After a few weeks of quiet teasing, Vivo has officially launched the Watch 5, its latest entry into the increasingly crowded smartwatch arena. While it may not be kicking down any doors in terms of innovation, it does pack in a surprisingly solid feature set—especially for a device that, for now, appears limited to its home market in China.
Running on Vivo’s own BlueOS, the Watch 5 offers a generous battery life of up to 22 days on a single charge (with typical use), positioning it as a potential long-haul champion for anyone tired of nightly top-ups. It’s also iOS-compatible—a welcome move for non-Apple smartwatch buyers on iPhones, even if BlueOS is unlikely to give watchOS or Wear OS any sleepless nights.
Health-wise, the Watch 5 includes continuous heart rate monitoring, blood oxygen tracking, and arrhythmia detection, with the ability to flag potential blood pressure issues. All impressive on paper, but as always, accuracy will be the true test—especially in a budget watch like this.
Design-wise, well… my first impression was that it’s most reminiscent of the Google Pixel Watch 3. That’s not a dig, either—it’s a sleek and minimalist look, and let’s face it, it’s quite refreshing to see a brand not be inspired by Apple’s homework for once.
Pricing and international availability remain question marks, though. If Vivo keeps the price competitive and manages to ship it outside Asia, this could quietly become a solid cheap smartwatch for casual users who want fitness insights without buying into a smartwatch ecosystem. We’ll keep an eye out—stay tuned.
