Xiaomi Mi Watch: Looking for the value for money

Xiaomi He returns to our analysis tables with a good product that has surprised us with its value for money, which has been the hallmark of the brand for quite some time. This time we are going to talk about a "wearable", more specifically one of the latest smart watches from the Asian firm.

Discover with us the Xiaomi Mi Watch, a characteristic and smart watch that bets on a fairly tight quality-price ratio. Do not miss all the news that we have for you in this recent analysis, surely you do not want to miss it.

Design: Simplicity Above All

As always, Xiaomi has opted for a device with simplicity as its flag. In this case we have a completely round smartwatch with a case of around 46 millimeters in total. Of course, the design clearly has the advantage of not needing microphone or speaker holes, since it does not. On the outer edge is where it has two buttons, which have a fixed functionality map. El The upper one will act as a switch and the lower one is dedicated exclusively to interacting with the sports monitoring application.

• Weight: 32 grams
• Size: 46 mm
• Diameter strap: 22 mm
• Thickness: 11,8 mm

The total weight is 32 grams, an incredibly light weight. In the frame of the sphere we will find the words "Home" and "Sport" that will indicate the functionality of the buttons mentioned above. For the lower part we leave the heart rate sensor and a blood oxygen sensor, so fashionable in these times. A simple watch with a hybrid chassis between plastic and fiberglass that has a simple universal silicone strap.

Due to the size of the "box" it can give a strange impression, excessively large for those with a thin wrist, especially in contrast to the thickness of the strap.

Technical characteristics

The device Xiaomi it has a lot of interesting features at the hardware level, We will start with the sensors:

• Heart rate sensor
• Accelerometer: For managing the watch and monitoring physical activity
• Gyroscope: For managing the clock and direction indications
• Magnetic sensor: For the correct and natural use of the compass
• Barometer
• Ambient light sensor: To maintain the ideal amount of backlighting
• Blood oxygen measurement sensor

Apart from all this we will connect with Bluetooth 5.0 BLE for connectivity but we do not have WiFi, this means that the connection will be completely dependent on the mobile phone in which we have it connected. We have had a satisfactory operation in both a Huawei P40 Pro and an iPhone 12 Pro, we remember that it is compatible with Android from version 4.4 and in the case of iOS for version 10 onwards. In the same way, we have GPS and GLONASS independently, improving the performance of sports tracking, a very interesting feature in a watch of this type. On a technical level, this Xiaomi Mi Watch does not seem to lack almost anything.

Display and battery life

On the screen we finally have an interesting bet on the panel OLED slightly curved around the edges, that is 2.5D. We have 1,39 inches in total with a fairly fair resolution but enough of 454 * 454 pixels. In the brightness level of the screen, which has five settings from lowest to highest, We have the advantage of having an ambient light sensor that will regulate the intensity automatically, something that it does quite well according to our tests and that will also improve the performance of the autonomy of the device in general terms.

The watch has a good tactile response across the board. Regarding autonomy, we return with a strong bet from Xiaomi, thanks to its 420 mAh and the charge of its magnetized cable (charger not included) we obtain about 14 days in total, a little less than the 16 days that the brand promises us in its promotional notes. GPS negatively affects the use of the watch, leaving us with a use of about two days in total, but honestly, for the result that it offers, perhaps I do not see it very necessary to have it activated continuously. The full charge takes us a little over an hour and a half if we talk about 0-100%.

Performance and capabilities

The performance is quite light thanks to its Proprietary Operating System, focused especially on personalization and sport, but without excessive paraphernalia. The mobile application is quite poor and gives few options when it comes to interacting, but rather offers us the reading of the content. This is much more focused on the 117 sport modes that it has included, divided into the following sections:

• Aquatic
• Outdoor
• Training
• Home
• Boxing
• Ball sports
• winter sports
• Recreational sports
• Another sports

For its part, the watch does not interact with notifications, We have already said that it also lacks a microphone and speaker. We will focus on reading the notifications, which are manifested clearly and broadly. Therefore, we have a good watch with more than enough basic characteristics that performs correctly in the necessary functions. The intention is to limit our user experience because the application does not have many notable capabilities. In this measure, we have a smart watch focused especially on offering us the reading of notifications, the monitoring of our physical and sports activity and little else. The price, however, corresponds with all this.

Editor's opinion

We do not forget that the watch has resistance to temperatures ranging between -10ºC and 45ºC, while it is submersible up to 5 ATM under water. The watch is quite polished, despite its basic operation, we have a good performance in all its functions. The GPS chip gives us a plus of independence of the device and autonomy is undoubtedly one of its strongest points.

In the negative section we have a fairly basic and interactive software, a perhaps deficient mobile application and more designed for a tracking bracelet, and finally, it is not part of Xiaomi's own ecosystem, or at least it does not have a specific place. As an advantage, the device can be found for less than 120 euros in many points of sale such as Amazon.