After gifting us the Watch 2 Pro upon its entry into the Wear OS smartwatch world, Xiaomi appears to be returning to the well and preparing the regular Watch 2 for launch.
The upcoming smartwatch has leaked in full on a Finnish retail site ahead of what looks like a launch in Europe, featuring stripped-back features and a lesser price tag than its premium twin.
Some listings have been taken down since first appearing, but the price range for the Xiaomi Watch 2 appears to be between €199-€219 - or around £169-185 / $215-235. That's considerably less than rival Wear OS devices.
At first glance, not much appears to be different between the two. The biggest design change is the removal of the crown on the case's right side, though the uncovered listing would appear to suggest the display size (1.43 inches) and case size (47.6 x 45.9 x 11.8mm) are otherwise identical to the Pro edition.
With aluminum referenced as the case material, though, as opposed to stainless steel, it's likely the standard Xiaomi Watch 2 will have a significantly different feel on the wrist. We struggled to exercise comfortably with the weighty Pro, so this is actually a welcome change for us.
Xiaomi's skinned version of Wear OS 3.5 also appears to be sticking around, with room for SpO2 monitoring, sleep tracking, and continuous heart rate monitoring - all delivered by the Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1, according to the listing.
There are no indications on how long we can expect the Xiaomi Watch 2 to last, but the fact it features the same processor as its more expensive sibling (which we made last around 2-3 days with heavy use) would suggest the outlook is again strong on this front.
We found the rest of the experience on the Pro model to be pretty half-baked, so it's a relief to see the price tag shrink considerably for this standard edition.
The only question that remains is when we see Xiaomi provide an official confirmation.
We already know that upcoming devices like the OnePlus Watch 2 and Samsung Galaxy Fit 3 are looking certain for full reveals around Mobile World Congress in Barcelona later this month, and, with Xiaomi also preparing its latest handset, we likely don't have to wait long for the Watch 2.
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Conor moved to Wareable Media Group in 2017, initially covering all the latest developments in smartwatches, fitness trackers, and VR. He made a name for himself writing about trying out translation earbuds on a first date and cycling with a wearable airbag, as well as covering the industry’s latest releases.
Following a stint as Reviews Editor at Pocket-lint, Conor returned to Wareable Media Group in 2022 as Editor-at-Large. Conor has become a wearables expert, and helps people get more from their wearable tech, via Wareable's considerable how-to-based guides.
He has also contributed to British GQ, Wired, Metro, The Independent, and The Mirror.