Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro Review: A Big Step Forward

Chinese company Xiaomi has been releasing wearables since 2014, but it’s never quite nailed down the premium smartwatch category. 

Attempts up until now have boasted great hardware, yet always been let down by Xiaomi’s own brand software. Despite offering plenty of health and fitness features, its major flaw is the inability to download third-party apps. 

There appears to be a very simple solution to this: switch to Google’s Wear OS and that’s exactly what Xiaomi has done on the Watch 2 Pro with impressive results. 

Alongside an even better design than usual, it’s Xiaomi’s finest smartwatch to date, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you should buy it. 

Design & Build 

• Attractive circular design with bezel
• Premium, durable build
• Useful physical buttons

In a world where many Android-based smartwatches look similar, the Watch 2 Pro truly stands out.

That’s primarily due to its large stainless-steel bezel, which surrounds the 1.43-inch display. It’s bigger than the one on the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic, though unlike that device, it doesn’t rotate. 

Even so, the bezel instantly gives the watch a premium look, shimmering attractively as it catches the light. The all-black model I tested (complete with matching fluororubber strap) is versatile enough to go with pretty much any outfit. 

But there are also plenty of ways to make it more colourful. The first is by opting for the silver model instead, which retains the black bezel but changes the colour of the lugs. 

Alternatively, you can easily swap out the strap for another colour or one made from leather. While these are sold separately (£14.99 for fluororubber, £21.99 for leather), it’s a fairly inexpensive way to quickly change the look and feel of the watch. 

In my opinion, the Watch 2 Pro is the best-looking smartwatch I’ve ever used. But due to its sheer size, it won’t be a good fit for everyone. 

A large 46mm case is your only option, so it’s not a good choice if you have smaller wrists. And at 11.6mm thick and 54.5g in weight, it’s also one of bulkiest smartwatches around. 

I found the Watch 2 Pro uncomfortable to wear while sleeping, and could never forget about it being on my wrist during the day, unlike with some slimmer watches such as the Google Pixel Watch 2 (and original). However, this comes down to personal preference, and might not be an issue for you. 

In my opinion, the Watch 2 Pro is the best-looking smartwatch I’ve ever used

Of course, that extra weight is a direct consequence of the premium materials used. Not only does the stainless-steel build look good, but it also feels impressively durable. And while there’s no Gorilla Glass on the screen here, the raised bezel ensures it’s protected from direct impact in a fall. 

Even after several weeks of testing, the watch looked as good as new. If you avoid unnecessary risks, it should last for a long time. That includes exposing it to a lot of dust or sand, as there’s no IP rating. 

But you’re fine to use it while swimming. The Watch 2 Pro has a 5ATM rating, meaning it can withstand water pressure equivalent to around 50m underwater. Naturally, getting caught in the rain or keeping it on in the shower won’t be an issue. 

The Watch 2 Pro is primarily a touchscreen device, but there are still three physical controls. A rotating physical crown makes it easy to scroll menus or move between the app list and main watch face. A long press triggers the Google Assistant. 

The button above it is reserved for quick access to workouts, though the one below is more versatile. A single press opens the last used app, a double press opens Google Pay and a long press brings up the power options. 

Everything works as advertised and feels very intuitive. I just wish you could remap the physical buttons to do whatever you wanted, something which is possible on Samsung’s Galaxy Watches. 

Screen & Audio

• 1.43-inch AMOLED screen
• Excellent in all situations
• Decent speaker and microphone

Unlike many premium smartwatches, the Watch 2 Pro is only available in one display size.  

But this 1.43-inch AMOLED screen is undoubtedly one of the best around if you’re after a larger watch. A high resolution of 466×466 means all content looks impressively clear and crisp.

Colours are rich and vibrant, yet there’s plenty of opportunity throughout Wear OS to show off those deep true blacks, which are a key strength of OLED panels. 

It’s hard to imagine how the Watch 2 Pro’s display could get any better

A 60Hz refresh rate is high by smartwatch standards. Scrolling through menus and switching between apps feels impressively smooth and responsive. 

And despite being quite a reflective display, it also gets impressively bright. I had no problem using the watch in all lighting conditions, including outside on a sunny day. It’s hard to imagine how the Watch 2 Pro’s display could get any better.

Of course, the audio won’t rival a smartphone, but it’s better than I was expecting. The built-in speaker offers decent clarity and gets fairly loud, making it a good alternative to connecting headphones. However, it’s worth noting that some third-party apps won’t let you play audio direct from the speaker. 

I’m also very impressed with the built-in microphone. It works great for calls and Google Assistant commands, recognising what you’re saying without the need to hold it close to your mouth. 

Specs & Performance

• Qualcomm Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1
• Solid all-round performance
• Optional 4G via eSIM

The Watch 2 Pro is powered by the Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1. Despite being released in 2022, this is still Qualcomm’s latest and greatest chipset for smartwatches. 

And it shows. Alongside 2GB of RAM, the most common amount for a flagship smartwatch, performance is solid. Swiping between screens, scrolling menus and toggling settings all feels very fluid and responsive. 

Opening apps is the only real situation where you’ll notice some slowdown. But this is usually only 1-2 seconds of hesitation, and doesn’t negatively affect the overall experience. 

For context, the performance here is similar to the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6, which uses the Exynos W930 chipset. It’s about as good as you’ll get on a smartwatch right now, but there is definitely room for improvement in the future. 

Swiping between screens, scrolling menus and toggling settings all feels very fluid and responsive

All Watch 2 Pro models have built-in Wi-Fi, meaning it can be used completely independently of your phone while you’re at home. 

The more expensive version also adds 4G LTE support via eSIM, though it requires a separate contract and only works on Vodafone or O2 in the UK. I wasn’t able to test this for myself, but it’s certainly a nice option to have. 

There’s Bluetooth 5.2 support regardless of the model you choose. In my experience, it was able to establish and retain a solid connection to both my phone and earbuds at the same time. 

The Watch 2 Pro has 32GB of on-device storage, which is more than enough for all your apps and plenty of downloaded songs or audiobooks. Unless you need offline access to your entire audio library, I can’t see why anyone would need more storage. 

Software & Features

• Runs Wear OS 3.5
• Intuitive and easy to navigate
• Google Play Store app support

Switching up the software has been transformative for the Watch 2 Pro. Previous Xiaomi smartwatches have used the company’s own software, but we now have Google’s Wear OS for the first time. 

Visually, the two aren’t too dissimilar. But Wear OS has one huge advantage: the ability to download third-party apps. Being able to access the Google Play Store from your wrist is a game changer, and there are plenty of apps that are worth your time. 

My personal favourites include the meditation app Calm, Audible for audiobooks and WhatsApp, which speaks for itself.

The latter is surprisingly intuitive on such a small display, allowing you to compose messages by either typing or using your voice. Videos are the only thing you won’t be able to see. 

A variety of music streaming services are also natively supported, including Spotify, Amazon Music and YouTube Music. All Xiaomi’s own apps are also still here, but they’re integrated into the Wear OS experience rather than being the only ones available. 

In truth, there are a frustratingly high number of phone apps without a watch equivalent, but that’s an issue that affects all Wear OS watches. Apple’s watchOS is the only wearable software that does it better. 

And the good news is all your phone notifications can be delivered to your wrist (if you’d like), including calls. They’re easy to view and manage via a simple swipe down from the main watch face. 

Switching up the software has been transformative for the Watch 2 Pro

A swipe up (the opposite to the Pixel Watch) reveals a range of quick settings toggles that are easy to turn on or off. Swiping left or right allows you to move between a range of different widgets, with the default selection including workouts, weather and key health metrics. It all feels very seamless and intuitive. 

A selection of different faces are available from the watch itself, or you can download more via the Mi Fitness companion app. With so many to choose from, there’s something to suit everyone. 

The introduction of Wear OS, combined with NFC support, means the Watch 2 Pro can make contactless payments via Google Pay. It works as advertised, though you will have to set an annoying screen lock as security to enable it. 

Another app you’ll probably want to use is Google Maps, especially with built-in GPS here. Again, it’s surprisingly easy to use, and beats getting your phone out for turn-by-turn directions. 

However, it’s worth noting that the Watch 2 Pro runs Wear OS 3.5 at the time of writing, despite Wear OS 4 arriving with the Pixel Watch 2. It’s not clear how much longer you’ll have to wait, or how many years Xiaomi will support the watch for with software updates. 

Fitness & Tracking

• Over 150 supported workouts
• In-depth data on some activities
• Impressive sleep tracking

In terms of health tracking, the Watch 2 Pro doesn’t do anything out of the ordinary. But all the core features are here, and nearly all of them work well. 

That includes support for more than 150 different sports modes. Most of these provide only basic data on heart rate (including VO2 max), duration and estimated calories burned, such as my HIIT (high-intensity interval training) workout.

It’s interesting to see the information, but not particularly useful for future workouts. 

However, there are a few activities where the information is much more in-depth. It includes regular walking, where you’ll get information on your average pace, elevation change, cadence, stride length and even altitude. 

Similar data is available after a run, though the longer session I did also included an estimate of recovery times. This can be genuinely useful in helping you improve or monitor progress over time. 

For any workout where you’re covering distance, the built-in GPS allows you to track exactly where you’ve been on a map, which I really like. Though I’d recommend turning off the in-workout voice prompts, which quickly becomes annoying.

And unlike some wearables, the Watch 2 Pro can’t track any workouts automatically. Make sure you manually start one if you want it to be recorded.

Overall, heart rate data appeared to be pretty accurate most of the time. You can also use the watch to measure blood oxygen levels, skin temperature and body composition, each of which takes just a few seconds. 

The Watch 2 Pro isn’t the most comfortable to wear at night, but if you can put up with it, there’s an impressive amount of sleep…