Software-wise, the Band 8 Pro boasts over 200 watch faces and can track over 150 sports, with options for individual preferences. There’s a choice of 10 on-wrist running courses, and the device gives scientific guidance during workouts. For the novice, a built-in 3D exercise animation provides visual cues when warming up and stretching before the session begins.
It’s not just tracked exercise; the Band 8 Pro will also monitor your heart with its new 4-channel monitoring module, which can record health data in real-time, and GPS is also built-in so you can leave the phone at home. Battery life is said to be capable of up to 14 days of usage. Amazon’s Alexa is present, as is the ability to find your mobile phone.
Xiaomi’s Band 8 Pro will be available from official channels at a reasonable price of €69 (~$75). It’s unlikely to go on sale in the US, unfortunately.
Watch S3
Taking things up a notch is the Watch S3, which has a round 1.43-inch display and offers customization options such as interchangeable straps and bezels. The bezels can be twisted off and snapped on with unique and exclusive dials relating to the bezel design.
Another interesting feature is the ability to embed information into a portrait image to create a unique watch face. If that doesn’t appeal, don’t worry; the Watch S3 also comes with over 180 free watch faces.
Running on Xiaomi’s new HyperOS software, the Watch S3 offers faster connectivity and data synchronization. With up to 15 days of usage, the wearable is capable of 2 days of usage on just a 5-minute charge.
A first for Xiaomi is the ability to perform tasks on the Watch S3 with the wrist’s movement. A wrist flip could control the phone, check the weather, or even act as a remote camera button.
Sports tracking is also present, with support for over 150 sports, and thanks to the improver reception and positioning accuracy of the dual-band GNSS, the Watch S3 will track your exercise path more precisely. Ten different running courses are offered to suit runners of all fitness levels, plus there’s a built-in 12-channel heart rate monitor that can run 24/7.
Xiaomi’s Watch starts from €149 (~$161), and as with the Smart Band 8 Pro, there’s no word on US availability.
Xiaomi Watch 2
Now we get to the full-featured Watch 2, which runs on Wear OS 4.0 and is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 chipset. Packing a 1.43-inch circular AMOLED display, a 495mAh battery, and an aluminum mid-frame, the Watch 2 weighs in at 37g.
Besides having hundreds of apps accessible via the Play Store, the Watch 2 also features a remote camera function for the first time (for Xiaomi). Sleep tracking and heart-rate monitoring (12-channel) are also present, and you can check your health and sleep data on the Mi Health app. The Sleep Animal feature is also present, generating a ‘sleep animal’ that best suits the user’s sleep habits based on seven days of wearing the device.
Besides offering support for more than 160 sporting activities, the Watch 2 looks more elegant than its stablemates, looking more like a regular watch thanks to that round watch dial. The watch is available with a choice of black or silver straps.
The Xiaomi Watch 2 starts from €199 (~$215); you guessed it, it’s unlikely to go on sale in the US.
