There are many types of smart and semi-smart watches. Our criteria for what is a “real” smartwatch is one that is created for activity, training, information and communication on the wrist, with notification and message handling. It should also be able, just like a mobile, to refuel and install new apps. Opportunity for nfc-based contactless payments is also a plus. The Xiaomi Watch S1 is the first watch from the manufacturer to meet those requirements. Although with a narrow margin.
Rating 3.5 out of 5
Opinion
With a slightly lower price, we had recommended the Xiaomi Watch S1 without hesitation. It has the right quality, design and sensors. But it lacks in the very smart part of the concept of smartwatch. Now it costs like a Galaxy Watch 4, but does not have the same depth in features. But long battery life still makes it interesting.
Positively
- Stylish luxurious design
- High-quality screen and good speakers
- Excellent battery life and wireless charging
- Good quality sensors
Negative
- Limited to ambitious training
- Half notification function
- Buttons not programmable
- Alexa in Sweden and more apps, thank you
It was released in mid-April and can be bought in several large Swedish stores for between approximately SEK 2,200 – 2,700. The watch is available in two versions. Watch S1 that we tested here, with classic design, case in stainless steel and leather bracelet, and Watch S1 Active with lighter plastic material in the case, rubber bracelet and sportier design.
Watch S1 has wireless charging, while S1 Active has surface contacts on the underside. This is a clear advantage of the charge in S1, as it works together with all charge plates that follow the qi standard.
Watch S1 has a simple, classic and elegant wristwatch design with a real premium feel, 46.5 millimeters in diameter and scratch-resistant sapphire crystal in front of the screen. Comfort can not be complained about, the leather bracelet has the right balance between stable and compliant and the watch does not feel excessively clumsy on the wrist. It is available in matte black with a black bracelet or shiny silver with brown leather.
Sharp and strong screen
The watch has a colorful and sharp amoled screen with a diameter of 1.43 inches with 466 pixels from edge to edge. It promises up to 450 cd / m2 in brightness, and with automatic brightness set, we think it delivers good readability in all positions except for direct reflections in the screen surface.
The watch is controlled with a touch screen that has a fast, compliant response and with two buttons. The top one opens an app menu with short press or the voice assistant with Amazon Alexa with a long press. The operating system is Xiaomi’s own and just like their MIUI mobile interface, it does not really follow conventions like other manufacturers.
Settings quick menu is swiped in from the bottom, and notifications from the top. Xiaomi does some things really well, like nice widget panels wrapped from the side. These gather several information panels on the same page without it becoming crowded and confusing. You can combine these yourself in Xiaomi’s app Mi Fitness, where you will also find training functions and additional settings for the watch, which are not found in its internal menus. The lower button has only one function: a menu of training programs at the touch of a button.
Unfortunately, Alexa is not supported in Sweden, nor is it possible to reprogram the button so that it can be used for a function that the watch actually has. This is a missed opportunity from Xiaomi, as it would be good to be able to use the buttons more.
The beginning of a payment solution
One thing we would like to add is, for example, Xiaomi Pay for contactless payments with nfc. The feature debuted with an update of the Mi Smart Band 6 NFC this fall, and is now also available for these watches. It currently has direct support in Swedbank and SEB, but also works with other payment cards via the third-party service Curve. With it in your mobile, you should be able to connect any Mastercard card free of charge.
Xiaomi is silent about the hardware under the hood of the watch. They say nothing about either the processor or the built-in amount of memory. According to unconfirmed information, it should have two gigabytes of memory, but it has not been officially communicated. We’ll be back if we get any response from Xiaomi on this point.
As the watch does not support local storage of music, it is less important, there is a media player app, but it is only control for the player in your mobile. But you can download a couple of hundred different dials with varied designs, several of them really nice and feature-rich, as well as a handful of extra apps.
At the time of writing, there are ridiculously few apps, a total of three in our region, but hopefully that library will be built on in the future. And then it can be good to know how much there is room for.
The watch supports wifi 4, low energy bluetooth, nfc and support for all important satellite navigation, including dual band gps. When we test it, it finds the correct position relatively quickly, and then maintains approved precision when we are out and about. It is not perfect, but good enough for everyday use and logging of an exercise session.
Most important sensors
The watch of course has a set of activity sensors. There are accelerometers and gyro that provide, as far as we can see, accurate pedometers. Other examples are altitude barometers, optical heart rate sensor that supports measurement of blood oxygen levels and light and proximity sensors to primarily control the screen. By combining these, it also analyzes sleep patterns, if you wear them during the night, as well as stress levels during the day.
The heart rate monitor seems to be slightly hypersensitive and gives us a slightly higher heart rate than a Garmin Venu 2 Plus on the same arm, a watch that we have found to have generally correct heart rate measurement. But it is reliable for detecting relative intervals and can warn of abnormally high heart rate during exercise. If you want to calm down, the watch has a good app for relaxing breathing exercises.
Xiaomi does not do much more with collected data than logging them, calculating approximate calorie consumption presented in a simple format in the mobile app. However, you can quickly and easily export all data to Strava if you want more in-depth activity analysis.
For training, there are more than a hundred built-in programs for different types of activities. With so many, the question is what really sets them apart, but a handful are more detailed with instructions and intervals that can be helpful.
For simple activities such as walking and running, it is possible to turn on auto-detection, and it seems reliable in recognizing when we take a faster walk, but has difficulty distinguishing it from running. Perhaps more resilience is needed in the steps than the dubious form of the undersigned tester can muster.
Basic function, no more
As a training watch, the Xiaomi Watch S1 is capable of all the basics, and thus excellent for an everyday exerciser. But those who want something extra for fitness and specific training may feel that the details are missing. About the same can be said about the watch’s more general smartwatch features. The very basics are here, but there is room for improvement.
Notifications appear quickly and are easy to read, but you have no way to reply to messages. You can answer calls on the watch, but not start calls. As I said, the media player is just a remote control for the mobile, and as far as we can see there is no calendar function. We get a handful of simpler apps such as weather updates, timer, stopwatch, compass and flashlight. We also downloaded a calculator, which is one of the few extra apps available.
For the Xiaomi Watch S1 to live up to its full potential, it is necessary that the system gets a few more rounds on the drawing board and is supplemented with more functions. Preferably in the form of more downloadable apps.
Enough for a week without problems
Battery life is one of the strengths of the watch. Xiaomi states up to 12 days during normal operation and twice in standby mode. We assume that it is with the clock lying, for some simpler mode such as just showing time does not exist. 12 days seems to be achievable with reduced brightness and no active tracking turned on.
We run the watch with automatic brightness and all sensors are switched on for continuous logging, except for GPS which always pulls extra. Then it lasts seven days before we need to charge the battery. If we add a short training session of half an hour, with GPS, every day it is still enough for five days. It can be considered very good. And with the smooth wireless charging, it becomes a big plus for the battery experience.
However, the price is what does not really speak in Xiaomi’s favor. You can get a Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 for the same penny, and it is a much more functional watch. Then the question is whether its undeniably much better battery life is worth that much?
Specifications
Product name: Xiaomi Watch S1
Tested: April 2022
Contact: Xiaomi
Processor: No information
Storage: No information
Screen: 1.43 inches round amoled, 466 x 466 pixels
Control: 2 buttons, touch screen
Communication: Bluetooth, wifi, gnss, nfc
Operating system: MIUI Watch
Dimensions, estate: 46.5 x 49.8 x 11 mm
Weight: 64 grams
System requirements: Smartphone with IOS, Android
Battery life: 5-12 days (normal use)
Other: Water resistant (5 atm), microphone, speakers, Xiaomi Pay
Rec. Award: SEK 2,960
Award: SEK 2,289 on Amazon Sweden
.
[related_posts_by_tax taxonomies=”post_tag”]
The post Test: Xiaomi Watch S1 – on the verge of smart appeared first on Gamingsym.