Xiaomi Mi Watch Review

Posted On September 14, 2021

Xiaomi Mi Watch is a complete smartwatch with built-in GPS, health monitors, and long battery life. This is great for outdoor activities like running, cycling, or even just for walking. The Mi watch has a 5 ATM rating so you can wear them for swimming, as well. The Xiaomi Mi Watch as all these premium features and more for a price of only 4,990!

Key Features

• 1.39-inch 326 ppi high-resolution AMOLED display
• Built-in high-end GPS chip
• Up to 16-day ultra-long battery life
• Up to 50 hours of battery life for sports and GPS
• Blood oxygen testing/24-hour heart rate monitor
• Sleep tracking/stress monitoring/body energy

Screen and Controls

Big display and clear screen – The first thing that strikes me is the big screen. It’s a 1.39 inch AMOLED screen. It is also clear and bright even under the sun. The touch control is very responsive and smooth. I have observed no lags when I move from one screen menu to the next.

I like the design of the two buttons on the side. One button for the HOME and another button for the SPORTS. In some watches, you need to scroll and press through different menus before you reach the option for the OUTDOOR RUN or OUTDOOR CYCLING. With a dedicated SPORTS button, I can setup the watch faster when I get ready for my outdoor activity. The SPORTS button can be customized further to a specific activity through the Xiaomi Wear app.

GPS Accuracy

Accuracy is essential for GPS Watches. The Mi Watch searches through 4 major positioning systems: GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and BDS. This provides better accuracy and faster GPS fix.

During my test, the Mi Watch can get a GPS fix as fast as 3 seconds when I am in a open area. There was a time when it was around 30 seconds, which is still fast. But on the average, it is less than 10 seconds only.

The accuracy is very good. During one of my rides, I compared it with an Apple Watch Series 6 and a Suunto Spartan Sports. The distance Mi Watch recorded was very close to the other watches. The difference was less than 100m over a 16KM distance. This is great considering that is priced for less than 5,000 PHP only.

Health Monitoring

Xiaomi Mi Watch has 24/7 Heart Monitoring, Stress tracking, Sleep tracking, SpO2 measurement, Vital Signs and more. I find the Sleep tracking to be accurate. It matches the time I go to sleep and when I set the alarm clock in the morning. The Sleep Tracking can currently track nighttime sleep only.

The Energy Level Indicator on the watch is quite new to me. But it is useful. It shows the energy level from 0 to 100. From the levels, the watch provides cues if you are full of energy or you are already exhausted. I like this feature. There are days when I tend to overexert myself. A notification that I am exhausted or low energy is a gentler reminder that I also need some rest.

Xiaomi Wear App

The Xiaomi Wear is the companion app for the Xiaomi Mi Watch and other Xiaomi smartwatches. The app collects the data from the watch and provide details and summaries of the activities and health monitors.

The app looks neat and well presented. It uses a lot of colors and the layout is refreshing to the eye. It is not cluttered. The different status cards can be rearranged according to your preference. Some of them can be hidden as well.

History of past activities can be reviewed in the Xiaomi Wear app. You can check your routes, monthly mileage and progress. The activities can be shared to other social media platforms. There is even an option to share an animated video of the route. New workouts will take time to sync. They might not appear right away on the Xiaomi Wear App.

The watch faces are available through the app. There are more than 100 watch faces available. It is not that extensive yet compared to other brands but new watches faces are being added. So be sure to visit the app again to get a new look for your watch.

Battery Life

Xiaomi Mi Watch has a very long battery life. It can last up to 16 days of typical use and up to 22 days with the long battery mode enabled.

With the GPS enabled, it can last up to 50 hours! Other GPS watches can barely function after 10 hours with GPS. With the Mi Watch, you can run a sub-5 hour marathons ten times. The actual battery life may vary depending on the number of features enabled and the environment conditions. During my 3 hour cycling activity, the watch only used 8% of the battery. Thus the Mi Watch can run for almost 40 hours with the GPS turned on based on my usage.

Xiaomi Mi Watch Review Summary

The Xiaomi Mi Watch provides accurate health monitoring and sports tracking at a price that is inexpensive. It is a great watch for long runs and ultra marathons since the battery life can last up to 50 hours. These rich features and big AMOLED screen of the Mi Watch makes it a great buy.

Price and Availability

The Xiaomi Mi Watch is priced at 4,990. It is available at the Authorized Mi Store in Shopee.