After the exit of Fossil from the Wear OS stable, things were looking a tad bare for Google’s platform.
But MWC has seen two big new additions to the Wear OS cohort – and the Xiaomi Watch 2 looks like it could just cut through.
I’ve always been surprised that after owning the fitness tracker market with its budget Mi Band range, Xiaomi hasn’t been as aggressive in the smartwatch world.
Its Mi Watch, Mi Watch Litem and Watch S1/S2 have all come and gone with confusing names, middling specs and too-high price tags.
Indeed, its Xiaomi Watch S1 landed with a $199 price tag and managed very little penetration (and a middling 3.5 star Wareable review).
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But by pricing its Xiaomi Watch 2, now with Wear OS for the first time, at just £169 (US availability and price TBC), it’s got back to what Xiaomi does best.
This is especially true when you consider what’s on board.
The Xiaomi Watch 2 brings a Snapdragon W5+ processor, the latest and greatest chipset from Qualcomm. The co-processor of the W5+ enables far greater battery life than its predecessors, and the Watch 2 offers 65 hours. OK, it’s not the same level as rival RTOS and Garmin smartwatches – but for a fully featured smartwatch, this is good.
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The Watch 2 also goes and parks its tanks on the lawns of fitness brands with multi-band GNSS on board. This uses the L1 and L5 satellite frequencies for faster lock-on, and supposedly, better GPS performance for outdoor workouts.
The screen tech is also out of the top drawer – with a 1.43-inch AMOLED display, 466x466 resolution popping pixels at 326ppi.
It’s been a fixture of premium workout devices, so this is a big box ticked for Xiaomi’s budget smartwatch.
Xiaomi has also launched the Watch 2 Pro at £269 ($340), which features support for LTE, a bioimpedance sensor for body composition analysis, a stainless steel case, and a digital crown.
Wareable says
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With Wear OS now a capable platform, with quality apps and excellent Google services (Maps/Pay etc), it's now being joined by some attractive devices.
The Xiaomi Watch 2 does everything we’ve come to expect from Xiaomi – challenging the likes of Samsung and Google’s own Pixel Watch with a tough spec sheet at an astounding price.
Xiaomi Watch 2 vs Watch 2 Pro
| Feature | Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro | Xiaomi Watch 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Display | 1.43 inch AMOLED | 1.43 inch AMOLED |
| Resolution | 466x 466 pixels, 326 PPI | 466x 466 pixels, 326 PPI |
| Brightness | Up to 600 nits | up to 600 nits |
| Dimensions | 47.6mm*45.9mm*11.8mm | 47.5mm*45.9mm*11.8mm |
| Weight | 54.5g (without strap) | 36.8g (without strap) |
| Band Strap (Size/Material) | Size: 135 mm-205 mm; Material: Fluororubber/Leather | Size:140 mm-210 mm; Material: TPU |
| Out-of-box strap color | Orange, Green, Black Orange, Brown | Pine Green TPU Strap ｜White Leather Strap｜Recycled Braided Strap (Black) |
| Battery Charging type | Magnetic charging | Magnetic charging |
| Charging time | Approximately 45 minutes | Approximately 45 minutes |
| Typical use time | LTE: up to 55h BT: up to 65h | Up to 65h |
| Nominal Capacity | 495mAh | 495mAh |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon® W5+ Gen 1 Platform 4nm manufacturing process | Qualcomm Snapdragon® W5+ Gen 1 Platform; 4nm manufacturing process |
| Storage & RAM | 2GB+32GB | 2GB+32GB |
| Network & Connectivity | Bluetooth 5.2 LTE 4G Wi-Fi | Bluetooth 5.2 Wi-Fi |
| Sensors | Optical heart rate sensor, Accelerometer sensor, Gyroscope sensor, Ambient light sensor, Electronic compass sensor, Barometer sensor, Bioelectrical impedance analysis sensor | Optical heart rate sensor, Accelerometer sensor, Gyroscope sensor, Ambient light sensor, Electronic compass sensor, Barometer sensor |
| Navigation & Positioning | Dual band: L1+L5 GPS, Galileo, Glonass, Beidou, QZSS | Dual band : L1+L5 GPS, Galileo, Glonass, Beidou, QZSS |
How we test
James is the co-founder of Wareable, and he has been a technology journalist for 15 years.
He started his career at Future Publishing, James became the features editor of T3 Magazine and T3.com and was a regular contributor to TechRadar – before leaving Future Publishing to found Wareable in 2014.
James has been at the helm of Wareable since 2014 and has become one of the leading experts in wearable technologies globally. He has reviewed, tested, and covered pretty much every wearable on the market, and is passionate about the evolving industry, and wearables helping people achieve healthier and happier lives.