Xiaomi’s smartwatch sport has steadily developed because the first Mi Watch got here on the scene in 2019. We’ve seen numerous Xiaomi wearables since – some with easy proprietary working techniques that is modified extra title than options and a few with Google’s extra succesful, however power-hungry WearOS. Xiaomi Watch S3 is the primary smartwatch from the model to launch with HyperOS which is the maker’s in-house working system that powers quite a few different gadgets together with IoT home equipment and the maker’s SU7 electrical automobile.
Watch S3 brings every little thing you’d want in a smartwatch – a vibrant and crisp AMOLED display, the usual mixture of well being and exercise monitoring, GNSS positioning, NFC funds, and the flexibility to take calls out of your wrist. It’s additionally extremely customizable with interchangeable watch bezels and straps permitting you to adapt the watch to your fashion.
At €150/£130 in Europe, Xiaomi is positioning Watch S3 as its go-to smartwatch for 2024 and we’ve spent the final two weeks testing it out.
Watch S3 brings a well-recognized design that falls according to the Xiaomi Watch 2 technology. It’s a big watch with a 47mm casing and a 1.43-inch AMOLED display which definitely takes some getting used to if you happen to’re coming from a smaller watch or smartband. The massive new addition to the Wach S3 is the chrome steel bezel which is removable and permits for unparalleled customization choices.
A fast counterclockwise twist and switch detaches the bezel and frees up the wach to absorb any of the 4 extra kinds which we solely presume will develop in quantity from right here. The bayonet mount which is such as you’d discover on a digital camera lens is a very neat design alternative that locks in securely. Every watch bezel comes with its personal watch face which instantly toggles on when it’s connected.
The interchangeable bezels coupled with the countless possibility of 22mm watch bands allow unprecedented customization, which is a good way to carry new life to the watch down the road. Sadly, the bezel is only for appears to be like and does not add any performance such as you’d get on a Galaxy Watch6 Traditional and its rotating bezel. Our silver Watch S3 assessment unit comes bundled with an identical chrome steel watch bezel and silver fluoro rubber watch strap.
Watch S3 feels as premium because the dearer smartwatches we’ve examined with its glossy aluminum body, chrome steel watch bezels, and the plethora of 22mm watch strap choices. Regardless of the massive formactor it by some means feels mild and unobtrusive on the wrist. Watch S3 weighs 44 grams with out the strap and is 12mm thick. It’s additionally 5ATM waterproof so swimming periods are a go.
The 1.43-inch AMOLED show affords saturated colours and nice viewing angles. It will get vibrant sufficient even for outside – maxing out at 600 nits of peak brightness and likewise includes a devoted auto brightness sensor. The show refreshes at 60Hz making it really feel snappy and it’s additionally protected by Gorilla Glass 3. We should always observe that a number of the AOD choices are tougher to see in direct daylight.
There are two buttons for navigation with the highest one appearing as a shortcut to the app menu whereas additionally doubling as a again button whereas the underside one is programmable and might be paired to launch any app however acts as a shortcut to the exercise web page by default.
Regardless of its aluminum alloy body and chrome steel bezel, Xiaomi Watch S3 weighs 44 grams which doesn’t really feel heavy on the wrist and is snug to put on all day lengthy. The retail field options the Watch S3, its proprietary two-pin magnetic charging puck which ends in a USB-A cable, and the same old mixture of manuals. Wi-fi charging appears to be the one omission.
Xiaomi Watch S3 packs an extended spec sheet with certainly one of its key options being HyperOS. Xiaomi’s proprietary IoT platform appears to be like acquainted to MIUI Watch, however sadly doesn’t help third-party apps exterior of China.
There are 31 built-in apps together with Amazon Alexa, a cellphone dialer, a voice recorder, an NFC playing cards app alongside the entire traditional set of apps you’d discover on a smartwatch like an alarm, a reasonably detailed climate app in addition to well being and exercise monitoring apps. You additionally get reminders, calendar, contacts, media controls, respiratory workouts, a barometer, compass, flashlight, and a digital camera shutter.
Watch S3 includes a microphone and speaker permitting you to make and take calls out of your paired cellphone over Bluetooth. Our assessment unit doesn’t function eSIM connectivity although Chinese language variations do, gaining complete independence out of your cellphone. Xiaomi can be providing push notifications on the watch for many apps however these are often simply easy alerts with out the choice to answer or toggle any extra actions.
There are two vibration settings with customary and robust values. Along with the 2 bodily buttons, Xiaomi added fast gestures that are a gimmicky strategy to launch extra apps by tilting your wrist 90 levels or performing a round movement. Choices are restricted right here with help for summoning Amazon Alexa, the climate app, rejecting incoming calls, and triggering the distant digital camera shutter operate in your paired cellphone.
Watch S3 additionally helps dual-band (L1 and L5) satellite tv for pc positioning over BeiDou, GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and QZSS in addition to NFC funds via Xiaomi Pay. The caveat with funds is that you could solely add Mastercard-issued playing cards and pay at Mastercard cost terminals.
On the well being monitoring aspect, Watch S3 includes a 12-channel coronary heart charge sensor with 24/7 coronary heart charge monitoring, SpO2 monitoring, stress, and sleep monitoring with an up to date new sleep algorithm providing REM sleep and respiratory scores.
Xiaomi’s Mi Health app is one obligatory set up you’ll want in your paired cellphone to toggle a lot of the capabilities on the Watch S3. The watch helps a complete of 161 exercise modes masking nearly each exercise you may consider from operating and weightlifting to as nuanced as kite flying and board video games.
You get entry to the total checklist of actions throughout the Exercises app on the watch which is neat and Mi Health can hold as much as a month’s price of well being and exercise knowledge. You too can sync your well being and exercise knowledge with Apple Well being, Google Match, Strava and Suunto.
There are 13 pre-loaded watch faces with various ranges of customizable components for watch issues and accent colours. You’ll discover an awesome collection of extra watch faces throughout the Mi Health app too.
Watch S3 additionally comes with fall detection and emergency help capabilities although they’re restricted to Android customers. These embrace the flexibility to name emergency companies or an emergency contact of your selecting and ship out an SMS message within the occasion of a fall. You too can retailer your key medical knowledge on the watch which shall be displayed if you set off the emergency help function. Understand that these settings have to be configured throughout the Mi Health app in your cellphone beforehand.
Whereas its naming is new, HyperOS didn’t provide any tangible variations over earlier non-Put on OS Xiaomi watches throughout our testing. The app icons and menus have acquired a brand new coat of paint however that’s about it. Xiaomi says that HyperOS will enable for extra seamless connectivity and integration between its gadgets down the road, however for now it is principally the identical factor below a brand new title.
Whereas Google’s WearOS affords in depth third-party аpp help and savvier smartphone alternative expertise, a watch just like the S3 with HyperOS is preferable if you happen to simply need to cowl the fundamentals of a smartwatch whereas additionally getting nice battery life. Other than a devoted maps app and the choice to answer to notifications, I didn’t really feel I used to be lacking any performance on the Watch S3 throughout my assessment interval.
The UI is easy and runs with none noticeable lag. You possibly can work together with the watch in just a few methods – by double-taping the display, elevating your wrist, or by pushing both of the aspect buttons. From there you’ll be able to swipe down for notifications, or swipe up from the underside to toggle the management heart web page.
Swiping left or proper offers you entry to your widgets that are playing cards of apps bundled collectively. You possibly can configure as much as 4 apps in a single widget card immediately from the watch or throughout the widgets tab on the Mi Health app. Notifications on the Watch S3 come promptly however we already lined the shortage of any extra performance as you’ll be able to solely dismiss them.
The onboard speaker does the job however it’s a bit exhausting to hearken to throughout calls in noisier environments. The microphone handles voice pickup effectively with folks on the opposite finish of calls reporting loud and clear reception on my half. The watch saved a steady connection to my paired iPhone 15 Professional via the assessment interval with no drops in
Well being monitoring
Watch S3 helps configurable coronary heart charge monitoring by way of a 12-channel PPG optical coronary heart charge sensor. You possibly can configure the readings between 1 and 30-minute intervals with the shorter values consuming up extra of your battery life. Coronary heart charge readings had been on par with different not too long ago examined smartwatches. You too can set excessive and low coronary heart charge alerts with alerts showing when you’ve handed or dropped under a predetermined threshold.
Blood oxygen monitoring (SpO2) can be supported with 24/7 readings. When it comes to accuracy, we discovered each the center charge and SpO2 outcomes provide comparable values to what you’d get on competing smartwatches and different well being trackers like devoted pulse oximeters. Don’t anticipate medical grade readings right here as wearables like this are meant for monitoring your basic well-being. We in contrast the center charge and blood oxygen measurements from the watch with these from a specialised coronary heart charge monitor and pulse oximeter and obtained comparable values.
Coronary heart charge, blood oxygen and sleep readings within the Mi Health app
Xiaomi is promoting its new sleep analyzing algorithm with claims of improved accuracy and we are able to verify it does an awesome job of logging correct go-to-sleep and wake-up occasions. You get an in depth breakdown of your sleep by class with deep, mild and speedy eye motion (REM) sleep. Sporting the Watch S3 for every week will generate your individual private sleep perception report with an assigned sleeping animal primarily based in your sleeping sample in addition to a advisable schedule on set your day for optimum relaxation and restoration.
I did expertise a bug with just a few random extra awake occasions added to some sleeping periods although I used to be in mattress and didn’t rise up in any respect throughout these nights. Hopefully, Xiaomi can repair this with future software program updates. With the SpO2 monitoring function enabled throughout sleep monitoring you additionally get respiratory scores which might warn you of early indicators of sleep apnea.
Exercise monitoring
Leaping to exercise monitoring, Xiaomi Watch S3 didn’t disappoint with correct step counting and easy-to-read important exercise knowledge. Most exercise modes present your primary vitals like coronary heart charge charts, energy burned, exercise depth, VO₂ max, and prompt restoration occasions. Strolling, operating and mountaineering additionally get some extra in-depth metrics like common pace, cadences, stride, and elevation acquire. The watch additionally helps automated exercise detection for just a few actions together with strolling, operating, biking, rowing, soar rope, and elliptical.
Exercise monitoring metrics in Mi Health app
I did encounter a bug the place my exercise monitoring randomly stopped after I unlocked the watch to test via my exercise metrics. I discovered myself lacking upwards of 20 minutes throughout a exercise earlier than I seen the exercise was paused with none extra enter from my aspect.
GNSS positioning locks in as immediately when you choose any of the supported exercises even if you’re indoors which was a shocking feat. Positioning knowledge was pretty correct on a mountaineering path, however not a lot throughout walks within the metropolis because it did not establish the proper aspect of the sidewalk from my route.
The devoted ski mode is a neat addition masking distance traveled, common pace, and a devoted Ski Monitor Map which you’ll be able to share with pals. Sadly Watch S3 doesn’t help the flexibility to load GPX format maps on the look ahead to navigating hikes or runs which is one thing you are able to do on rivals like Huawei GT4 and Amazfit GTR 4.
Xiaomi Watch S3 includes a 486 mAh battery which is claimed to last as long as 15 days on a cost with regular utilization and 5 days with At all times-On Show enabled. Watch S3 supplied an honest battery endurance of 4.5 days in my use case. We obtained these numbers with the AOD toggled on, the entire well being monitoring options turned on 24/7, just a few quick cellphone calls, and a 1:30-hour day by day exercise. Extra average well being monitoring and disabling the AOD extends the endurance to 7 days.
The watch is intelligent sufficient to present you an estimated battery life primarily based in your utilization sample throughout the battery menu although we discovered it to overestimate the values. There’s an extremely power-saving mode that can squeeze out just a few additional days of utilization however you’ll want to show off virtually the entire options on the watch to attain these values.
Charging occurs completely via the two-pin magnetic puck that comes bundled with the watch. It’s backward appropriate with the one discovered on the Xiaomi Watch 2 and Watch S1 collection which is nice. A 5-minute top-up will get the watch from 0 to twenty% whereas a full cost takes 1 hour. The one main challenge nonetheless is the shortage of any wi-fi charging which is an enormous caveat for a smartwatch.
Xiaomi Watch S3 brings a mixture of premium construct and modular design with unparalleled customizability choices. The detachable watch bezels give the watch a way of individuality setting it aside from the pack of rivals. You possibly can simply carry new life to the Watch S3 with one of many colourful bezels and the usual 22mm watch bands guarantee much more customizability choices.
The style-centric method is backed by correct well being and exercise monitoring and whereas it might not provide the capabilities of a correct WearOS watch and all that it entails, it does the fundamentals effectively sufficient whereas providing stable battery life.
The 1.43-inch AMOLED show is crisp and simple to learn even open air in direct daylight. The twin-band GNSS positioning connects quick and affords dependable monitoring and Bluetooth calling additionally works nice. Xiaomi Pay is considerably restricted by its quick checklist of supported financial institution playing cards and sleep-tracking leaves some to be desired.
We additionally would have preferred to see wi-fi charging for these occasions if you’re not carrying the proprietary Xiaomi charger and richer notification help with choices to answer to incoming messages.
Finally, if you wish to specific your fashion and have the choice to fully remodel how your watch appears to be like down the road then the Watch S3 is a good possibility with no actual competitors. It’s additionally bundled with Xiaomi 14 collection pre-orders in sure markets which is a good freebie to go together with your brand-new cellphone.
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