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On the Xiaomi Watch 2 test - the same conclusion as similar Wear OS watches
The Xiaomi Watch 2 is part of their portfolio of watches with the Wear OS operating system, which is also used by last year's Watch 2 Pro, and Samsung and Pixel watches are also based on Google's system. That is why they also share the same drawback - a battery that barely lasts until the evening with moderate use.
How about the Xiaomi Watch 2? Is the battery really bad here too? What about the sensors and overall build quality?
| Advantages | Weaknesses |
| A beautiful and durable watch | One day battery |
| Responsive system | An older version of Wear OS |
| Clear and transparent screen | Some bugs |
| Google support, including payment | It does not work with iPhone and Huawei phones |
| Accurate measurements |
Xiaomi Watch 2 price?
- Xiaomi Watch 2: €209
Available in black and silver.
Xiaomi Watch 2 - Until I get to the battery, I don't have much to say
Minimalism is the central design element of the new smart watch Xiaomi Watch 2. There is not much going on and you could say that it is boring if the minimalist design was not so popular among users. The frame is made of aluminium, so it's much lighter (36.8g) than the Pro version, which I like on the one hand, but initially I had to overcome the feeling that it's a "cheap" watch. When you're used to more rugged watches, you automatically associate weight with quality, even though it doesn't work that way. I found the aluminum case quite satisfactory, and after a good week of moderate use, I didn't notice any scratches on the case or the screen. The latter officially does not have any additional protection, but my assumption is that it is at least a tempered glass. The watch is rated at 5ATM, which means diving up to 50 meters for the watch is acceptable.
In terms of appearance, I would classify it as a sporty-elegant watch. I see no reason why it wouldn't be able to blend in in a more formal environment, and a few hours later accompany the user during a run or other sport.
The included TPU strap is also of relatively good quality. I've used better ones before, but I like that I can always swap it out for any 22mm, not just Xiaomi, but third-party ones as well. When you fasten it, the tab is hidden under the strap, just like Samsung watches.
Strictly in terms of dimensions (47.6 x 45.9 x 11.8 mm), it is not the thinnest watch, but this is not noticeable in everyday wear. I feel it more on my wrist than my current Huawei GT Runner watch, but these are minor differences.
The 1.43-inch AMOLED display is excellent with minimal black bezels. It is also bright enough (600 candelas/nit) for use in moderate sun. Two physical buttons or a touch screen are available for control. We cannot change the shortcut with the buttons. The top one shows the list of apps or to return to the home screen, and the bottom button is to open the last used app.
Xiaomi Watch 2 – Measurements, Sports, Cons and Pros
It measures sleep, stress, heart rate, SpO2, but does not have an EKG, the possibility of measuring skin temperature or other more advanced measurements. But it has dual-band (L1+L5) GPS, which performed relatively well during the test. Even between the treetops on the walk to Rašica, the deviation from the hiking path was less than a meter.
The older Wear OS 3.5 is installed, although there are already two newer versions (4 and 5). Technically there is nothing wrong with the older system, it is responsive, moving between menus is smooth, data transparency is solid, but not the best. I ran into a few bugs. Since it is a Google system, signing in with a Google account is preferred if you want to access the Google Store and Wallet. I had problems signing in, which is very surprising because it's such a standard process that it's really hard to screw anything up.
On the first connection, the watch refused to connect to the Google account, I tried three phones (POCO X5 Pro, X6 Pro and Galaxy A55) and all three encountered an endless loop when connecting to the Google server. Whether it was a problem with Google or Xiaomi, it's hard to say. The problem resolved itself after a few days, until then I did not use Google services. I noticed a slightly worse optimization during active training, when flickering occurs when you slide between menus. It doesn't happen often, but even once or twice a week is enough to call it a system flaw.
Xiaomi Watch 2 does not work with iPhones or Huawei phones, even if you use microG or run the Mi Fitness app in the GSpace virtual environment.
Mi Fitness is a must-download app if you want to dig deeper into the analyzed data. Considering that they discontinued the Mi brand some time ago, it would be good if they did the same for the app. The watch has the option of automatically detecting exercise/sport, but it is not the most reliable or it takes too long before you get a notification about the start of the exercise. There are more than 160 supported sports in the list, all major sports are supported, fitness exercises are well divided, but there are also some unnecessary fluff, such as kite flying, swinging on a swing, e-sports and similar exercises that Xiaomi (also others ) artificially inflates the number of supported sports.
You can download WhatsApp, YouTube Music, Spotify and similar applications. There is enough space (32 GB) and you won't be able to fill it, mainly because you can't upload your own music to the watch. This means you can't go for a run with just a watch because you still need your phone to play music. The built-in speakers are also only for taking calls, not for playing music, which is a strange limitation of the manufacturer. If you want to listen to music, you have to listen to it on your phone or with headphones, and then you can change tracks and the like on the watch screen.
A lot of data is available during the workout, such as step cadence, average length, pace, and the like. You can set goals, such as time or distance, and get a notification when you reach them. The measurements worked accurately, only when measuring the heart rate I noticed an unusual measurement at times. While hiking, the heart rate jumped by 15-20 beats several times, although the pace remained the same. During the day, during everyday use, I did not notice these jumps. Sleep measurement is fine. SpO2, the amount of light, deep and REM sleep are measured, based on which we then get a general score.
The vibration is very strong, I miss the ability to adjust the intensity, which would be very convenient for the night. If I forgot to turn off notifications before going to sleep, I was definitely woken up by a strong vibration in the first hour.
Always On Display (AOD) is one of the features, but it's a fairly basic one. Only the clock is displayed, which adjusts according to the selected dial, but there is no possibility to add any other information to the screen, for example steps. There are enough numbers, some interesting, others more basic. You can download new ones (free and paid) via Google and in the application. You can only change the color of the dials, but you can't add or remove other elements, which would be much more useful.
The battery is only for one day
The battery (495 mAh) is below average. On the hike to Rašica, which takes a good hour in both directions, I used 28 %. GPS was on, AOD was off, adaptive brightness was on. By evening I had used an additional 40-45 %. In the most optimistic scenario, when I would not use the watch to measure exercises, I could count on a day and a half of autonomy, which is not exactly a lucky number either. As with all Wear OS watches, the biggest problem with the Xiaomi Watch 2 is the watch. It can only be charged with the supplied Xiaomi charger.
If they improved the battery it would be a good watch for the money
I can praise the appearance, the build, the screen, the functions, the measurements... in short, almost everything is in place, except for a few software bugs and the battery. At just over €200, it would be a good bargain, but at least in my case, I'm not ready to charge the watch every day. Given the popularity of Apple, Samsung and similar watches with short autonomy, there is clearly a group of users for whom this is not a problem.
Xiaomi has a better alternative for less money. The Xiaomi Mi Band 8 Pro is a wristband with the appearance of a watch and quite a few similar functions, including GPS. On top of that, the battery lasts 7-10 days. Even with it, you encounter worse software optimization, but for most recreational users it is a solid choice for around €80.
