even discounting Xiaomi’s optimistic lab numbers, this places the Watch S5 comfortably among the longest-lasting AMOLED smartwatches available today.
Charging is handled via a two-pin magnetic puck — the same standard dock used across Xiaomi’s wearable lineup.
Price
The Xiaomi Watch S5 is priced competitively for its feature set:
- €179.99 / £179 — Black and Silver variants
- €199.99 — Jungle Green and Ceramic Blue variants
In China, the watch launched at 1,099 yuan for standard colourways and 1,299 yuan for the premium Midnight Blue edition.
How It Compares to the Competition
Xiaomi Watch S5 vs Xiaomi Watch 5
These two watches serve different audiences. The Xiaomi Watch 5 (released December 2025) runs Wear OS 6 with HyperOS 3, powered by a Snapdragon W5 Gen 1 chip, and offers app support, a larger 1.54-inch display, 4G eSIM, and up to 6 days of battery.
If you want full Android app compatibility and a tech-forward smartwatch, the Watch 5 is the pick — but you’ll sacrifice battery longevity significantly.
The Watch S5, by contrast, is the endurance athlete: lighter, slimmer, far longer-lasting, and better suited to those who prioritize health and fitness tracking over app ecosystems.
Xiaomi Watch S5 vs Huawei Watch GT 6 Pro
The Huawei Watch GT 6 Pro has long been the gold standard for battery life and health accuracy in this price bracket, and the Watch S5 takes direct aim at it. Both watches offer 21-day battery claims under light use, advanced sleep tracking, and dual-band GPS.
Huawei’s ecosystem remains more polished for health insights, and the GT 6 Pro edges ahead on build quality and strap comfort.
However, the Watch S5 undercuts it on price, offers broader app compatibility (Android + iOS), supports Google Pay via NFC globally, and brings the novel Passion Mode.
For non-Huawei users, the S5 is the stronger all-round value proposition.
Final Verdict
The Xiaomi Watch S5 is a genuinely impressive mid-range smartwatch that punches well above its price. The redesigned chassis is sleeker, the display is brighter, the health sensors are more accurate, and the battery life leap over the S4 is substantial.
Dual-band GPS, 150+ sports modes, and Wear OS-free simplicity make it an excellent daily companion for fitness-focused users who don’t need a full app store on their wrist. At €179, it’s one of the best-value smartwatches of 2026.
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