Xiaomi has been making phones for more than a decade, but smartwatches are a relatively new thing for the company.
In 2019, the first Mi Watch ever made came out, but it used to look like an Apple Watch. Now, it looks more like a Samsung Galaxy Watch.
This is what happened with the Watch S1 Pro, which was first shown in China in August 2022 and then launched around the world at MWC 2023.
It looks and costs a lot like the Galaxy Watch 5. But because of a few major flaws, Samsung’s wearable or those from Google and Apple are better for most people.
Design and manufacturing quality
- premium construction
- Very comfortable
- robust design
Design-wise, the Watch S1 Pro doesn’t stand out, but it does look good.
Xiaomi has used the traditional combination of stainless steel and glass, which makes it look more expensive and high-end. But it only comes in one size, which is 46mm. It works for me, but it would be nice if there was another size for people with smaller wrists.
It’s also pretty thick, at 11.28mm. That didn’t bother me, but it makes it less stylish than the Galaxy Watch 5 or even the Apple Watch SE 2.
But Xiaomi did a good job with the way it looks. The Watch S1 Pro is a good mix of durability and style, though the style depends on which model you choose.
Only the black model, though, comes with a small rubber strap in the box. The silver version has a brown leather strap instead, but other straps can be bought separately and are easy to switch out.
The rubber strap is very comfortable, which makes it a great choice for both water sports and everyday use. It clips into place by tucking the end under the edge of the strap, so you don’t need a separate loop that stays in place.
You should be able to wear it all day without any problems, but the chunky design makes it harder to track sleep. Even if you wear it on the wrist you don’t sleep on, it can still be a problem.
Touch is the main way to control the device, but there are also two physical buttons. If you press the crown on the right side, you can get to all the apps, and if you turn it, you can scroll through them.
Below is a button that will take you straight to the training section. Both physical buttons are easy to use and make sense, but you can almost always do without them.
Even though it’s big, the Watch S1 Pro isn’t too heavy. It’s easy to forget you’re wearing it because it only weighs 48.6g (without the strap).
Screen and sound
- Excellent 1.47″ touch screen
- Decent microphone and speaker
- It’s bright enough
Xiaomi put a 1.47-inch screen with 480 x 480 pixels on the Watch S1 Pro. The screen is fun to use because it uses OLED technology to show bright colors and deep blacks.
The software is set up so that you can get the most out of the blacks, as the dark tones blend seamlessly into the frame of the black model.
Since the display is flat instead of curved, you don’t have to worry about touching steel instead of glass by accident, even though the bezels are very thin.
The S1 Pro’s size also makes it easy to tap and swipe without blocking your view. This is usually a problem with small watch faces, but you won’t have to worry about it here.
Xiaomi says that the brightness can go up to 600 nits, but it changes automatically based on how bright the room is. With just a flick of the wrist, the screen can be seen clearly in any light, even direct sunlight.
Audio is never a top priority on a device this small, but what Xiaomi has done with the Watch S1 Pro is impressive. The built-in microphone works well for both Alexa commands and calls, and the clear speakerphone makes it a good choice for listening to other people as well.
software and features
- Run custom Xiaomi software
- Support for third-party alerts only, not for apps
- Many functions
MIUI watch 1.0 is the software that runs on the S1 Pro. It is based on the MIUI Android skin that they use on their phones, but I don’t see many similarities.
It’s a lot more like WearOS, especially in how the list of app icons scrolls around in a circle. But neither Google Play Store nor any other app store is on the device.
It doesn’t work with third-party apps other than notifications, which is really disappointing.
Now, this doesn’t mean that the S1 Pro doesn’t do much; in fact, it does a lot. It has a number of features for tracking your health and fitness, but their usefulness varies a lot.
It doesn’t support third-party apps other than notifications, which is a real disappointment.
One of the features that might have caught your eye is that it works with Alexa. If you swipe right on the main watch face, you can talk to the virtual assistant.
Once it’s linked to your Amazon account, it can answer all the usual Alexa questions and control your smart home, but the feature could be much better.
This is because it can only respond to your voice with text, unlike a smart speaker or even a smartphone. Due to the size of the screen, information is often cut off, and it’s not always easy to read the small print.
It also doesn’t wake up when you say “Alexa,” so you have to press the button every time.
We found all the usual fitness features here, but the widget screens to the left of Alexa aren’t very helpful. It’s easy to check your heart rate, blood oxygen, skin temperature, and stress level, but only your heart rate can be checked continuously.
Swiping up from the main watch face brings up a quick settings menu that lets you turn on do not disturb mode, get rid of water droplets, and turn on the wake-up function.
Swiping down brings up the notifications tray, and a long press lets you switch the watch face to one you’ve already downloaded (via the app). There are more than 100 options.
If you’ve used a smartwatch before, the software is easy to get used to.
But while the alarm, flashlight, compass, and air pressure monitor can all work on their own, most of the other features need to be connected to your phone through the My Fitness app in order to work.
These include making and receiving calls on the watch, getting notifications, checking the calendar, and keeping track of the female cycle. Having to stay connected via Bluetooth all the time is annoying, especially when using health-related features.
Since the S1 Pro has NFC, it can be used to make payments through Xiaomi Pay without having to touch the card reader. But in order to do this, you have to set up a PIN lock on your watch, which is a pain. I couldn’t even get past the setup screen.
Much more impressive is the camera feature. It lets you take a picture with your phone using the last lens you used. It can be set to take a picture right away or wait three seconds while you move into place.
Fitness and tracking
- Compatibility with many different workouts
- Irregular Activity Tracking
- Decent sleep tracking
GPS is built into the Watch S1 Pro, just like most of its competitors. This means it can track where you’ve walked, run, or bikeIt took him five minutes to realise he was walking, and a few more minutes after he sat down to finish the exercise. even when it’s not connected to your phone. Once you’re back in range, data syncs automatically, and everything runs smoothly.
There are also a lot of different workouts to choose from. There are a total of 117 options, and it’s clear that nothing is missing.
I tried to make it a part of my daily life by using the S1 Pro to keep track of my usual activities, like walking, playing tennis, and swimming. This is made possible by the watch’s 5 ATM water resistance, which means it can be worn while swimming in a pool but not while doing water sports or diving underwater.
The swim tracking was the most fun because the watch automatically figured out how long the pool was and what stroke you were using. The information given isn’t the most complete, but both SPM (strokes per minute) and SWOLF (a measure of how efficiently someone swims) are good ways to figure out how well someone is doing.
Ride tracking is also fine, but only if the workout is started by hand. Even though my watch was set to automatically detect exercise, it took five minutes for it to figure out that I had started walking and a couple more minutes after I sat down to finish the exercise.
But seeing your walk on a map with numbers like cadence, stride length, and changes in elevation is a good way to stay active every day.
I wish I could say the same thing about tennis, but it only gives me basic information about heart rate and calories burned. Using it while playing games also showed one of the watch’s main flaws: its tendency to press buttons by accident.
I realized I was done with my workout a few minutes early in the middle of a two-hour session. I turned it back on quickly, but 10 minutes later, the same thing happened again.
This was the only time I had the watch under something, and there was no way to lock the screen and stop it from happening again. To end a swimming session, you have to turn the crown. There’s no reason why you couldn’t do the same for other types of training.
It took him five minutes to realise he was walking, and a few more minutes after he sat down to finish the exercise.
Like most smartwatches, the S1 Pro lets you track your sleep. Some people will find it hard to wear the watch to bed because of its size, but it automatically tracks sleep and collects useful data.
It tells you how long you spent in each sleep stage, tracks your heart rate throughout the night, and gives you a breathing score, though this last feature is still in beta at the time of writing.
Heart rate, REM sleep, and breathing score are all extra features, so make sure to turn them on through the app.
Like most smartwatches, the S1 Pro lets you track your sleep. Some people will find it hard to wear the watch to bed because of its size, but it automatically tracks sleep and collects useful data.
It tells you how long you spent in each sleep stage, tracks your heart rate throughout the night, and gives you a breathing score, though this last feature is still in beta at the time of writing.
Heart rate, REM sleep, and breathing score are all extra features, so make sure to turn them on through the app.
The data about sleep isn’t anything special, but it can be helpful for keeping track of changes over time.
Specifications and performance
- a lot of performance
- There is no model with mobile data
- Many different sensors
Xiaomi hasn’t said what kind of processor or how much RAM the Watch S1 Pro has.
What I can say is that the watch has enough power for any function you can think of, even those that depend on a real-time connection to your phone. Using either the touch screen or the physical buttons, the watch is easy to move around.
The S1 Pro doesn’t come in a version with cellular connectivity, which is too bad. Wi-Fi is available, but many important functions still depend on a Bluetooth 5.2 connection to the phone.
There is more than enough power for all of the watch’s possible functions.
The size of the storage space is also not given, but that’s not a big deal. Key features will depend on how much space is on the connected phone, and you won’t be able to download more apps to fill the space.
The S1 Pro has a number of different sensors that help it do all of its things. These include the heart rate, blood oxygen, temperature, ambient light, atmospheric pressure, and many more. All of them can work without the clock, but you’ll need the app to see the information.
Battery autonomy and charging
500mAh power pack
Even with all features on, the battery life is good. The upload speeds are good.
The Watch S1 Pro has a 500mAh battery, which is a lot for a smartwatch. The battery life is impressive.
Xiaomi says it can stay charged for up to 14 days, but if you use it often, it will die much faster. Xiaomi says that if you turn on most of the health-related features in the app, it will cut down on the battery life.
But even with everything turned on and a lot of fitness tracking, the battery should last at least two full days of heavy use.
With the watch fully charged, I logged the 25 minutes on the way to tennis, (most of) a two-hour session, and the 25 minutes on the way home. After almost three hours of training, I was still at 90%.
Because it tracks your sleep, you’ll have to charge it most mornings, which is a good number considering all it can do.
Even with the brightness turned up high and a lot of fitness tracking, the battery should last at least two full days of heavy use.
Xiaomi’s box comes with a USB-A charger but not the power adapter you need to plug it in. During testing, I didn’t let the battery die too much, but going from 75% to 98% in just 20 minutes is impressive.
Price and availability
The Watch S1 Pro is only available in one 46mm size, which costs €299.99 for both the black and brown models on Xiaomi’s website.
There are several very good smartwatches for this price, which is bad news for Xiaomi. Even cheaper are the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 and the Apple Watch SE 2, though the Apple Watch SE 2 is only a little bit cheaper.
Most people will have a better time with any of the above. Even if you have a Xiaomi phone, there isn’t a clear reason to buy the Watch S1 Pro since it doesn’t have any unique features.
Verdict
The Watch S1 Pro is a smartwatch that looks good and can do a lot of things. However, you probably shouldn’t buy it.
Even though it has a great screen, good battery life, and a lot of health and fitness features.
Because? You can’t download third-party apps, there’s no model with mobile connectivity, and there are some big problems with the training modes.
It would be worth thinking about if the competition wasn’t so strong. Apple, Samsung, and Google all offer a better overall experience than this. Because of all of these things, it’s hard to recommend the Watch S1 Pro.
Specifications list
- Custom Xiaomi Software
- 1.47″ AMOLED display, 480 x 480, 462 ppi, 600 nits
- Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n
- Bluetooth 5.2
- GPS
- NFC
- Microphone
- Speaker
- heart rate monitor
- Blood oxygen saturation sensor
- Accelerometer, gyroscope, ambient light sensor, atmospheric pressure sensor, capacitive sensor, temperature sensor
- 117 activity modes
- 500mAh battery
- Battery autonomy up to 14 days
- Water resistant to 5 ATM / 50 m
- Stainless steel case, display covered with sapphire crystal
- rotary crown
- side button
- Weight: 48.6 g (body only)
- Colors (body): Black / Silver