Charging a smartwatch every night is a pain. But what if you only needed to charge it once every 21 days? Enter the 46mm Xiaomi Watch S5.
Xiaomi first launched the See T5 in China in March, but the company launched it internationally this week, with global availability starting in late May and early June, depending on the region. While the Watch S5 hasn’t been announced for the US, the European price (€179.99 or €199.99 depending on strap color and style) gives us an idea of what to expect if you want to import one. You’re looking at between $210 and $233.
How exactly does Xiaomi’s Watch S5 get up to 21 hours of battery life when competitors like the Apple Watch Series 11 ($400) and Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 ($350) can you only scrape together about a day? There’s always a big asterisk next to battery life, but in this case it seems pretty reasonable.
Light use of the Watch S5 allows the 815 mAh battery to last up to 21 days. Xiaomi defines light use as receiving up to 100 messages per day with up to six incoming call alerts per day, three alarms per day, 30 minutes of Bluetooth calling per week, 30 minutes of music playback per week, and 90 minutes of exercise recording. Normal use will reduce battery life to 14 days and always-on display use will reduce it to approximately 9 days.
Other smart watches they offer days Battery life doesn’t seem to come close to that of the Watch S5 either. He OnePlus Watch 3 ($350) and Amazfit Active 3 Premium ($170) provide around 3 days and up to 12 days, respectively. If you want truly “unlimited” battery life, you’ll want to consider a solar-powered watch like the Garmin Instinct series (starting at $300).
Aside from the long battery life, the rest of the Watch S5 seems solid. Highlights include a dual-band GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) with five systems, more than 150 sports modes, heart rate monitoring, sleep tracking, and an improved cycling mode that turns your phone into a bike computer.
Of course, there are some features that the Xiaomi Watch S5 lacks compared to its flagship competition, such as an electrocardiogram sensor and a depth meter function. However, the Watch S5 includes professional skiing and cycling modes among its more than 150 sports.
The Watch S5 works best with a Xiaomi phone for shared ecosystem quality of life features, but can connect to any smartphone via the Mi Fitness app for deeper sports mode tracking and health data storage.
As with all Xiaomi product releases, the main downside is that the company doesn’t officially sell the Watch S5 in the U.S. Third-party sellers may have it in stock, but you may end up paying more than international MSRPs.
