Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy Watch 6: the differences
Two of the top contenders in the premium Android smartwatch space are the Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro and the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6. The first, launched in September 2023, presents itself as a value-focused alternative. The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6, released in July 2023, builds upon its reputation for sleek design, health innovations, and seamless integration with the Samsung ecosystem.
Essential reading: Top fitness trackers and health gadgets
This comprehensive comparison dives into the strengths and weaknesses of each smartwatch. Read on to find out if one if these is the right fit for you.
Key takeaways
The Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro excels in battery life and offers a solid range of health and fitness tracking features at a slightly lower price point. This makes it an excellent choice for the budget-conscious user. The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6, meanwhile, stands out for its advanced health monitoring tools and customizable design. It should appeal to Android phone users who prioritize comprehensive wellness insights and personalization.
View on Xiaomi, Samsung; View on Amazon (Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro, Samsung Galaxy Watch 6).
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Hardware
Technical specs
Features
Bottom line
Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy Watch 6: Hardware
Look & feel
Both the Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro and the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 series adopt the classic round smartwatch shape. This ensures a familiar and comfortable wearing experience.
The Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro stands out with its sapphire crystal display known for exceptional scratch resistance. This, paired with a stainless steel frame, offers a durable and premium feel. Mind you, the plastic back slightly undercuts the luxuriousness. In comparison, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 opts for an Armor Aluminum case with a sport band and a sapphire crystal display. This presents a slightly lighter and sportier feel.
Samsung caters to diverse preferences with two size options: a smaller 40mm model and a larger 44mm variant. This provides a much better fit for different wrist sizes compared to the Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro. That one comes in a single 47mm size that might feel bulky for some users.
For navigation, the Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro incorporates a rotating crown and two flat buttons. This is a setup that facilitates easy navigation through menus and apps. The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6, on the other hand, simplifies its design with two buttons, focusing on straightforward interaction.
Display, colour options, water resistance
Display-wise, the Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro’s 1.43-inch AMOLED, with a resolution of 466 x 466 pixels, ensures vibrant visuals and sharpness. Samsung takes a slight edge with its use of Super AMOLED displays, with resolutions tailored to its 1.5 and 1.3 inch display variants.
You need not worry about accidental splashes or swimming with either the Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro or Samsung Galaxy Watch 6. Both lines offer a 5 ATM water resistance rating with IP68 certification, ensuring suitability for various water-based activities.
Color options remain somewhat limited on the Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro with either Black or Silver. Samsung offers Graphite, Gold (40mm only), or Silver (44mm only) for the Galaxy Watch 6, allowing for a bit more individualization.
Sensor technology
Both the Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro and the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 offer an impressive array of sensors. You will struggle to find other smartwatches that pack that much health technology under the hood.
For starters, the duo covers the basics with an accelerometer, barometer, gyroscope, ambient light sensor, and geomagnetic sensor. Where they start to slightly diverge is in specific health metrics.
The Xiaomi includes an electronic compass, body temperature sensor, and ECG capabilities. Samsung counters with their cutting-edge BioActive Sensor, a 3-in-1 sensor combining optical heart rate, electrical heart signal, and bioelectrical impedance analysis. This allows for detailed heart health monitoring and body composition analysis. And like the Xiaomi, Samsung incorporates a dedicated temperature sensor for potentially more accurate health insights.
Positioning-wise, the Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro features multi-band five-system GNSS. This promises heightened location accuracy compared to the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6’s standard GPS, Galileo, Glonass, and Beidou support. They both offer Bluetooth 5.2, NFC for contactless payments and internal music storage, making it easier to leave your phone behind during workouts.
The device also feature an optional cellular LTE version for completely standalone connectivity. This lets you make calls and access data without your phone nearby.
Battery life
The Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro holds a distinct advantage in battery life. Its Bluetooth version boasts up to 65 hours of usage, while the LTE version still offers a substantial 55 hours. So both are good for more than two days. This surpasses the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6, which promises up to 40 hours of battery life with its Always On Display (AOD) feature turned off, and up to 30 hours with AOD enabled.
Worth mentioning is that the Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro reaches a full charge in approximately 85 minutes. The Samsung device, on the other hand, introduces 10W fast charging. A quick 8-minute charge can provide an additional eight hours of battery life on your Samsung watch. This is sufficient for a full night of sleep tracking.
Nevertheless, the Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro remains the clear winner if longer battery endurance is your primary concern. The Xiaomi’s extended battery life and quick top-ups mean less downtime.
Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy Watch 6: Technical specs
This table provides a detailed comparison of Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro and Samsung Galaxy Watch 6. Also included is the Classic version of Samsung Galaxy Watch 6. It comes with pretty much the same specs as the vanilla edition, the main difference being the design.
Feature | Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro | Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 | Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic |
|---|---|---|---|
Release Date | Sep-23 | Jul-23 | Jul-23 |
Case Material | Sapphire crystal front, stainless steel frame, plastic back | Armor Aluminum case with Sport Band, Sapphire Crystal display | Stainless Steel case with Hybrid Eco-Leather Band |
Physical Buttons | 1 rotating crown + 2 flat buttons | 2 | 2 + rotating bezel |
Shape | Round | Round | Round |
Size | 47.6 x 45.9 x 11.8 mm | 44mm: 42.8 x 44.4 x 9.0 mm; 40mm: 38.8 x 40.4 x 9.0 mm | 47mm: 46.5 x 46.5 x 10.9 mm; 43mm: 42.5 x 42.5 x 10.9 mm |
Display Type | AMOLED | Super AMOLED | Super AMOLED |
Resolution | 466 x 466 pixels, up to 600 nits | 44mm (480 x 480 pixels); 40mm (432 x 432 pixels) | 47mm (480 x 480 pixels); 43mm (432 x 432 pixels) |
Screen Size | 1.43 inch | 44mm (1.5 inch); 40mm (1.3 inch) | 47mm (1.5 inch); 43mm (1.3 inch) |
Weight (without strap) | 54.6 grams | 44mm: 33.3 grams; 40mm: 28.7 grams | 47mm: 59 grams; 43mm: 52 grams |
Sensors | Accelerometer, barometer, gyroscope, ambient light sensor, electronic compass, body temperature, ECG | Samsung BioActive Sensor, Temperature Sensor, Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyro Sensor, Geomagnetic Sensor, Light Sensor | Samsung BioActive Sensor, Temperature Sensor, Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyro Sensor, Geomagnetic Sensor, Light Sensor, 3D Hall sensor |
Water-resistance | 5 ATM | 5 ATM + IP68 | 5 ATM + IP68 |
Positioning | DUAL Band Five-system GNSS | GPS, Galileo, Glonass, Beidou | GPS, Galileo, Glonass, Beidou |
Built-in Speaker | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Microphone | Yes | Yes | Yes |
NFC | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Music Storage | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Connection | Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n | LTE, Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n 2.4+5GHz | LTE, Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n 2.4+5GHz |
Cellular Connectivity | Yes (optional) | Yes | Yes |
Battery Type | 495 mAh (85 minute charging time) | 44mm (425 mAh); 40mm (300 mAh) | 43mm: 300mAh, 47mm: 425mAh |
Battery Life | Bluetooth version (up to 65 hours), LTE version (up to 55 hours) | Up to 40 hours without AOD, up to 30 hours with AOD | Up to 40 hours without AOD, up to 30 hours with AOD |
Operating System | MIUI layered on top of Wear OS 3.5 | WearOS 4 with One UI 5 Watch interface layered on top | WearOS 4 with One UI 5 Watch interface layered on top |
Colors | Black, Silver | Graphite, Gold (40mm only), Silver (44mm only) | Black, Silver |
Typical RRP | $270 and up | $300 and up | $450 and up |
Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy Watch 6: Features
The Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro offers a comprehensive approach to wellness tracking. It goes beyond basic step counting and heart rate monitoring to include features like stress management, sleep quality analysis, and even body temperature monitoring. The inclusion of ECG readings further enhances its appeal to health-conscious users by providing critical data on heart health. Beyond that, users get a wide array of workout modes, each designed to track specific activities with precision, from swimming to cycling. For outdoor activity there’s the benefit of multi-band GNSS which ensures accurate tracking data.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 6, is not all too different, offering much the same data. It, however, adds extra insights into the user’s physical condition through body composition analysis. This feature is particularly beneficial for users focused on specific fitness or health goals, as it allows for tracking changes in body fat percentage and muscle mass over time.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 further enhances its health monitoring suite with the capability for blood pressure tracking. This allows users to keep a closer eye on their cardiovascular health directly from their wrist. The feature requires initial calibration with a traditional cuff. But then offers the convenience of monitoring blood pressure trends over time.
Both devices are adept at catering to the needs of active individuals. They come with auto-workout detection feature, ensuring that every effort is accounted for, whether it’s a brisk walk or a high-intensity training session. They also offer personalized fitness coaching and goal-setting functionalities. This makes them not just passive trackers but active participants in the user’s fitness journey.
Smartwatch-type features
The Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro and Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 deliver all the standard smartwatch features like notifications, weather updates, and more. Each runs its own proprietary operating system (MIUI layered over Wear OS for Xiaomi, Wear OS with Samsung’s One UI Watch for Samsung), which means the app ecosystems will differ slightly.
The duo comes music storage and is equipped with built-in speakers and microphones. This allows you to take calls directly from your wrist. Additionally, select models of each offer an optional LTE cellular connection, empowering you with standalone calls, messages, and music streaming without the need for your phone.
Finally, the Xiaomi device is compatible both with iOS and Android devices. Unlike its predecessors, Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 is not compatible with the iPhone.
Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy Watch 6: Price
The Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro generally starts around $270, making it a slightly more budget-friendly option. The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 series, on the other hand, has a starting price of approximately $300. These prices can vary based on retailer, region, and the choice of the LTE cellular version, which generally incurs a higher cost.
Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy Watch 6: Final thoughts
The Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro and Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 are both outstanding smartwatches, making the decision a matter of personal priorities. The Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro champions battery life, with its sapphire crystal display adding both durability and a touch of luxury. This value-driven focus makes it attractive for users wanting comprehensive health tracking without breaking the bank.
Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 6 takes a slight lead in health technology, offering specialized sensors for blood pressure and body composition analysis. With its refined design, size options, and seamless integration into the Samsung ecosystem, it’s the ideal choice for Android users who want a blend of cutting-edge features and stylish wearability. Its customizable options and slightly higher price point cater to users looking for a more personalized wearable experience.
View on Xiaomi, Samsung; View on Amazon (Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro, Samsung Galaxy Watch 6).
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