Xiaomi has become a major player in the smartwatch market, producing some of my favourite smartwatches to date. With the release of the Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro, the company is looking to compete with the likes of Samsung and Apple in the premium smartwatch segment. Priced at around $200, the Watch 2 Pro is Xiaomi’s first smartwatch to run Google’s Wear OS software, marking a significant shift from its previous watches and bringing a new level of flexibility to its wearables.
When I first unboxed the watch, I was impressed with how well it all looked, even before I turned the device on. The Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro sports a classic circular watch design with a stainless steel case that gives it a premium, stylish look. However, it only comes in one 47mm size option, which may be too chunky on smaller wrists.
The Watch 2 Pro has a classic yet modern circular design with a large 1.43″ AMOLED display encased in a stainless steel case. It packs impressive hardware, including the new Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 processor and a 495mAh battery. Xiaomi has also loaded the watch with advanced health-tracking capabilities, including blood oxygen monitoring and body composition analysis, making it a very capable health device for those who want to keep fit.
The first thing you notice when you switch the watch on is how premium everything feels. It feels like a device that would normally cost a lot more. With a crisp screen, multi-day battery life and smooth performance, the Watch 2 Pro makes a compelling case as an affordable Wear OS alternative to more expensive rivals without sacrificing style.
“A sharp 1.43-inch AMOLED display and premium stainless steel case give the Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro an impressive look and feel.”
Coming back to the screen, this is really the star of the show with the Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro, offering up a sharp 1.43-inch AMOLED display that takes a generally good-looking watch to the next level of impressive. It’s extremely vibrant, with excellent brightness levels that make it readable even in direct sunlight. The high resolution of 466 x 466 pixels means that on-screen content and text look incredibly sharp and detailed. You might expect a cheaper watch to skimp on the screen, but Xiaomi has made sure everything looks stunning.
For navigation, the Watch 2 Pro uses a combination of touchscreen gestures and two physical buttons on the side. The buttons provide a convenient way to quickly access apps or features without having to swipe through menus. It all works easily, and Xiaomi has done a good job making sure everything looks and feels snappy, even when jumping between apps. The buttons also just give the watch a classic look, something that I look for when buying a watch.
With a 5ATM water resistance rating, the Watch 2 Pro can handle being submerged up to 50 meters underwater. This makes it suitable for swimming, showering, or using in the rain without worry. However, the watch is not meant for scuba diving or high-velocity water sports. We did not test it swimming, but it has survived things like rain and showers without issue.
The Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro gets the basics right with a stylish yet sporty design, a highly visible display and water resistance for everyday use. The large 47mm case may be too large for some, but the display itself is excellent. But it is really the style that sets this watch apart from many others. It has that real watch feel, right down to the crown, which makes it second nature to use when coming from other, less intelligent watches, and that is important to me. While future-looking watches are great, being able to feel like it’s part of your current style while offering new features is the point of wearables, and this is an area where Xiaomi nails it.
Under the hood, the Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro is powered by Qualcomm’s newest Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 chip, which provides smooth and responsive performance for the Wear OS software. This is the first time Xiaomi has used Wear OS on one of its smartwatches, opening up access to Google’s ecosystem of apps and services. I loved Xiaomi’s past offerings, including the S1 Pro Smartwatch released last year, and even though this new watch is now running on Wear OS, it manages to keep the snappy feeling of their other offerings, and that is something I am incredibly happy to see.
Wear OS gives you notifications, apps, watch faces and more right on your wrist. You can download apps like Google Maps, Google Assistant, Spotify, YouTube and many others. Notification handling is easy with quick replies or voice input. Xiaomi has added its own software skin on top of Wear OS, including over 200 customizable watch faces to personalize the look.
“Excellent water resistance up to 50 meters makes the Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro suitable for swimming and worry-free everyday use.”
With the Snapdragon W5+ processor, performance is snappy when scrolling through Wear OS menus or launching apps. The 2GB of RAM also helps ensure smooth multitasking and switching between apps—everything from swiping through notifications to starting a workout felt fast during testing. For storage, you get 32GB to store music for offline listening.
The combination of capable hardware and Wear OS results in excellent smartwatch performance. Xiaomi’s software additions, like watch faces and health tracking, expand the functionality, too. This is the most capable Wear OS experience Xiaomi has delivered so far, and it feels great to use, especially while out and about. It also compares very well to the Google Pixel Watch, feeling just as, if not more responsive than the first generation of that device.
Much like Xiaomi’s other smartwatches, the Watch 2 Pro packs an extensive suite of health and fitness tracking features. It can continuously monitor your heart rate, including resting, working out, and abnormal heart rate alerts. There is also blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) monitoring, including overnight tracking of your blood oxygen levels during sleep.
For sleep, you get comprehensive tracking with sleep stages (light, deep, REM) and an overall sleep score each morning. The watch can also automatically track your sleep and wake times. It all works surprisingly well, although the Watch 2 Pro’s larger size means it’s not the most comfortable to sleep in. That’s a matter of personal preference, and depending on how you sleep, this may not be an issue (unfortunately, it did manage to annoy me while I slept, so I had to stop wearing it to bed after testing).
With over 150 workout modes, the Watch 2 Pro covers everything from walking and running to more niche sports like surfing and dancing. It provides real-time stats during your workouts like pace, distance, heart rate zones, calories burned, and duration. The built-in GPS lets you accurately track outdoor activities without bringing your phone.
The highlight is the new body composition analysis feature, which is similar to what the Samsung Galaxy Watch provides. Using bioelectrical impedance, it estimates metrics like skeletal muscle mass, body fat percentage, body water levels, and basal metabolic rate. However, the accuracy of this optical sensor method is questionable, and honestly, for anything medical, I would still look to specialized devices over your smartwatch.
“Powered by the Snapdragon W5+ processor, the Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro provides smooth and responsive performance when using Wear OS apps and features.”
While not as incredible as what we saw on the S1 Pro, the Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro offers impressive battery life when compared to other WearOS-based devices, which should easily last most users multiple days between charges. Xiaomi quotes a maximum battery life of up to 65 hours, depending on usage.
The Watch 2 Pro packs a relatively large 495 mAh battery inside the 47mm case. In combination with the power-efficient Snapdragon W5+ processor, this battery capacity helps deliver the multi-day battery life. Xiaomi’s own testing showed around 12 days of standby time when not in active use.
In practice, with features like continuous heart rate monitoring, notifications, and activity tracking enabled, the 2-day battery life claim held up during testing. This should get most users through a full weekend without issue. Heavy GPS usage during workouts does drain the battery faster, so plan to charge after a long run or ride.
When it does come time to charge, the Watch 2 Pro supports fast charging. It can charge from 0 to 100% battery in around 85 minutes. Charging the watch while getting ready in the morning should give you plenty of charge for the full day. Also, it should be noted that while the charger looks similar to past Xiaomi watches, it is different, and they are not interchangeable.
One caveat is that the LTE version of the watch will have reduced battery life compared to the Wi-Fi-only model. Connecting to cellular networks is more battery-intensive. Still, even the LTE model should last around a day and a half per charge. Once set up correctly, the Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro delivers excellent battery life for a modern smartwatch. The 2-day runtime matches or beats most Wear OS and Apple Watch models, which is impressive for Xiaomi’s first Wear OS device.
I have to say, once set up, I really liked what the Watch 2 Pro brought to the table, and I have to admit, Xiaomi has managed to make a compelling offering for people currently on Android and who want to keep fit while they stay connected. The Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro packs impressive specs and features into a stylish yet sporty smartwatch design. For its price point, it delivers exceptional value compared to rivals like the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 and Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 5.
With its sharp AMOLED display, premium build, smooth performance, and comprehensive health tracking, the Watch 2 Pro checks all the right boxes. The addition of Wear OS opens up many new possibilities for apps while retaining Xiaomi’s excellent fitness-tracking features. In testing, the watch delivered on its promises of multi-day battery life, accurate GPS tracking, and a responsive user experience.
While the large 47mm case won’t work for smaller wrists, the display itself remains a standout. The Watch 2 Pro matches or beats most competitors in areas like style, battery life, and activity tracking capabilities. The Watch 2 Pro is one of the most capable and well-rounded Wear OS smartwatches available. For the price, Xiaomi succeeds at bringing premium features and performance to the masses.
