Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro Review: A WearOS Smartwatch Done Right?
2023 has been the year of the rebirth of WearOS, with almost every manufacturer bringing in smartwatches with excellent features and performance. Xiaomi has also entered the race with the Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro. The watch looks as good on paper as the Galaxy Watch 6 and high-end models from other manufacturers, but the lower price is the secret ingredient Xiaomi has added to the recipe.
So, is the Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro as good as it looks on paper?
Let’s inspect!
Summary
Pros
- Affordable
- Beautiful and Bright AMOLED screen
- Excellent smartphone app
- Precise health tracking
- Accurate and strong GPS
- LTE with great coverage
Cons
- Big and Bulky
- Difficult to access the internal storage
Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro – Price
The smartwatch starts at 270 EUR for the Bluetooth variant, which is around 300$. The LTE version costs a little more at 329 EUR, which is a great price, making it one of the most accessible smartwatches in the market.
All the WearOS devices, Google Pixel Watch 2, Galaxy Watch 6 series, and Ticwatch Pro 5 are the direct competitors and cost more than the Watch 2 Pro. So, it will be an interesting matchup.
Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro – Unboxing
Unboxing feels good. It has a standard Xiaomi smartwatch box that does not stand out among the competitors. The user manual, charging cable, and the Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro are in the box.
The smartwatch has a very simple packaging that feels good.
Appearance and Build Quality
Right out of the box, the Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro feels bulky and heavier. It is relatively thick and has thick bezels. Bezels are also higher than the screen, which adds a layer of protection. Xiaomi is trying to make the watch look bulkier and more durable, but only time will tell how durable the smartwatch is.
It has a triple-button setup, with the center one being a rotating crown. It is very responsive, and the scrolling feels quite lovely. Moreover, we have the sensors on the bottom along with quick-release straps that come in standard 22mm size.
Watch 2 Pro has some traits of the previous generation, but it kind of feels boring, and the screen-to-body ratio is far from ideal.
Technical Specifications
- Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1
- OS: Android WearOS 3.5
- Display: 1.43-inch AMOLED screen with 466×466 resolution and 600 nits brightness
- Body: Stainless Steel frame and glass screen
- Weight: 54.5 grams
- Sensors: Accelerometer, Gyro, Compass, Barometer, Heart Rate Sensor, SpO2
- Storage: 32GB + 2GB
- Battery: 495mAh battery with quick wireless charging
- NFC: Yes
- Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi 802.11
- GPS: GLONASS, GALILIEO, BDS, QZSS
- Speaker and Microphone: Yes
- App: Xiaomi Fitness
Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro – Features
Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro is among the best WearOS smartwatches of 2023, with exceptional features and great hardware.
One of the best parts of the smartwatch is straightforward controls. It has a triple-button setup lets you do almost everything without touching the screen. The navigation is simple and works perfectly fine.
It seems like Xiaomi has integrated all the good bits of Samsung, Garmin, and Ticwatch devices to present an ideal control system. I was using Amazfit Cheetah as my daily driver, and switching to the new smartwatch was very simple. Moreover, with Google Play, you can pretty much use any app you want on Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro.
The LTE of the Watch 2 Pro is quite good. It allows you to have a second phone, covering every corner, including phone calls, messages, and finding paths. In short, letting you go anywhere without your phone.
It has a solid speaker that can be used to make phone calls, or you can stream songs through Spotify or YouTube Music.
After the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6, the Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro is the second smartwatch that allows you to view and capture images remotely from your smartwatch. Installing music and images is still a little tricky as there is no access to the file manager, but having the ability to take pictures through your smartwatch is quite nice.
Performance and Workout Tracking
Xiaomi has done a great job with health tracking. The sensors are up to date-and provide precise information. Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro gathers a lot of data about HR tracking and has alerts for low and high heart rates. Sleep tracking is also good, but not as good as I was expecting it to be. SpO2, stress, and temperature measuring were also on par. Although there was a big disclaimer telling the app that it does not have medical grade accuracy.
Like all Xiaomi smartwatches and fitness trackers, the sports modes are abundant. It has 150 sports modes. GPS is also brilliant. Watch 2 Pro has a GNSS implementation in which it gathers data from multiple satellites, enhancing accuracy and signal locking.
Moreover, the smartwatch can connect to external Bluetooth devices, but this is not possible through the Xiaomi Fitness app. You can do it via Google Fitness or the Strava app.
Watch our YouTube video for more details.
Xiaomi Fitness App
Xiaomi Fitness is an exceptional app for Android smartphones. It is available on Android and iOS but strictly supports the Android ecosystem. The app is pleasing to the eye; it has a stunning UI, excellent functions, and tons of customization options, allowing you to configure it the way you want.
All the charts and information are well presented in a single place. You can even customize your smartwatch, change watch faces, configure settings, and much more through a single smartphone app. You don’t need a whole ecosystem of apps or plugins. Just a single app handles all the functions.
Xiaomi Fitness has a variety of free, freemium, and paid watch faces that can be customized according to your taste. Moreover, you can download third-party apps with a bigger library for the smartwatch.
Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro – Battery
On the LTE edition of the smartwatch with eSim, Always on Display, and health tracking, I was getting around a day of battery life, which increased to almost two days with always on display off.
You can enhance the battery life even more by switching to Bluetooth mode.
Drawbacks
- Bulky and big
- Some Bluetooth device limitations
- Difficult to transfer music and photos through a phone
Conclusion
Being Xiaomi’s first WearOS smartwatch, the Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro is a great start. It has excellent performing hardware and equally good software. It does not shine with a big and thick body, but it delivers an excellent performance and will surely be appreciated by the Mi community. I am already looking forward to the next generation of the smartwatch.
