Xiaomi Watch S1 launched: A classy-looking smartwatch with plenty of features

Today, Xiaomi announced the global release of its Xiaomi 12 series of smartphones. Alongside those phones, it also made available a pair of new smartwatches for the global market: the Xiaomi Watch S1 and Watch S1 Active.

The two wearables are quite similar, with the Active model obviously catering to the fitness crowd. The vanilla Watch S1, however, is geared more towards the general user with its simple and elegant design.

Let’s take a look at what each model offers.

See also: The best smartwatches you can buy

Xiaomi Watch S1

Xiaomi is pushing the Watch S1 as the professional’s best friend. Whether dressed in a suit or hitting the gym, the watch should fit right in with your outfit since it has a straightforward, minimalist design. It comes in two colors: black and silver. There are two straps in each box, too, so you can choose between a classy leather or a sportier fluoro rubber.

Covering the display is sapphire glass, which should prove to be quite durable. You don’t need to worry about going for a swim with the watch on, either, since it is water-resistant at 5ATM.

Flanking the watch’s stainless steel case are two buttons. A press of the top button opens your app page while a press of the bottom button shows you a list of 117 fitness activities the watch can track. Thanks to the large 1.43-inch AMOLED display, navigating through your apps and fitness modes should be crisp and clear.

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The Xiaomi Watch S1 also has wireless charging support. In the box, there’s a small wireless charging pad that fits the watch perfectly. However, you can also drop the watch on any of the charging pads you already own or drop it onto the back of a smartphone that supports reverse wireless charging.

Rounding out its feature set are Amazon Alexa support with voice commands (coming soon), Bluetooth 5.2/BLE support, NFC payment support (but only through MasterCard and also coming soon), onboard dual-band GPS, and the usual health-tracking sensors including sleep, heart rate, and SpO2. In the cases of heart rate and SpO2 tracking, you get all-day monitoring, which is perfect for health-conscious users.

Xiaomi Watch S1 Active

The Active variant in the Xiaomi Watch S1 lineup has most of the integral features of the main model. However, it does cut out some of the more premium features in an effort to lower the price. The three biggest omissions are wireless charging, sapphire glass, and the stainless steel case.

However, these omissions help the watch become significantly lighter at just 36g, which is 31% lighter than the Watch S1. Strangely, though, the watch doesn’t get any slimmer, with both the Active and regular models being 11mm thick.

As one would expect, the Active model has all the same health-tracking features as the Watch S1. It also has the same 1.43-inch AMOLED display with a 5ATM water-resistance rating.

The Xiaomi Watch S1 Active comes in three case colors: Moon White, Space Black, and Ocean Blue. In the box, you’ll find a color-coordinated fluoro rubber strap. If you’re feeling ambitious, Xiaomi will sell three other straps for the Active model: yellow, green, and orange. Obviously, these straps wouldn’t have a matching case color, so you’d need to be comfortable with your watch being quite the fashion statement.

Specs comparison

Pricing and availability

The Xiaomi Watch S1 will cost $269 while the Active model will set you back $199. Both watches will be available throughout Europe this month.