Xiaomi unveils Watch S2 with body composition measurements
Xiaomi has officially unveiled earlier today Watch S2 and Buds 4 at a launch event in its home market of China. Both wearables were released alongside a bunch of other products such as the flagship Xiaomi 13 phone.
Watch S1 saw the light of day about a year ago. In our hands-on review we note that it packs classy looks, a sharp and crisp high-res display, solid health and fitness tracking tech and excellent battery life. As cons we listed the lack of support for third-party software, no advanced performance stats and that GPS which could be better. But the highlight of the watch is definitely its elegant design.
Xiaomi followed that up with an even more premium looking Watch S1 Pro in early 2022. The upgrades that one adds are a digital crown and button combination, along with some other design tweaks. Battery life has also been extended by a few days to around two weeks between charges.
Xiaomi Watch S2 – can estimate body composition
Xiaomi Watch S2 looks very much like its predecessor – a device with a flat display and stainless-steel body and sapphire glass. The buttons have been revamped once again and now you get a dual push button configuration. A variety of straps are available alongside a few more sports modes and some upgrades in health features.
One notable change is that are two case sizes to choose from. In addition to the 46mm of the first generation, you now have to option of a smaller 42mm iteration. So something for those with smaller wrists.
The larger variant packs a 1.43-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 466 x 466 pixels. The 42mm version offers a smaller 1.32-inch screen. Water-resistance comes in a 5 ATM whichever size you choose.
Essential reading: Top fitness trackers and health gadgets
You get the usual sensors under the hood which include heart rate and SpO2. Interestingly, Watch S2 is able to measure data such as fat percentage, skeletal muscle mass, protein volume, and more. To capture a reading you’ll need to rest two fingers against the side buttons.
In reality, the body composition measurement is more a novelty that something we expect will be able to dish out precise readings. Even smart scales struggle when it comes to estimating anything beyond simple weight measurements.
More usefully, the watch can also monitor skin temperature. This can be helpful as an indicator if you are coming down with something.
Beyond this you’ll also get info on stress with breathing exercises to keep you calm and there’s a menstrual cycle monitor. The number of sports modes exceeds 100 and the built-in GPS can be used for some of them.
As far as smart functions, Watch S2 has a built-in microphone and speaker which facilitate the Bluetooth calling functionality. The safety tracking feature should be useful. It allows you to alert pre-set contacts at the touch of a button. The Chinese version of the watch also packs NFC for contactless payments.
Battery life is pretty good. The larger case size houses a 500mAh battery which can keep everything going for around 12 days. The 305mAh of the smaller model delivers about a week of usage.
Watch S2 will set you back RMB 999 (around $145) for the 42mm Black standard and RMB 1,199 (around $175) for the same sized Light Gold leather colour variant. The 46mm has a price tag of RMB 1,099 (around $155) for the Black standard and RMB 1,299 (around $185) for the Light Gold leather version.
We expect Xiaomi will make the timepiece available for purchase internationally in the near future. However, the company has not specified the launch date for global release. A possibility for such an announcement might be CES 2023 in Las Vegas.
Xiaomi Buds 4 noise cancelling earbuds
Another wearable unveiled today are the Xiaomi Buds 4 noise-cancelling TWS earbuds. As the image below shows they adopt a semi-in-ear design. This is essentially a scaled back version of the Buds 4 Pro. Something with a slightly different design and a lower price tag.
When not in use the buds rest in a nifty circular charging case that features the USB-C charging port of the the Buds 4 Pro. Xiaomi is really ramping up the style. The top of the case adopts a metal glossy finish while the bottom is made of less premium plastic material. There are three colour options to chose from namely Moon Shadow, Salt Lake White and Field Green. You can pick up any of these in China for RMB 699 (around $100).
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