The Xiaomi Watch S1 Pro debuted in China last year, but it took the company six months to launch its best smartwatch globally.The wearable made its global debut at MWC 2023 in Barcelona. but I’ve actually been using it for a while before that, and I’m ready to share my test results.
Xiaomi has set a relatively high price tag for the Watch S1 Pro – €299 compared to last year’s €229, but inflation isn’t the only thing we’re seeing here – the new wearable is actually quite powerful and more Well built.
The Watch S1 Pro comes in a single size of 46mm and is fairly light despite the stainless steel case. I received the black version with a black fluoroelastomer strap. The entire device weighs 70 grams, of which 48 grams is the case itself.
Our strap has an Apple-type buckle, but another version of the brown leather option has a more standard solution. The black one is great because there are no extra loops and everything fits neatly underneath. The whole device looks more streamlined.
Xiaomi Watch S1 Pro
The Watch S1 Pro has a virtually scratch-free sapphire glass on top, and even with the glass sticking out, I had no issues after weeks of active use. there is no.
Beneath its stainless steel body are a host of sensors that can track heart rate, blood oxygen, and skin temperature. The device can be charged wirelessly using all Qi standard pads and the included magnetic puck.
In theory, it should work with any smartphone that offers reverse wireless charging, but Xiaomi officially claims that only some phones in its portfolio will work. And I can confirm this – I couldn’t charge the Watch S1 Pro on the back of a non-Xiaomi phone.
There are two controls on the right. The top control is a rotating crown for scrolling through the basic menu, and the bottom control is a flat watch. The buttons are metal, but unlike the Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro and Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 series, the Watch S1 Pro doesn’t support his ECG.
Now let’s explore the user interface. Unfortunately, the news isn’t so good.
Xiaomi is a huge conglomerate that has acquired all kinds of companies and adopted their systems. We have one app of his for home devices and another for other home devices and this wearable requires Mi Fitness which runs on Android and iOS.
The Watch S1 Pro has Bluetooth 5.2 with BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) for communicating with your smartphone, but we found the experience to be pretty poor. and Watch S1 Pro doesn’t show all notifications.
The Mi Fitness is completely devoid of alarm apps, but the visuals of all other features are terrible. Reading heart rate and SpO2 readings is frustratingly bad. Because for some reason Xiaomi wants the graph to start at 0. A healthy HR is between 60 and 100 during the day and can drop to 40 at night. , but never approaches 0.
What I love about the Xiaomi Watch S1 Pro is the battery life. The device has a 500mAh battery that takes about 95 minutes to charge from 0% to 100%. Officially, it lasts 14 days with regular use and 10 days with heavy use. I can confirm that it takes a week and a half for the battery to drain with everything on – notifications, Bluetooth calls, Raise to Wake, blood oxygen detection, stress monitoring, sleep tracking, alarms, active Sports use is about 180 minutes a week and you can even control the music during these runs.
It also has an Always-On Display. This effectively cuts the battery life in half, giving you about 5-6 days of use on a single charge. Sadly, the AoD’s brightness isn’t good enough to be legible outdoors on a sunny day.
Using all sensors is one thing, but accuracy is a whole other topic. The Watch S1 Pro did a great job tracking sleep, but heart rate showed an overall 10% discrepancy compared to certified medical devices.
I know this is not a medical device, but it can be misleading for athletes who rely on their heart rate to push hard or slow down.
It also has Alexa support and Mastercard’s contactless payment app, which works fine as long as you’re in the few markets that support them.
Xiaomi has done a great job with the Watch S1 Pro hardware, setting the bar even higher for itself and its future smart wearables. It didn’t live up to its promise of software improvements, but the battery life, looks, and durability go a long way to offsetting the underwhelming app experience. That’s it. It shows up just fine on the watch itself.
But is the Xiaomi Watch S1 Pro worth the €300 price tag? Unless you value looks above all else and don’t plan to use it to prepare for your next marathon, this is a solid deal. Its longevity and excellent design make it an excellent low-maintenance accessory. However, if you’re looking for a full-fledged tracking tool, there are definitely better options out there.
