Off the back of several middling wearables, the Watch S1 Pro could be Xiaomi’s opportunity to turn it all around with a smartwatch that offers plenty of functionality in a sleek design that not only undercuts some of its competitors in price, but can supposedly promise far more usage with a battery life of up to two-weeks. Wearable fans should definitely watch this space.
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1.47-inch AMOLED display:With minimal bezels -
100+ workouts tracked:With built-in GPS available -
Up to 14-day battery life:Reverse charging also available
Introduction
Xiaomi’s recent efforts in the wearable industry have been a tad hit and miss, but the Xiaomi Watch S1 Pro looks to shake up a storm here at MWC 2023.
From the Xiaomi Mi Watch to last year’s Xiaomi Watch S1, Xiaomi’s had a particularly tough time with breaking into the wearables industry, and what hasn’t helped is the continual output of strong competitors in the same price bracket from the likes of Honor and Huawei.
For the S1 Pro however, Xiaomi is setting its sights a little higher towards the premium end of the market, which puts it in closer competition to wearables from Samsung and Apple. I’ve had the chance to play around with the S1 Pro at this year’s MWC event in Barcelona, and here are my main takeaways.
Price
- Retails at £299
- Cheaper than the Apple Watch
- More expensive than previous Xiaomi watches
The Xiaomi Watch S1 Pro is available right now for the total cost of £299, which puts it squarely between the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 and the Apple Watch Series 8.
It’s definitely a far cry from the more affordable wearables that Xiaomi has released previously, but it’s not the most egregious price at this end of the market. Plus, it crucially undercuts the price of the Apple Watch which might be enough to sway some iPhone users who simply want a smartwatch that looks the part without compromising too much on features.
Design and screen
- 1.47-inch AMOLED display
- Super slim bezels
- Sleek frame
What fares well for the S1 Pro is that, from a design perspective, Xiaomi has managed to hit the sweet spot. The watch features a textured, rotating crown and a single push button for interacting with the UI, both of which blend nicely with the chassis.
The 1.47-inch AMOLED display is also particularly noteworthy for just how slim the surrounding bezels are. It’s clear that Xiaomi has been paying attention to the improvements that Apple’s made in the last few years with regards to squeezing more screen space out of the same design, and it makes the bezels of the Galaxy Watch 5 seem chunky by comparison.
Features
- Runs MIUI Watch OS
- Alexa support
- Tracks over 100 workouts
The S1 Pro runs on Xiaomi’s MIUI Watch OS which, from the brief time I had to play around with it, runs fairly well.
The experience of scrolling through the app tray and moving between different widgets from the watch faces feels very similar to Wear OS 3, and I even spotted the Alexa app installed on the watch so there is some third-party availability to be found.
When it comes to fitness tracking, the S1 Pro has a lot to brag about. In addition to having built-in dual-band GPS tracking, there’s also support for more than 100 workout routines on the watch, which should be more than enough for the average visit to the gym.
Battery life
- Up to two weeks promised for general use
- 10 weeks of life with intensive use
- Reverse charging available
One of the most eye-catching claims from Xiaomi’s MWC booth is that the Watch S1 Pro has a supposed battery life of up to 14 days (reduced to 10 days under intensive use). Any kind of claim like that needs to be tested properly, but if it rings true then that could be a huge win for Xiaomi.
Battery life is still one of the biggest rooms for improvement when it comes to this end of the wearables market – speaking as someone who charges their Apple Watch daily – and if Xiaomi can push the barrier here then it might entice the competition to catch up.
One neat trick is that the Watch S1 Pro is compatible with reverse charging from a handful of Xiaomi phones. Given that the Xiaomi 13 Pro is shaping up to be one of the year’s biggest flagship smartphones, the two devices could make for quite the pairing in 2023.
First Impressions
Even though my time with the Xiaomi Watch S1 Pro was brief, it definitely feels as though Xiaomi might be onto something. With its minimal bezels, stylish crown and almost two-week battery life, the Watch S1 Pro definitely presents an intriguing proposition. And for those who aren’t fussed with being tied to either Apple’s watchOS or Google’s Wear OS, Xiaomi might just be able to reel in a decent user base if the wearable can deliver on its promises.
