At a lookProfessional’s Ranking
Execs
- Spectacular Put on OS software program
- Glorious design and show
- Intensive well being and sleep monitoring
- 4G possibility
Cons
- Disappointing battery life
- Cluttered companion app
- Heavy and hulking
- No automated exercise monitoring
Our Verdict
Transferring to Put on OS means the Watch 2 Professional is the primary premium Xiaomi watch that I can absolutely suggest shopping for. However it’s nonetheless solely price it for those who can stay with only a day of battery life.
Chinese language firm Xiaomi has been releasing wearables since 2014, but it surely’s by no means fairly nailed down the premium smartwatch class.
Makes an attempt up till now have boasted nice {hardware}, but all the time been let down by Xiaomi’s personal model software program. Regardless of providing loads of well being and health options, its main flaw is the lack to obtain third-party apps.
There seems to be a quite simple resolution to this: change to Google’s Put on OS and that’s precisely what Xiaomi has executed on the Watch 2 Professional with spectacular outcomes.
Alongside a fair higher design than typical, it’s Xiaomi’s best smartwatch up to now, however that doesn’t essentially imply you can purchase it.
Design & Construct
- Engaging round design with bezel
- Premium, sturdy construct
- Helpful bodily buttons
In a world the place many Android-based smartwatches look comparable, the Watch 2 Professional really stands out.
That’s primarily as a consequence of its massive stainless-steel bezel, which surrounds the 1.43-inch show. It’s greater than the one on the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Traditional, although not like that machine, it doesn’t rotate.
Even so, the bezel immediately provides the watch a premium look, shimmering attractively because it catches the sunshine. The all-black mannequin I examined (full with matching fluororubber strap) is flexible sufficient to go together with just about any outfit.
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
However there are additionally loads of methods to make it extra vibrant. The primary is by choosing the silver mannequin as a substitute, which retains the black bezel however modifications the color of the lugs.
Alternatively, you may simply swap out the strap for one more color or one constructed from leather-based. Whereas these are bought individually (£14.99 for fluororubber, £21.99 for leather-based), it’s a reasonably cheap approach to shortly change the appear and feel of the watch.
For my part, the Watch 2 Professional is the best-looking smartwatch I’ve ever used. However as a consequence of its sheer measurement, it gained’t be an excellent match for everybody.
A big 46mm case is your solely possibility, so it’s not a good selection when you have smaller wrists. And at 11.6mm thick and 54.5g in weight, it’s additionally one among bulkiest smartwatches round.
I discovered the Watch 2 Professional uncomfortable to put on whereas sleeping, and will always remember about it being on my wrist in the course of the day, not like with some slimmer watches such because the Google Pixel Watch 2 (and authentic). Nonetheless, this comes down to private desire, and may not be a difficulty for you.
For my part, the Watch 2 Professional is the best-looking smartwatch I’ve ever used
In fact, that further weight is a direct consequence of the premium supplies used. Not solely does the chrome steel construct look good, but it surely additionally feels impressively sturdy. And whereas there’s no Gorilla Glass on the display screen right here, the raised bezel ensures it’s shielded from direct affect in a fall.
Even after a number of weeks of testing, the watch regarded nearly as good as new. In the event you keep away from pointless dangers, it ought to final for a very long time. That features exposing it to lots of mud or sand, as there’s no IP ranking.
However you’re nice to make use of it whereas swimming. The Watch 2 Professional has a 5ATM ranking, that means it may stand up to water stress equal to round 50m underwater. Naturally, getting caught within the rain or holding it on within the bathe gained’t be a difficulty.
The Watch 2 Professional is primarily a touchscreen machine, however there are nonetheless three bodily controls. A rotating bodily crown makes it simple to scroll menus or transfer between the app checklist and primary watch face. An extended press triggers the Google Assistant.
The button above it’s reserved for fast entry to exercises, although the one beneath is extra versatile. A single press opens the final used app, a double press opens Google Pay and an extended press brings up the facility choices.
Every part works as marketed and feels very intuitive. I simply want you would remap the bodily buttons to do no matter you wished, one thing which is feasible on Samsung’s Galaxy Watches.
Display & Audio
- 1.43-inch AMOLED display screen
- Glorious in all conditions
- Respectable speaker and microphone
In contrast to many premium smartwatches, the Watch 2 Professional is simply accessible in a single show measurement.
However this 1.43-inch AMOLED display screen is undoubtedly the most effective round for those who’re after a bigger watch. A excessive decision of 466×466 means all content material appears to be like impressively clear and crisp.
Colors are wealthy and vibrant, but there’s loads of alternative all through Put on OS to indicate off these deep true blacks, that are a key energy of OLED panels.
It’s onerous to think about how the Watch 2 Professional’s show may get any higher
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
A 60Hz refresh charge is excessive by smartwatch requirements. Scrolling by menus and switching between apps feels impressively easy and responsive.
And regardless of being fairly a reflective show, it additionally will get impressively shiny. I had no drawback utilizing the watch in all lighting situations, together with outdoors on a sunny day. It’s onerous to think about how the Watch 2 Professional’s show may get any higher.
In fact, the audio gained’t rival a smartphone, but it surely’s higher than I used to be anticipating. The built-in speaker gives first rate readability and will get pretty loud, making it an excellent various to connecting headphones. Nonetheless, it’s price noting that some third-party apps gained’t allow you to play audio direct from the speaker.
I’m additionally very impressed with the built-in microphone. It really works nice for calls and Google Assistant instructions, recognising what you’re saying with out the necessity to maintain it near your mouth.
Specs & Efficiency
- Qualcomm Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1
- Stable all-round efficiency
- Non-compulsory 4G through eSIM
The Watch 2 Professional is powered by the Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1. Regardless of being launched in 2022, that is nonetheless Qualcomm’s newest and best chipset for smartwatches.
And it exhibits. Alongside 2GB of RAM, the most typical quantity for a flagship smartwatch, efficiency is strong. Swiping between screens, scrolling menus and toggling settings all feels very fluid and responsive.
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
Opening apps is the one actual scenario the place you’ll discover some slowdown. However that is often solely 1-2 seconds of hesitation, and doesn’t negatively have an effect on the general expertise.
For context, the efficiency right here is much like the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6, which makes use of the Exynos W930 chipset. It’s about nearly as good as you’ll get on a smartwatch proper now, however there may be positively room for enchancment sooner or later.
Swiping between screens, scrolling menus and toggling settings all feels very fluid and responsive
All Watch 2 Professional fashions have built-in Wi-Fi, that means it may be used fully independently of your cellphone when you’re at residence.
The dearer model additionally provides 4G LTE help through eSIM, although it requires a separate contract and solely works on Vodafone or O2 within the UK. I wasn’t in a position to check this for myself, but it surely’s definitely a pleasant choice to have.
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
There’s Bluetooth 5.2 help whatever the mannequin you select. In my expertise, it was in a position to set up and retain a strong connection to each my cellphone and earbuds on the identical time.
The Watch 2 Professional has 32GB of on-device storage, which is greater than sufficient for all of your apps and loads of downloaded songs or audiobooks. Except you want offline entry to your complete audio library, I can’t see why anybody would want extra storage.
Software program & Options
- Runs Put on OS 3.5
- Intuitive and simple to navigate
- Google Play Retailer app help
Switching up the software program has been transformative for the Watch 2 Professional. Earlier Xiaomi smartwatches have used the corporate’s personal software program, however we now have Google’s Put on OS for the primary time.
Visually, the 2 aren’t too dissimilar. However Put on OS has one large benefit: the power to obtain third-party apps. Having the ability to entry the Google Play Retailer out of your wrist is a recreation changer, and there are many apps which are price your time.
My private favourites embrace the meditation app Calm, Audible for audiobooks and WhatsApp, which speaks for itself.
The latter is surprisingly intuitive on such a small show, permitting you to compose messages by both typing or utilizing your voice. Movies are the one factor you gained’t be capable of see.
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
A wide range of music streaming providers are additionally natively supported, together with Spotify, Amazon Music and YouTube Music. All Xiaomi’s personal apps are additionally nonetheless right here, however they’re built-in into the Put on OS expertise slightly than being the one ones accessible.
In fact, there are a frustratingly excessive variety of cellphone apps with no watch equal, however that’s a difficulty that impacts all Put on OS watches. Apple’s watchOS is the one wearable software program that does it higher.
And the excellent news is all of your cellphone notifications may be delivered to your wrist (for those who’d like), together with calls. They’re simple to view and handle through a easy swipe down from the principle watch face.
Switching up the software program has been transformative for the Watch 2 Professional
A swipe up (the alternative to the Pixel Watch) reveals a spread of fast settings toggles which are simple to activate or off. Swiping left or proper means that you can transfer between a spread of various widgets, with the default choice together with exercises, climate and key well being metrics. All of it feels very seamless and intuitive.
A collection of completely different faces can be found from the watch itself, or you may obtain extra through the Mi Health companion app. With so many to select from, there’s one thing to swimsuit everybody.
The introduction of Put on OS, mixed with NFC help, means the Watch 2 Professional could make contactless funds through Google Pay. It really works as marketed, although you’ll have to set an annoying display screen lock as safety to allow it.
One other app you’ll in all probability need to use is Google Maps, particularly with built-in GPS right here. Once more, it’s surprisingly simple to make use of, and beats getting your cellphone out for turn-by-turn instructions.
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
Nonetheless, it’s price noting that the Watch 2 Professional runs Put on OS 3.5 on the time of writing, regardless of Put on OS 4 arriving with the Pixel Watch 2. It’s not clear how for much longer you’ll have to attend, or what number of years Xiaomi will help the look ahead to with software program updates.
Health & Monitoring
- Over 150 supported exercises
- In-depth knowledge on some actions
- Spectacular sleep monitoring
When it comes to well being monitoring, the Watch 2 Professional doesn’t do something out of the odd. However all of the core options are right here, and practically all of them work nicely.
That features help for greater than 150 completely different sports activities modes. Most of those present solely primary knowledge on coronary heart charge (together with VO2 max), length and estimated energy burned, corresponding to my HIIT (high-intensity interval coaching) exercise.
It’s fascinating to see the data, however not notably helpful for future exercises.
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
Nonetheless, there are a couple of actions the place the data is way more in-depth. It consists of common strolling, the place you’ll get info in your common tempo, elevation change, cadence, stride size and even altitude.
Related knowledge is obtainable after a run, although the longer session I did additionally included an estimate of restoration instances. This may be genuinely helpful in serving to you enhance or monitor progress over time.
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
For any exercise the place you’re overlaying distance, the built-in GPS means that you can observe precisely the place you’ve been on a map, which I actually like. Although I’d suggest turning off the in-workout voice prompts, which shortly turns into annoying.
And in contrast to some wearables, the Watch 2 Professional can’t observe any exercises routinely. Ensure you manually begin one if you would like it to be recorded.
General, coronary heart charge knowledge gave the impression to be fairly correct more often than not. You too can use the watch to measure blood oxygen ranges, pores and skin temperature and physique composition, every of which takes only a few seconds.
The Watch 2 Professional isn’t probably the most comfy to put on at evening, however for those who can put up with it, there’s a formidable quantity of sleep knowledge
One other instrument claims to have the ability to monitor stress ranges. However I didn’t belief the outcomes – my ranges had been apparently all the time ‘gentle’, regardless of intentionally testing at a tense time. The Pixel Watch 2 is best at this, although it nonetheless has its flaws on this space.
In fact, the opposite massive function is sleep monitoring. I discussed above how the Watch 2 Professional isn’t probably the most comfy to put on at evening, however for those who can put up with it, there’s a formidable quantity of sleep knowledge.
You get an outline of how lengthy you had been asleep for, plus how a lot time you spent in every stage (gentle, deep or REM) and the way that compares to what you ought to be getting. Mixed with coronary heart charge knowledge and respiratory rating (if enabled), you’re given an general ‘sleep rating’ out of 100.
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
The latter appeared to roughly match how I felt within the morning, although recommendations on the right way to enhance it are very generic. A enjoyable contact is that after seven consecutive nights, you’ll be matched with a ‘sleep animal’ in line with your tendencies.
It’s nice to have such in-depth sleep knowledge, even when it’s not 100% correct. After carrying the Watch 2 Professional to mattress, I felt motivated to make optimistic modifications the subsequent evening.
Sadly, all this nice well being and health knowledge is displayed within the cluttered Mi Health companion app. The watch and app are suitable with all gadgets working Android 8.0 or later, but it surely feels clunky to make use of and a few settings are onerous to seek out.
Battery Life & Charging
- 495mAh battery
- Underwhelming battery life
- Comparatively quick charging
Battery life is undoubtedly probably the most disappointing factor concerning the Watch 2 Professional.
Whereas the 495mAh capability is respectable for a smartwatch, it barely lasts a full day on a single cost. I absolutely charged it simply earlier than mattress one evening, and it was empty by round 9.30pm the next night.
Battery life is undoubtedly probably the most disappointing factor concerning the Watch 2 Professional
That included sleep monitoring with the superior coronary heart charge and respiratory rating monitoring enabled, however the always-on show disabled. Even with gentle utilization, I can’t see you getting two full days of utilization out of it, one thing that the earlier Watch S1 Professional may comfortably obtain.
Standby time can also be poor. On a few events, I finished utilizing the Watch 2 Professional for a day or so. After I got here again, it had gone from round 40% battery to fully empty.
One optimistic is that charging is quick. Utilizing Xiaomi’s magnetic USB-C charger (included within the field), the watch went from 0-60% in simply quarter-hour. A full cost took solely 32 minutes.
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
Value & Availability
Within the UK, the Xiaomi Watch 2 Professional begins at £239.99. That’ll get you the Wi-Fi-only mannequin, however stepping as much as the 4G LTE model prices £289.99.
Each are solely accessible from the Xiaomi UK website. In the event you get the 4G model, you’ll have to pair it with an eSIM plan from Vodafone or O2 to get cellular knowledge.
The watch isn’t bought within the US, but it surely’s price checking to see for those who can import it.
At that beginning value, the Watch 2 Professional undercuts most of the greatest smartwatches you should buy, together with the Google Pixel Watch 2 (from £349) and Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Traditional (from £369).
Its most blatant rivals are the common Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 (from £289), or 2022 Apple Watch SE (from £259) for those who’re keen to make use of an iPhone.
Must you purchase the Xiaomi Watch 2 Professional?
The Watch 2 Professional is the most effective smartwatch Xiaomi has ever made. Put on OS has a transformative impact on the software program, making it a lot simpler to suggest to Android cellphone homeowners.
Xiaomi’s typical wonderful {hardware} remains to be right here, together with a shocking stainless-steel design and wonderful show. The construct high quality is excellent, and it has all of the well being and health monitoring you’d count on from a premium smartwatch.
It’s good to have the choice for 4G connectivity, although battery life is a key weak spot. You possibly can in all probability stay with the cumbersome design and cluttered companion app, however simply someday per full cost is perhaps a dealbreaker.
Specs
- 1.43-inch, 466×466 (46mm) round AMOLED always-on show
- Qualcomm Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 processor
- 2GB RAM
- 32GB storage
- Put on OS 3.5
- Bluetooth 5.2
- NFC
- GPS
- Wi-Fi
- 4G LTE (non-compulsory)
- Microphone
- Speaker
- Coronary heart charge sensor
- Blood oxygen sensor
- Barometer
- Accelerometer
- Gyroscope
- Compass
- Google Assistant
- Google Pay
- Help for 150+ exercises
- Sleep monitoring
- 5ATM water resistance
- 4G LTE (non-compulsory, requires eSIM contract)
- Wi-fi charging
- 495mAh battery
- 47.6 x 45.9 x 11.8 mm (46mm case)
- Colors: Black, Silver
- Suitable with Android 8.0 or greater
