Best of MWC 2024: Xiaomi Watch 2

Long-lasting performance meets affordability

Smartwatches are an interesting segment of tech because there are so many choices out there, but options like the newly announced Xiaomi Watch 2 that was announced at MWC 2024 tend to steal the show, quite simply because they come with Wear OS. And that’s generally for good reason because Wear OS is the most versatile smartwatch operating system for Android users. It has more apps, and thereby tends to have more features available. The only real downside has always been battery life.

Well, that is fast becoming less and less of a problem thanks to devices like the Xiaomi Watch 2. And it’s the kind of improvements that Wear OS needs to shine brighter than it ever has.

Up to 65 hours of battery life on one charge for more peace of mind

I’m just going to say it. The worst part about using a smartwatch is how often you usually have to charge them. I know, I know. We do this every day with smartphones too. But it feels different with smartwatches. It feels like they should last longer than 24 hours and yet, most don’t. Thankfully, companies like Xiaomi are pushing things forward by really zeroing in on the battery life aspect. The Xiaomi Watch 2 can last up to 65 hours on a single charge, the company says. That’s a pretty long time compared to most other options.

We’ve said it many times before and we’ll keep saying it until it no longer needs to be said. Wear OS needs much battery life. While we haven’t tested the Xiaomi Watch 2 yet, if it lives up to Xiaomi’s claims then this is a game changer. Because up to 65 hours is almost three days. Keep in mind this assuming you’d use it a lot throughout the day. If you use your smartwatch more sparingly on a daily basis, there’s a good chance this could last even longer. And honestly, that’s a beautiful thing.

Not having to plunk this down on the charger every night is likely to win a lot of people over. Because if there’s one thing we could all stand to benefit from, it’s having one less device to charge every day. That’s peace of mind, and you can’t put a price on that. What you can put a price on is this watch. And that’s one of the other really nice things about it.

Xiaomi hasn’t announced official US pricing yet (that’s coming in the future). However, it retails for €199 for the base model. So US consumers should expect a price point that is very close to that. From a cost standpoint, that is an incredible value for what you’re getting.

The usual specs with a whole lot of customization

One of the best parts about any smartwatch is its customization capabilities. The Xiaomi Watch 2 is thankfully going to offer what appears to be a wide range of options for bands. And that paired with its alternate color options for the watch means you can set up your Xiaomi Watch 2 with a personalized look that suits you best. The watch case itself comes in two colors. Silver and Black. But it’ll have tons of band options and that’s really where the customization is going to pull in consumers.

In terms of specs, the Xiaomi Watch 2 sports a 1.43-inch AMOLED display with a Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 chip, with a feather-light 30g weight and a 495mAh battery. It also supports over 160 sport modes and of course, it has all the Google smarts that Wear OS 4 has to offer.