Xiaomi’s latest S1 Pro smartwatch puts the Pixel Watch to shame
The world of smartwatches has finally caught up with traditional watchmakers (and Apple) and discovered that making something that wears on our wrists out of quality materials is the way to go.
The Xiaomi Watch S1 Pro – announced at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2023 – has a stainless steel case, sapphire crystal over the screen and a soft leather strap. All of which makes it far more desirable than those made from “inferior” materials. I wore it to learn more.
The upscale design of the Xiaomi Watch S1 Pro
The brushed stainless steel case is available in either silver with a brown leather strap or black with a black fluororubber strap. The sapphire crystal is neatly bevelled around the bezel and covers a large 1.47-inch AMOLED screen. The screen’s bezel is surprisingly slim, especially compared to the Google Pixel Watch, and the 46mm body means it’s a better fit for my 6.5-inch wrist too. However, I reckon others will prefer the smaller size of the Pixel Watch.
The case back appears to be glass and feels cool and comfortable on my wrist, but the leather strap crumples almost immediately after first putting it on. The leather is thin and the brown color is unattractive (in my opinion). However, it’s a standard size and fastens with quick-release pins, making it an easy and relatively inexpensive effort to replace.
The side of the case features a rotating crown and a single button, making the design reminiscent of the Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro. The crown is at the 2 o’clock position and has fine knurling for plenty of grip. However, the placement makes it awkward to rotate with your finger, and the menus aren’t always as responsive as I’d like as a result. The lower button calls up the training mode.
While a bit generic in its overall shape and design, the use of stainless steel and sapphire adds a touch of class to the Xiaomi Watch S1 Pro, elevating it above the simple, minimalist looks of the Google Pixel Watch.
A brand new (and well known) operating system
The Watch S1 Pro is the first to use Xiaomi’s new Watch OS software, and not a version of Google’s Wear OS 3. It still draws heavy inspiration from Wear OS and Apple’s watchOS software. You swipe down the screen to see notifications, up to find quick settings, and across to see widget-based tiles. Press the crown and a bubble-based collection of app icons will appear.
However, it’s fast and smooth to use, without much slowdown except when checking notifications. I also really like the design of the tiles, which contain small widgets in easy-to-press icons to view more details about heart rate, sleep, and the calendar, or to quickly access features like the timer. It looks great and differs from the designs of the other two major smartwatch operating systems.
Xiaomi has added Alexa as a virtual assistant. There are numerous watch faces to choose from and a list of 100 activities to track. There’s a heart rate sensor on the back of the watch, which also monitors blood oxygen levels, and the S1 Pro has built-in GPS. I connected the smartwatch to the Xiaomi 13 Pro and it was reliable in delivering notifications, with plenty of on-screen text to help you make a quick decision on whether to keep checking on your phone. Unfortunately, I haven’t found any apps that you can interact with on your wrist.
I haven’t used the smartwatch long enough to fully assess the battery life, but Xiaomi estimates usage of the 500mAh cell at 14 days. It charges with a plastic puck that attaches magnetically to the back of the smartwatch. 14-day usage seems optimistic – with the always-on screen active, the battery dropped by 10% in a single day, suggesting it might not last more than 10 days if you’re using the main functions.
Xiaomi Watch S1 Pro: price and availability
Xiaomi hasn’t shared the price or availability of the Watch S1 Pro at the time of writing, and we’ll update here when it does. The smartwatch is unlikely to be officially available in the US, but we expect a wider international launch.
Xiaomi had to step up its game in smartwatches as the competition is tougher than ever. The quality materials and decent software definitely make the Watch S1 Pro worth exploring further, but both the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 and Apple Watch Series 8 are hard-to-beat smartwatches. The price has to be very competitive if it’s really going to be an alternative for your phone.
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