The Xiaomi Mi Watch has been announced a couple of days ago, and the company’s exec just shared some additional info about the product. Xiaomi did talk quite a bit about the Mi Watch during the press conference, but we did not get all the answers we wanted.
Xiaomi’s General Manager shared some fresh Mi Watch info
Well, the General Manager of Xiaomi Ecological Chain, Xiaoheng, did share more info about this smartwatch. Before we get to it, however, it is worth noting that this is Xiaomi’s very first smartwatch.
To be quite honest, Xiaomi did announce quite a few watches via AMAZFIT. It also released a number of fitness trackers, but this is the very first Mi-branded smartwatch. In other words, the very first watch released under Xiaomi’s main brand.
The Xiaomi Mi Watch does resemble the Apple Watch quite a bit, but it’s considerably more affordable. It’s not exactly a secret that Xiaomi is inspired by Apple from time to time, and this is a perfect example of that.
In any case, Mr. Xiaoheng talked about various different aspects of the device, starting with the battery. He said that the battery inside of this watch can be used for 36 hours under normal usage.
This is not great battery life in general, but it is for a Wear OS device. The Mi Watch does ship with Wear OS, but a customized version of Wear OS. Whatever the case may be, this watch will offer better battery life than most other Wear OS devices, it seems.
Xiaoheng also said that the Mi Watch can be used while swimming without a problem. Users can also use this watch to control various smart home products, set reminders, read, listen to songs, and so on. He simply wanted to point out that it is a very versatile smartwatch.
This smartwatch comes with a number of sports modes
The Mi Watch also comes with support for various sports modes. You’ll find options for outdoor running, outdoor walking, cross-country, mountaineering, indoor running, outdoor cycling, indoor cycling, swimming in the swimming pool, open water swimming, and so on.
Xiaoheng also advised users to use official straps for the Mi Watch. This watch is compatible with general watch straps of the same size, but he still says you should use official ones.
He said that unofficial straps may impact the GPS, Bluetooth, and WiFi functions of the Mi Watch. We really do not see how that is possible, as that is just a strap, it does not come with technology of its own. Using unofficial straps really should not be an issue, so I wouldn’t worry about it.
If you intend to use this watch with an iOS device, be warned. You can do that, but not all functions will be available. NFC, for example, is dependent on Xiaomi’s application, the same goes for the management of sports health data.
A proper Xiaomi app for this is not available via the App Store. You can get a Wear OS binding app in order to get it to work, sure. The thing is, not every feature will be at your disposal, at least not yet.