Let's face it, most smartwatches are just glorified wristbands that notify you when someone likes your Instagram photo while you're trying to drive. They're annoying, they have less battery life than the average Hollywood movie, and at the end of the day, they're just black, soulless screens. But Xiaomi has just thrown the industry a spanner in the works. With the new Xiaomi Watch 5, they haven't just updated the processor; they've added the ability to read your muscles. Yes, you read that right. It's no longer just a watch, it's an extension of your nervous system. And last but not least – it looks damn good
Let's start with the basics, because if a car isn't beautiful, no one will drive it, even if it has a rocket engine under the hood. Xiaomi Watch 5 It comes in a 47 mm (1.85 in) diameter stainless steel case. This is not a toy for children; it is a piece of metal for grown-ups. The front is dominated by a 1.54-inch (3.91 cm) AMOLED a screen with a bezel thinner than my patience in rush hour traffic – measuring just 2.6mm.
But what really excites me is resilience. They used synthetic sapphire glass. And not just on the screen, where you'd expect it, but also on the bottom, where the sensors are. Why? Because scratches are for amateurs. The screen offers a brightness of 1,500 nits, which in practice means that you'll be able to read the data even if you're standing in the middle of the Sahara at noon and staring at the sun (which I don't recommend).
Under the hood: A hybrid drive that works
If this watch were a car, it would be a hybrid supercar. Under the hood, there's a dual-chip architecture. We've got a beastly Snapdragon W5 (built on a 4nm process) that keeps graphics buttery smooth, and an energy-efficient BES2800 chip that quietly does the dirty work in the background.
The result of this symbiosis? Xiaomi claims that the battery lasts up to 6 days in high-performance mode. But if you're frugal and turn on power saving mode, that number jumps to an absurd 18 days. In a world where Apple Watch owners have to look for a power outlet every night before bed, this is a figure that deserves applause. The battery capacity and charging speed are optimized so that the watch never lets you down when you need it most.
Science Fiction: EMG Sensor
But this is where things get really interesting. The Xiaomi Watch 5 is the world's first watch with an EMG (electromyography) sensor. Forget about tapping on a small screen with sweaty fingers while running. This sensor detects subtle electrical signals from your wrist muscles.
What does this mean in practice? You clap your fingers to change songs. You clench your fist to reject your mother-in-law's call. This is Jedi-level control. No touch, no voice commands that make you look like a lunatic talking with your hand. Just pure, silent biomechanics. Plus, the watch offers a standard ECG that analyzes your heart rate over 30 seconds, as well as blood oxygen (SpO2) and stress measurements. Because we know you have too much of it.
Connectivity and sports: More than just exercise
For those who can't do without the internet even while running in the forest, the watch supports eSIM for direct connection to 4G LTE networks. You can call, text, and make payments without lugging around that brick you call a smartphone.
It supports over 150 sports modes. Let’s be honest, you’ll probably only use three: running, cycling, and “running to the fridge.” But hey, if you ever decide to play underwater hockey, the watch is ready. For runners and hikers, there’s turn-by-turn navigation and a track-back feature that gets you back to your starting point when you inevitably get lost. It’s all powered by the new HyperOS, which finally unifies the ecosystem into a meaningful whole.
Conclusion: Is this the future?
Xiaomi The Watch 5 isn't perfect. It's big, it's bold, and it's probably too smart for its own good. But in a sea of boring smartwatches that copy each other's homework, this watch is the one classmate that actually does something new.
The price in the Chinese market is around 1,999 yuan. (approximately 265 EUR), while the eSIM version will cost you around 2,299 yuan (approximately 305 EUR)Expect European prices to jump due to taxes, but even if they reach 350 or 400 euros, this is still an offer that smells like victory, given the materials (steel, sapphire) and technology (EMG, Snapdragon W5).
The main trump card is not the battery, nor the screen. It's the feeling of wearing technology that actually understands you. Clap your fingers to silence the alarm? This is the kind of laziness that, as a tech enthusiast, I fully support. If you're looking for a watch that's stylish, rugged, and smarter than your pet, this is it. Do you need it? Probably not. Will you want it? Absolutely.
