Xiaomi followed up its Watch S1 series from 2022, not with an S2 series, but with the Watch S1 Pro. On paper, the Watch S1 Pro looks like Xiaomi took the best of both the S1 and the S1 active and melded it into a package that’s fit for all types of occasions. 

In case you missed it, we did an Unboxing and First Impressions of the Xiaomi Watch S1 Pro. But to summarize quickly… 

You get the watch itself. 

The wireless charging dock.

And some documentation (user manual and warranty). 

The variant we got is the Black Stainless Steel with the Black Fluororubber strap made for workouts. 

There are some new key information we asked Xiaomi between the unboxing and this review: 

As you know, the watch is also available in a silver stainless steel case with brown leather strap. If you want that strap, you can purchase it separately.

But you have an even wider range of choices as the straps of the S1 and S1 Active will also work with the S1 Pro. 

If that’s still not enough, any 22mm strap size will work with the watch S1 Pro. So, you’re free to style it however you see fit. 

It has a 1.47” display which is larger than the 1.43” on the other S1 series watches. 

It also prominently features a crown for easier navigation. 

That’s it. So, what’s it like using the Xiaomi Watch S1 Pro for a week? Let’s talk about it in the different scenarios that Xiaomi imagines you’ll use it for. 

Daily

While working on this review, I’ve had to think about what it meant for me to own a smartwatch.

Due to the nature of my work, I’ve had the privilege of using a handful of them for a few weeks to a month. Over the last two years, I’ve mainly used one which also has a “pro” label on it. 

To me, it’s now become a necessity. I get a ton of notifications daily. Work emails and messages dominate my day. Seeing the notifications come in through the watch helps me mentally prepare for the next task as I work on finishing the one that’s currently on my plate. 

It helps that the Xiaomi Watch S1 Pro also displays exactly which app the notification came from. I’ve used some smartwatches in the past that could not make this distinction. Instead, they only show a brief part of the message with a default message icon. Glancing quickly when notifications come in helps me organize my thoughts better, and knowing which app the notification came from also helps me plan my next move better. 

The UI’s design

The app selection interface looks a lot like the Apple Watch. The difference being the general look and feel of the app’s themselves. I’m lukewarm on how they look. They’re not bad, but something about them feels a little off to me. 

When you swipe left or right from the watch face, you can see the widgets available. There’s one for health monitoring, one for fitness, and another for Alexa. You can arrange them however you like. I personally put fitness as the first swipe from the left and the health monitoring as the first swipe from the right.

Here’s another area where I thought the widgets just didn’t look quite right. While all the elements fit inside the circular display, something tells me this layout fits a more rectangular shape better. Yes, the exact shape of the Apple Watch. Not a deal breaker, but it’s worth pointing out.

Xiaomi uses their own MIUI Watch OS so I asked Xiaomi if there will be an update to apply themes to change this. Unfortunately, there isn’t. Again, this isn’t objectively bad, I just personally wish there was a way to customize it. 

Smart Casual

When the Xiaomi Watch S1 Pro was launched in Barcelona, Spain during MWC 2023. We had a chance to sit down with TJ Walton who takes the lead in talking up Xiaomi’s accessories and overall ecosystem. Referencing the silver stainless steel case with brown leather strap, he was asked if there was a conscious effort to make the watch look more luxurious. To which, he answered affirmatively. 

While you can certainly say that for the silver case, leather strap variant, the black case, fluororubber one, in my opinion, does have its “luxury limits.” You wouldn’t wear this as is with formal attire. Thankfully, it does work in more smart casual or business casual fits. 

It also helps that, as mentioned earlier, you can purchase separate straps to fit the occasion better. I already looked up 22mm watch straps on popular shopping platforms and you should have a field day from the selection. Everything from stainless steel, to leather straps are available for purchase.

While you can get away with the black fluororubber strap in most scenarios, you should do yourself a favor and buy an alternative strap or two so you can mix things up and accessorize appropriately. 

Sports 

I have said this a few times already in previous smartwatch reviews, but in case this is your first time reading mine, I hate workouts. Or at least the idea of working out. I’m just lazy like that. I do like walking and playing basketball.

I always just walk whenever I can. Especially when I’m traveling, there’s nothing like soaking in a place better than taking the time to stroll down its streets. The Xiaomi Watch S1 Pro’s step counter works just about as well as any step counter. There will be variance with other smartwatches which is natural, but it is fairly accurate. So, if you’re targeting a certain number of steps, you can rest easy knowing you walked enough to reach your goals. 

Speaking of goals, that’s what I love about the workouts available on the Watch S1 Pro. With it, you can select whether you want to track the duration or by calories burned. The smartwatch I’ve been sporting simply tracks both at the same time but without the granular control of targeting each one.

This is especially helpful for someone like myself whose “workouts” are limited to solo basketball drills and occasional pick-up games with neighbors. I’m currently trying to lose the massive weight I gained during the pandemic, and I’m doing so by watching my daily calorie intake. If I can track my hoop sessions based on calories burned, it’s easier for me to maintain a calorie deficit in tandem with my current meal plan. 

It also helps that the watch, overall, isn’t too bulky and doesn’t feel heavy on the wrist at all. It’s a stark contrast to what I currently use. Granted it’s one that’s close to being three years old.

100+ workouts

As advertised, there are 100 types of workouts that the Xiaomi Watch S1 Pro can track. Personally, I feel like this can be intimidating to a lot of people as it creates this idea that you need to try all of them to maximize the smartwatch. This isn’t true at all.

Just pick the workouts that work for you, the ones that you’re happy to do and can incorporate to your lifestyle. If you can do that, you’re already making the best of the smartwatch’s fitness features. 

Battery life and other things of note 

Xiaomi advertises up to 14-days of battery life in standard mode. If I extrapolate the results from my one-week use, you could see yourself charging the Xiaomi Watch S1 Pro every 4-5 days with moderate to heavy workout usage. 

Under very bright sunlight, it can be challenging to see the watch face. But that’s a really isolated case. Most of the time, you won’t have trouble seeing the watch face right away. 

As of writing, I thought the available watch faces are pretty limited. There’s also no option to add a custom image (at least now when you use it with an iPhone). I couldn’t try it with the Xiaomi 13 Pro, which has an instant pairing mode that’s convenient, because it’s currently with another team member for a camera shootout. Xiaomi said more watch faces should come soon. 

Xiaomi Pay isn’t available in the Philippines. It’s currently available in WEU, CEE & Nordic, and Russia. Availability in more regions and countries are in the pipeline. However, Xiaomi says this is dependent mainly on the business development of the issuer VISA and Mastercard’s plan. Contactless payment has gained more traction (yes, I see the irony in those words) of late and I wish the support for the feature expands soonest.

Is the Xiaomi Watch S1 Pro your GadgetMatch?

The Xiaomi Watch S1 Pro has all the bells and whistles of a 2023 smartwatch. You have the usual health monitoring features (heart rate, sleep, blood oxygen, etc), as well as tracking for a huge number of activities.

And while the watch faces are limited at this point, the available ones offer enough versatility that you can switch it up depending on the occasion like you can with the straps.

The UI, I personally think, can be better, but it is objectively good. The battery life is also decent. It’s a happy middle ground between the charge-daily Apple Watch and the long-lasting offerings of Huawei. 

Against its contemporaries, the Xiaomi Watch S1 Pro is most appealing for its price (PhP 16,999/ EUR 299). You get pro features you expect from a smartwatch, as well as the versatility of matching it with your style. It also helps that it works with both Android and iOS. 

If you’re looking to take your personal health and fitness monitoring to a “pro” level, the Xiaomi Watch S1 Pro likely offers the best overall value right now.

At the MWC 2023, Xiaomi revealed its cutting-edge Wireless AR Glass Discovery Edition, the brand’s first device of its kind.

The Xiaomi AR Glass has a free-form optical module. It comprises a pair of MicroOLED screens, and free-form light-guiding prisms that help users see a clear picture display.

When paired with a Xiaomi 13 or other Snapdragon Spaces ready device, the lightweight glasses connect with low latency, and offer a wide range of possibilities from a retina-level adaptive display which best simulates virtual objects as if they’re just seen by the naked eye.

Gesture Control

The device also features an innovative micro-gesture interaction that enables users to utilize their inner fingers as basic keys for movement operations.

How this is done is the AR Glass detects the second joints of the hand’s middle and index fingers. Thumb-tapping is also used for text input.

In the future, Xiaomi is exploring how to take advantage of sliding and tapping motions to integrate it seamlessly as part of the glasses’ controls.

A more connected experience

Lastly, the AR Glass also supports a variety of large-screen applications, enabled by Mi Share’s app-streaming capability.

TikTok and YouTube, for instance, can optimize the display area usage of the glasses, turning them into a portable large screen which you can take anywhere with you.

Users may also transfer a stream from a television screencast and continue watching it on the glasses. Xiaomi’s integrated spatial audio also makes the listening experience part more immersive.

Watch this video.

Announced alongside the Xiaomi 13 series, the Xiaomi Watch S1 Pro is geared towards people who appreciate a classic watch look, but with the health and fitness benefits of smartwatch.

We’ll need some time to put the watch to the test, so for now, we’ll do an unboxing.

The box is rectangular lengthy.

Up close, you see an image of the watch itself.

Based on reviews and unboxings we’ve seen online, the box will show you outright which variant you’re getting. There two options:

• Black stainless steel case with black fluororubber strap
• Silver stainless steel case with brown leather strap

At the bottom front, you’ll see the name of the smart watch.

Flip it over and you’ll some important info. It shows the smartwatch works with both Android and iOS.

The writing on the side of the box shows its many features.

Lift the cover of the box and you’ll be greeted by the smartwatch itself.

Here’s a closer look.

The display, made of sapphire glass, is covered with Xiaomi sticker. The back of the black stainless steel case has a similar cover.

Underneath the watch are wireless charging dock…

…and the user manual with the warranty notice.

Here’s what the watch looks like out of the box. The rotatable crown sticks out prominently.

Here’s what it looks like from the side.

The rotatable crown is studded making it easy to touch and turn. Xiaomi says it’s inspired by classic watches. There’s also a button on the lower right side. It quickly access the 100 types of workouts that the watch can track.

The black fluororubber strap is made specifically for workouts.

Xiaomi recommends this strap for exercising. Thanks to it being black, it seems to be the more versatile strap compared to the brown leather one. The leather does look more luxurious but using it while working out isn’t advisable.

Replacing the strap should be easy. There’s no information on Xiaomi’s fine print as to which straps are compatible. We’ll have to ask Xiaomi first to find out.

Setting up the Xiaomi Watch S1 Pro

After powering up the watch, the first thing it’ll ask you to do is select a language. After that, there will be a QR Code that you can scan to pair with your smartphone.

Download the Mi Fitness app.

Once paired, the app will show you a quick guide on how to use the smartwatch.

You can sync it with Apple Health and Strava.

You can also choose which apps will send notifications to the watch.

There’s a Xiaomi Pay feature but…

It’s not supported where I am which sucks.

Watch faces are pre-loaded on the watch.

There are more watch faces you can download through the app. The selections are nice, but I find them limited.

First impressions

As of writing, I’ve already spent a day with the Xiaomi Watch S1 Pro. It’s much lighter than the smartwatch I’m coming from. That alone makes me excited to wear it while I do my usual basketball shooting drills. The overall black look is… classic.

I’ve only taken some casual walks and the step counter seems to be accurate. The rotatable crown is fun to use but once I start swiping on the display, I end up just swiping instead of using the crown. More actual workouts, testing the battery life, and more will be on the full review.

Price and availability

In the Philippines, the Xiaomi Watch S1 Pro retails for PhP 16,999. There’s an early bird pro that will last until March 12 where buyers will get Xiaomi Buds 3 for free. It’s available in all Xiaomi stores both online and offline.