During its international launch, Xiaomi announced that it is switching to Wear OS for its new Watch 2 Pro. True to form, Xiaomi offers a surprising set of features, including body composition analysis and dual-frequency GPS, to an attractive price: 269 euros for the Wi-Fi version or 329 euros for the LTE version.
The big advantage of Wear OS is access to third-party applications from the Google Play Store as well as Google’s suite of services such as Wallet, Maps and, notably, Google Assistant. Previously, the smartwatches not owned by Samsung or Google have had to go without Assistant for months, so it’s nice to see a Wear OS watch finally launch with this service. Xiaomi did not specify which version of Wear OS it was launching its watch with.
However, the fact that it’s powered by Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon W5+ means that even if it launches with Wear OS 3, it will likely be eligible for an update later. As a reminder, the only Wear OS 4 watch currently available is Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 6.
In terms of design, the Watch 2 Pro looks like a classic round-faced smartwatch with a 1.43-inch OLED display, a 46mm stainless steel case and a digital crown. It’s hard to tell if she’ll be a chonker from the photos alone, but Xiaomi boasts an estimated battery life of 65 hours. This should mean real-world multi-day battery life, something Android smartwatch makers have struggled to achieve.
When it comes to health and fitness tracking, the Watch 2 Pro supports 150 sports modes, stress tracking, blood oxygen levels, sleep and high heart rate notifications.
Dual frequency GPS support
More interestingly, it supports dual-frequency GPS and body composition analysis. The first is something currently found in Garmin’s multisport watches and Apple Watch Ultra models, which allows for greater precision for outdoor activities. The second is an element that, until now, only Samsung has integrated into a smartwatch. From Xiaomi’s presentation, it appears that the Watch 2 Pro works similarly to Samsung’s version.
Xiaomi has not given an exact launch date. The Watch 2 Pro will be available in black with a fluoroelastomer strap and silver with a leather strap.
