With the Watch S1 and the Watch S1 Active, Xiaomi has introduced two new smart watches. They should not only appeal to business users, but also to athletes.
Xiaomi has already released several smartwatches, including the Amazfit devices, which are usually quite cheap at discounters. With the Xiaomi Watch S1, however, there is once again a smartwatch under its own name. Not only does it offer numerous fitness modes, it also supports the measurement of heart rate, sleep quality and blood oxygen saturation. There are two versions of the watch to choose from.
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Xiaomi Watch S1 – the classic smartwatch
The classic version of the watch – the Xiaomi Watch S1 – is equipped with a 1.43 inch AMOLED display with 466 x 466 pixels and 60 Hz, which is protected by sapphire glass. All models are water-resistant up to 5 ATM and come with a strap made of leather and fluorine rubber, whereby the straps can be changed quite easily, giving the smartwatch a new look over and over again. Xiaomi delivers the Watch S1 in black with a black fluororubber strap and a black leather strap. The silver version of the watch comes with a gray fluororubber strap and a brown leather strap. There are also over 200 individual dials to choose from.
Xiaomi’s smartwatch is compatible with both Android smartwatches and iPhones. It is operated via the touchscreen or two buttons on the right side of the stainless steel housing. At the same time, the Xiaomi Watch S1 also supports operation via the Amazon Alexa voice assistant. The watch can be used to make Bluetooth calls, receive notifications from apps or manage appointments. Thanks to NFC support, it can also be used for cashless payments. Dual band GPS is also supported.
Active version for athletes
Xiaomi has developed the Watch S1 Active especially for athletes. Display dimensions and the general shape are identical to the business variant. However, the watch looks a bit more robust and less noble overall. Xiaomi specifies the runtime for both smartwatches as up to 12 days in standby. However, users only get this value when GPS and Bluetooth are switched off. The scope of delivery should also be noted, because Xiaomi only includes a bracelet made of TPU/silicone with the Active.
The fitness functions support both watches equally. A total of 117 different modes, including 19 professional modes, are available according to the manufacturer. The Xiaomi Watch S1 (Active) should automatically recognize the type of sport currently being performed and switch to the appropriate mode. The training progress can be monitored via the app and the connected smartphone. Various health functions are also part of the repertoire of the watch. Among other things, users can use it to monitor their sleep and stress levels and measure heart rate and blood oxygen saturation (SpO2).
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System of own development
Xiaomi has not mentioned which operating system the new watches run on. So it can be assumed that the manufacturer relies on an in-house development instead of WearOS or the like. Unfortunately, this should also limit the compatibility with apps, which does not make the smartwatch a real competitor to the Apple Watch or Samsung Galaxy Watch.
Both smartwatches are now available in stores.