Earlier today, Xiaomi launched its first Google WearOS powered smartwatch which is simply called the “Mi Watch“. The key highlighting features of the smart wearable include a square 1.78-inch AMOLED display, heart rate monitor, NFC and support for e-sim which allows it to make phone calls directly, without having to connect to a smartphone.
In this article, we will put the newly launched Mi Watch against some of its competitors which include the Galaxy Watch Active 2 (44mm), Apple Watch Series 5 (44mm) and Huawei Watch GT 2 (46mm). Consequently, you will be able to choose the right smartwatch for yourself based upon your requirements.
Here is a specification comparison of all 4 smartwatches:
| Xiaomi Mi Watch | Apple Watch Series 5 | Huawei Watch GT 2 | Samsung Galaxy Watch Active | |
| Display | 1.78 inch AMOLED Display,
326 ppi, Sapphire crystal glass (premium edition) |
1.78 inch OLED Display,
326 ppi, Sapphire crystal glass |
1.39 inch OLED Display,
462 ppi, |
1.4 inch Super AMOLED Display,
364 ppi, Corning Gorilla Glass DX+ |
| Shape of dial | Square | Square | Round | Round |
| Dimensions | 44.7 x 36.9 x 12.3 mm | 44 x 38 x 10.7 mm | 45.9 x 45.9 x 10.7 mm | 44 x 44 x 10.9 mm |
| Weight | 56g | 47.8 g | 41 g | 44 g |
| Battery Capacity and Backup | 570mAh | 296mAh | 455mAh | 340mAh |
| Charger Type | Pogo Pin | Wireless Charging | Proprietary Charger | Wireless Charging |
| OS | MIUI based on Google WearOS | Apple watchOS | Huawei wearable platform | Wearable OS 4.0 based on Tizen |
| Connectivity Features | Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n,
Electronic SIM card, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS |
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n,
Electronic SIM card, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS |
Bluetooth 5.1,
GPS, NFC |
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n,
Electronic SIM card, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS |
| Chipset | Qualcomm Snapdragon 3100 | Apple S5 | In-House Developed | Exynos 9110 |
| Loudspeaker | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Sensors | Accelerometer, gyro, heart rate, barometer | Accelerometer, gyro, heart rate (2nd gen), barometer, compass | Accelerometer, gyro, heart rate, barometer, compass | Accelerometer, gyro, heart rate, barometer |
| Built in Storage | 8 GB | 32 GB | 4 GB | 4 GB |
| Water Resistance | 50m water resistant | 50m water resistant | 50m water resistant | 50m water resistant |
| Price | Yuan 1299 (~$ 185) Standard Variant,
Yuan 1999 Premium Edition (~$ 257) |
Starts from $ 429 (GPS variant)’
$ 529 (GPS + Cellular) |
€ 249 (~ $ 277) | $299 (Bluetooth + Wi-Fi),
$449 (Bluetooth + Wi-Fi + Cellular) |
Design and Display
Xiaomi’s Mi Watch draws a lot of design inspiration from the immensely popular Apple Watch Series 5. Both of these devices sport a 1.78-inch square-shaped display with a ceramic back. In contrast, the Galaxy Watch Active 2 and Huawei Watch GT 2 have a round-shaped display that measures 1.4 inch and 1.39 inch respectively. Consumers who prefer a smartwatch that is not very distinguishable from a conventional wristwatch can choose either of these two.
Chipset, Software and Features
The newly launched Mi is equipped with the Snapdragon 3100 series SoC which is developed by Qualcomm. Rest of the three smartwatches in this comparison pack a chip that is developed in-house by their respective manufacturers. In terms of OS, the Mi Watch and Apple Watch Series 5 have MIUI based on Google WearOS and Apple’s WatchOS, both of which can be navigated via a crown and multifunction buttons which are mounted on the sides of the two devices.
The Galaxy Watch Active 2 runs on Samsung’s WearableOS 4.0 which is based on top of Tizen. Finally, the Huwaei Watch GT2 has a custom OS which has a very vanilla feel and looks similar to stock WearOS from Google.
All of these smartwatches support fitness tracking features like step counter, sleep tracker, and can display notifications from the smartphone. The Apple Watch and Galaxy Watch Active 2 support ECG functionality. Whereas one distinguishing feature of the Mi Watch is its SpO2 sensor which can be used to measure oxygen in the blood.
Battery
In terms of battery, the Mi Watch which is the most affordable smartwatch out of the bunch packs the largest battery which is rated at 570 mAh. In contrast, most expensive out of the pack, the Apple Watch Series 4 has the smallest battery which is rated at 296 mAh. The Huawei Watch GT 2 and the Galaxy Watch Active 2 are also equipped with decent sized batteries which are rated at 455 mAh and 340 mAh respectively.
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Price
The non-cellular variant of the Apple Watch Series 5 (44mm) starts from $ 429 while the 4G enabled variant starts at $ 529. However, with premium strap options, it goes all the way upto $ 1399. The Mi Watch is currently limited to China and it is offered in two variants which includes standard and premium. The affordable variant costs Yuan 1299 (~$ 185) while the top of the line variant costs Yuan 1999 (~$ 257). Cheerfully, innards of both the variants remain the same but the premium variant has a stainless steel strap, sapphire glass protection, and a stainless-steel frame.
The Galaxy Watch Active 2 (44 mm) starts at $ 299 for the non-cellular variant, whereas the variant with 4G is priced at $ 449. Last but not least, the Huawei Watch GT 2 is offered in just one variant that skips on 4G and it costs Euro 249 which roughly translates to $ 277.
All of these smartwatches have their own USP’s but the Mi Watch from Xiaomi seems like the most value for money offering in this competition. All in all, the support for e-sim, a large battery and a swift chipset makes it a praiseworthy product which the Chinese corporation has managed to price aggressively.
Which one out of these 4 smartwatches do you thing is the most well-rounded package? Let us know in the comments below.
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