Four reasons why Xiaomi Watch 5 is now the favorite Wear OS smartwatch
I’ve made it pretty clear over the years that I don’t like Wear OS, but that changed after using the Pixel Watch 3 and Pixel Watch 4; Google has done a great job of making meaningful changes to its wearables, and the Pixel Watch 4 in particular has been a joy to use.
That said, battery life is still an issue with many smartwatches, and that’s where the Xiaomi Watch 5 comes into the equation. The global model of the Watch 5 gets Wear OS 6, which gives it a noticeable advantage over the Chinese model. Xiaomi has also added a bigger battery this time around – also with silicon-carbon technology – and the design looks better than previous offerings.
The outstanding software is powered by Wear OS
Xiaomi did a great job integrating Wear OS 6 into the Watch 6, and the interface is as fluid as the Pixel Watch 4. There’s no lag, the UI is easy to use, and you get a decent amount of customization overall.
You get Maps, Spotify, Calendar, and other services on the smartwatch, and if you like Gemini, you can enable the digital assistant on the watch, allowing you to interact without taking out your phone.
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Alongside Wear OS 6, you get the usual Xiaomi extras, and this is where the Watch 5 really comes into its own. The product’s extensive health and fitness monitoring tools are available, and you get the usual slate of sensors — SpO2, blood oxygen, heart rate module, and barometer — included.
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Interestingly, you get touch on the watch, and this is similar to double touch on the Apple Watch. Gestures are powered by wrist and hand movements, and while I’ve noticed these cause issues at times, they’re generally a decent enough way to interact with the screen on the Watch 5.
The best battery life in a Wear OS smartwatch
Xiaomi has included a large 930mAh battery in the Watch 5, and what is interesting this time is that it has used silicon-carbon technology – similar to the Xiaomi 17 Ultra – to increase battery density and durability. This is a big deal as it allows the product to fit a larger battery in a smartwatch, and I see other manufacturers joining the bandwagon soon.
The result is that the Watch 5 easily lasts four days between charges, twice as long as the Pixel Watch 4. It can go up to two weeks if you switch to low-power mode, which uses the BES2800 low-power platform and a basic interface.
For regular use, you get Wear OS 6 powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon W5 Gen 1 platform, and it’s a big deal in itself that Xiaomi manages to deliver four days of battery life. This is my biggest pain point with smartwatches, and one of the main reasons I use Huawei’s Watch Ultimate 2 whenever I’m on the go; that smartwatch lasts more than a week between charges, and with the Watch 5 approaching, there’s now a Wear OS-powered alternative.
Bright AMOLED panel
The Watch 5 gets a 1.54-inch AMOLED panel with a resolution of 480 x 480, and it’s bright – up to 1500 nits in HBM mode. I used the smartwatch during the unusually hot season in Hyderabad, and I had no problems with outdoor visibility.
The only problem I have is that the ambient light sensor takes a while to adjust to the light when it’s outside, and I’ve had to raise the brightness levels twice. Other than that, I didn’t see any problems.
The large panel makes it easy to interact with the smartwatch, and allows you to view two additional lines of text with notifications mirrored on your wrist. I haven’t used the smartwatch enough to measure its durability yet, but this hasn’t seemed to be a problem in the past, and Xiaomi’s custom glass protection should hold its own against scratches and drops.
A striking design
I know the Watch 5 is a complete unit, but I like that in a smartwatch. It’s as big as the Huawei Watch Ultimate 2, and while it may not have a bold presence, I like the overall design.
The stainless steel frame sets the watch apart from the plethora of budget-oriented options available today, and the shadow works well on the multitude of watch faces Xiaomi offers. Of course, you can design your own or choose from a list of hundreds of other options.
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The watch is not too heavy at 56g, and it gets 5ATM water resistance. Xiaomi has the Watch 5 optioned with two fluoroelastomer bands, and I’d like to see leather or metal bands instead – they just go better with the design of the smartwatch. That said, the included bands are of decent enough quality, and I didn’t see any issues.
Finally, the Watch 5 comes with all the usual features in Wear OS 6, and you get more of Xiaomi around, resulting in a particularly unique smartwatch.
The long battery life is the biggest differentiator in my view, and it’s the reason I’ll be using the Watch 5 on the road. The UI itself is similar to other Wear OS watches, and Xiaomi has done a good job of making sure that there is no noticeable sloppiness in day-to-day interactions.
Combine all that with a large 1.54-inch AMOLED panel and a bold design, and it’s easy to see why the Xiaomi Watch 5 is an attractive option if you’re looking to get a new Wear OS watch in 2026 — now my go-to recommendation if you need an Android smartwatch. And at 299 Euros, it’s not as expensive as its closest competitors, and that’s always a good thing.
