In 2019, Xiaomi launched Mi Watch which is their first Wear OS smartwatch with MIUI launcher. This watch is only sold in the Chinese market and after 4 years, the successor of this watch which is Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro was launched which is also offered for the Malaysian market. With Mobvoi withdrawing from the Malaysian market, the Watch 2 Pro is the best alternative to the TicWatch Pro 5.
SPECIFICATION AND DESIGN
Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro
1.43″ AMOLED screen, 466 x 466, 600 nits
Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 processor (4nm)
4x Cortex A53, 1.7GHz
1x Cortex M55, 250MHz (AON)
A702 GPU, 1 GHz
Memory/Storage 2 GB RAM
32 GB Internal Storage
Operating System Wear OS 3.5, Android 11
5ATM protection
Sensor Optical pulse scanner, accelerometer sensor,
gyroscope, ambient light sensor, electronic compass,
barometer sensor, bioelectrical impedance analysis sensor
Others GPS L1+L5, Galileo, Glonass, Beidou, QZSS
Bluetooth 5.2
Rotary knob
Speaker
Microphone
495mAh battery, reaching 2 days 17 hours
Magnetic fast charging, 45 minutes 100%
Aluminum Frame Construction Materials
Glass screen
Rubber-fluoro/leather watch strap
Price RM1,199
At first glance, the Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro looks like the Samsung Galaxy Watch6 Classic. But those familiar with Fossil or TicWatch watches will know this is a cliche design for a Wear OS watch. The 1.43″ round AMOLED screen has good colors but is not bright enough. There are two buttons on the side; one for quick access to favorite apps, one for the list of apps and also a rotary knob that vibrates every turn with a pretty good vibration.
On the back there are several sensors with a glass layer. This silicone type watch strap is quite soft and of good quality because it is easy to open and wear. It's a shame this watch doesn't include a rotating bezel like Samsung, because the Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro already has a simple premium watch style. The black color is normal to me, but I tried to use the silver color with a leather strap which looks more stylish.
USAGE EXPERIENCE
The screen of this watch in my opinion has a good enough size for a smart watch. It's still difficult to read notification content, but for scrolling, opening apps and using various types of apps – this 1.43″ AMOLED screen is pretty good. Each scroll is also fast and this watch rarely has lag issues. The most annoying thing about this watch is the weak ambient light sensor, so that the raise your hand feature to activate the screen or for the Always-on Display to automatically activate sometimes doesn't work.
The performance of this watch is surprising. It is similar to the experience of using the TicWatch Pro 5 that I have tested before. Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 proves to be a powerful chip for smartwatches. Wear OS on this Xiaomi watch is also very smooth and does not cause software problems at all. Notifications come in just fine, no matter on iOS or Android. Every fitness and health app for self-monitoring is also easy to use.
The sensors on this watch are quite helpful. GPS I feel is fast enough, WiFi and Bluetooth are also good, and the data that has been scanned and recorded into the application is more or less the same as Apple Watch Ultra or Samsung Galaxy Watch6 Classic. Xiaomi also includes some additional features that competitors rarely offer, such as body composition calculation. This feature is commonly seen on smartwatches for endurance activities such as Suunto or Garmin.
Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro is also a pretty comfortable watch. My wrists don't itch for long periods of use and the watch strap is also easy to replace. Wearing this watch on the left hand and making Google Wallet payments is also easy. Every button feels good to press and is very responsive, my only issue is that the icon design that Xiaomi uses looks strange - some look like MIUI and some look like stock Android.
The rotating dial is one of the bonus features of this watch. Also paired with a good vibration system (though not as Apple Watch) for Wear OS watches. These buttons make it easier for me to control the screen without having to scroll, because my big fingers sometimes get pressured by apps I don't want to open.
BATTERY
The Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro battery is also quite interesting. I was surprised that it has an impressive endurance which is about the same as the Samsung Galaxy Watch6 Classic – a day and a half. Sometimes two and a half days is no problem, but has to use battery saving mode which weakens the performance of the watch.
So far no Wear OS watch can match TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra GPS Or TicWatch 5 Pro which can reach 3 days or 7 days with battery saving mode. Charging even though it doesn't support Qi and still uses USB-A, it's still fast enough from 0% to 100% in 45 minutes.
Among the things I praise about CMF by Nothing Watch Pro is the very user-friendly CMF Watch application. Xiaomi tried the same thing with the Mi Fitness app (I don't understand why it still uses "Mi" instead of "Xiaomi") which is supported on Android and iOS. The application is quite simple, looks modern and a little better than last year.
Mi Fitness is able to synchronize clock data to the device quite quickly. The displayed health data is also easy to read and understand. The map to see walking movements is also neat, all the data is also more or less the same as what the Apple Watch Ultra records – the only drawback here is that Xiaomi doesn't have a digital trainer like in Samsung that helps users to understand more deeply each pulse scan data, sleep monitoring, and others.
This application can also be improved by entering the clock settings itself once. Most Wear OS watches such as Fossil, Samsung or TicWatch can all be set directly from within the app, but Xiaomi only has basic settings. One good thing is, this application can also monitor other Xiaomi wearable devices such as Smart Bands or even their smart scales.
WHAT'S IN THE BOX?
With every purchase of Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro, you will receive;
1x Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro.
1x Watch strap.
1x Magnetic dock charger.
1x Set of manuals and safety books.
CONCLUSION
Xiaomi Watchh 2 Pro is a good Wear OS watch that deserves a chance. Wear OS updates are indeed still inconsistent with only the Pixel Watch and Galaxy Watch receiving Wear OS 4 but other watches having to stick with Wear OS 3.5. Despite its solid performance, beautiful screen, attractive vibrating rotary knob, long-lasting battery and good sensor – this watch is one of the best on the market if you don't want to be tied to the Samsung ecosystem.
The absence of Mobvoi in Malaysia is unfortunate for TicWatch 3 Pro/3 Pro Ultra and TicWatch Pro 5 users as there is no more customer support. Xiaomi can now be a new alternative with the hope that updates will be distributed and there will be new models introduced.
PROS AND ADVANTAGES
Smooth and fast performance.
Long lasting battery with fast charging.
Nice vibrating rotary knob.
A good sensor to record health data.
GPS is quite accurate.
CONS AND DISADVANTAGES
Applications that still have shortcomings.
The screen is not bright enough.
The future of updates is troubling.
Inconsistent app icons.
The charger is still USB-A, not USB-C.