Tovic Salvador

Article (news)

Arthur Fuentes

ABS-CBN News

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1782112483343xiaomi watch s5.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>The Xiaomi Watch S5 smartwatch. Arthur Fuentes, ABS-CBN News</div>MANILA – After spending several weeks with the Xiaomi Watch S5, I’ve come to really like this affordable, midrange smartwatch. It ticks all the boxes for a fitness-focused wearable, and it looks good while doing it too. On top of all that, it also has a massive battery that lets you just keep running and cycling for days on end, without needing to worry about recharging. But first, we need to clarify that the Xiaomi Watch S5 is different from the equally impressive Xiaomi Watch 5, which is a full-fledged smartwatch with smart features courtesy of Google’s Wear OS platform. The latter model has access to Google’s plethora of apps, even the Gemini AI assistant. The S5, meanwhile, uses Xiaomi’s proprietary HyperOS 3 platform, which does not have as extensive an app ecosystem as Wear OS. But while you can’t install apps like Strava or Nike Run directly on the S5, the native apps and features on the watch are already quite plenty. And yes, the watch automatically ports your data to your Strava account via the Mi Fitness app.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1782112531483xiaomi watch trail run.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>Xiaomi Watch S5 on a hike. Arthur Fuentes, ABS-CBN News</div>If you don’t need Wear OS apps, you can opt for the S5–and you will be rewarded with a battery life that lasts for up to three weeks, instead of the six days on the Watch 5. The watch itself looks pretty decent, whether you’re in sports wear or in casual attire. It comes in four styles–with the silver, black and ceramic blue all featuring classy-looking stainless steel bezels, while the “jungle green’ variant has a “forged carbon” bezel that makes it look ready for some outdoor adventure. You won’t have a problem using this while running or cycling outdoors, as the display has a really good resolution and gets quite bright. Xiaomi says the watch uses a 1.48-inch AMOLED display with a 480 × 480 resolution, which can flare up to 1,500 nits of brightness, and even 2,500 nits of peak brightness. The watch is also very responsive. I didn’t notice any sort of lag while swiping through the menus or switching from one app to another. A very welcome bonus is the gallery of free watch faces that are some of the best I’ve seen. One thing that confuses me about some smartwatches is why vendors still make you pay to access their best watch faces. I’m glad that Xiaomi is offering a lot of really nice, useful, and quirky watch faces for free. <div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1782112596264xiaomi watch road bike.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>Xiaomi Watch S5 on a bike ride. Arthur Fuentes, ABS-CBN News</div>How about the fitness features? As someone whose schedule involves a lot of running, cycling and a bit of lifting, I have no complaints and lots of praise for the Watch S5. It can track dozens of workouts, and even automatically detect when you’ve started or paused your workout.If you want to run or bike outdoors, the location and speed tracking locks in fast courtesy of multiple satellite systems, namely:  Galileo, Glonass, BeiDou, QZSS and of course, good old GPS. It gets a GPS lock in seconds, which often puts my Garmin bike head unit to shame. I&#x27;ve also found it more accurate in terms of counting distance compared to my Garmin 830 Edge bike computer, which has a tendency to keep adding miles even when you&#x27;re sitting down, having coffee during a break in the ride.But if you’re a cyclist who prefers using a bike computer to track speed and distance, the Watch S5 can also broadcast your heart rate to head units like Garmin so you can keep your hands on your handlebars.  And thanks to its huge 815mAh battery, you can use this watch every day for casual cycling and running for up to 10 days without needing to recharge. If you’re not that active and only use it to track sleep or occasional walks, the watch could theoretically last up to 21 days, according to Xiaomi. But in my case, since I run, bike or lift almost every day, and have the display always on, the watch lasts me around ten days–which is very good for a wearable. <div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1782112632565xiaomi watch lift.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>Xiaomi Watch S5 can track a lot of workouts. Arthur Fuentes, ABS-CBN News</div>If you plan to go on multi-day adventures outdoors, this watch is a good option. You can download offline maps on the watch, which means if you ever get lost in areas where there&#x27;s no cell signal, you can still navigate using the watch.Meanwhile, sleep tracking is just OK. Sometimes it would record me as having taken more than 7 hours of sleep, when I only sleep a little over 6 hours most of the time. Also, while it has very good fitness features, I would have liked to see more health-focused tracking. Other watches have already begun including ECG and abnormal heart rate detection in their capabilities.The camera app could also use some improvement. But taking everything into account, this is a solid piece of hardware for people who want to get fit and do it in style. The Xiaomi Watch S5 sells for P10,999.

The Xiaomi Watch S5 is a solid piece of wearable tech for people who want to get fit and do it in style.

The Xiaomi Watch S5 is a solid piece of wearable tech for people who want to get fit and do it in style.

REVIEW: Xiaomi Watch S5 is a good looking, adventure-ready smartwatch

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REVIEW: Xiaomi Watch S5 is a good looking, adventure-ready smartwatch

Arthur Fuentes,

ABS-CBN News

Published June 22, 2026 03:21 PM PHT

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Updated June 23, 2026 10:33 AM PHT

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Xiaomi Watch S5

smartwatch

fitness

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