A few weeks ago, we reviewed the Mi Watch Lite. It is quite a big overhaul in terms of user experience – especially since it’s using the new Xiaomi Wear app. And today, we have the non-Lite version, the Mi Watch.
It comes with a bigger screen, a rounded shape, and a few more features here and there. But, is it any good? Let’s find out.
Like the Mi Watch Lite that we reviewed earlier, I won’t call this Mi Watch a smartwatch because it lacks a lot of smart features that are found in a conventional smartwatch – like the ability to reply to texts or a voice assistant.
The Mi Watch comes with a massive 1.39-inch AMOLED screen with 454×454 pixels in resolution. Okay, here’s a story. I didn’t adjust the brightness at all after I unboxed it and started wearing the Mi Watch. By default, it’s at a brightness level of 4 out of 5.
It was very bright already. And because of how sensitive the “flick to turn on the screen” gesture, I consistently have the screen turning on when the lights are off and I’m about to fall asleep.
Of course, there’s an auto-brightness option as well – but I didn’t turn it on because I want to stress the battery of this Mi Watch.
And surprisingly, Xiaomi’s claim of “16 days battery life” is no joke. With my use case here, it lasts slightly more than 2 weeks and I’m awestruck by it.
However, the charger of the Mi Watch is just like the Mi Watch Lite, as it is a proprietary charger that snaps on to only one way. That means if you want to go travel (when we can travel, of course) you’ll need to bring the charger along. Though for the case of the Mi Watch, I doubt you’ll need to charge unless you’re staying there for more than 2 weeks.
Another complaint that I have is also the same as the Mi Watch Lite. The strap is – or was – too grippy. I originally had to wrestle with the strap just to get it on and off my hand.
It is also very rubbery compared to other silicone straps – which is definitely easier to take in and out.
The reason why I said the strap was too grippy – in the past tense – is because the strong grip of this strap actually grabbed my dead skin.
But, we can change the strap easily too. It’s using the standard mechanism with 20mm width.
Other than that, the Mi Watch has the same features as the Mi Watch Lite plus a few more on top. In terms of hardware, we now have the SpO2 sensor, which gives it the ability to read blood oxygen levels – but no automatically since we’ll have to manually tap it to read the blood oxygen level.
The Xiaomi Wear app also comes with a few more features like a stress meter, an energy meter which it says it culminates data from sleep, exercise, heart rate, etc., and then also VO2 max which is useful while exercising, and of course – sleep quality detection which is automatic.
The emoji though. We mentioned that the emojis don’t work for the Mi Watch Lite, but for the Mi Watch, it does – but not all emojis. And it’s showing in unicode form instead of native emojis.
Should to buy the Xiaomi Mi Watch?
And finally – the price. For RM469, I think there’s no alternative to a watch like this – but also, I think it’s generally just a rounded fitness band with a big screen. It lacks features that define a smartwatch – like a keyboard for a quick text reply, or even just presets to hit and reply.
Ultimately, it depends on whether or not you want such a form factor. Personally, it’s too expensive for me.
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