OPINION: Samsung has lengthy secured its spot as top-of-the-line smartwatch producers for Android smartphones, culminating within the newest Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 with a plethora of apps, Google Put on OS 4 and funky well being options like full physique scanning tech.
Nonetheless, with this week’s reveal of the Xiaomi Watch 2 Professional, the corporate has set its sights firmly on Samsung’s wearable – and Samsung must be fearful.
Revealed alongside the Xiaomi 13T and Xiaomi 13T Professional in Berlin earlier this week, the Xiaomi Watch 2 Professional is the newest in Xiaomi’s smartwatch vary. Xiaomi units have often been restricted to Xiaomi’s personal wearable OS, which tends to restrict simply how succesful they are often, missing options like third-party app help, Google Assistant, Google Pockets and different Google-fied options obtainable on competing Put on OS smartwatches – however that has all modified with the Xiaomi Watch 2 Professional.
That’s as a result of the Xiaomi Watch 2 Professional is the primary Xiaomi wearable to run Put on OS 3.5, with Google’s head of product and design for Put on OS, John Renaldi, showing on stage on the launch to speak concerning the partnership with the 2 corporations. Although it’s not fairly the Put on OS 4 of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6, the software program is an enormous improve from what was beforehand obtainable on the OG Xiaomi Watch S1 Professional.
That brings a variety of advantages to Xiaomi’s newest wearable, however probably the most impactful will little doubt be the introduction of third-party standalone apps that’ll work on the watch, with big-name apps like Spotify and WhatsApp obtainable to obtain alongside a variety of other train apps like Strava.
But it surely’s additionally smaller options that’ll degree up the expertise on supply, from contextual notifications with sensible reply know-how to entry to Google Pockets and Google Assistant from the wrist. In comparison with Xiaomi’s older various, it’s day and night time.
However why ought to Samsung particularly be fearful? There’s already a variety of Put on OS-enabled smartwatches available on the market, in spite of everything. For me, all of it comes down to at least one large function: physique scanning tech.
It’s tech we’ve already seen on latest generations of Samsung Galaxy Watch and primarily permits customers to get an in depth evaluation of their physique, together with components like weight, muscle mass, water weight and extra just by holding the 2 facet buttons on the watch. The catch? The function requires a Samsung-branded Android smartphone to work, even supposing the Galaxy Watch is suitable with all Android smartphones.
Which means, for those who’ve obtained a Galaxy Watch 6 and a Google Pixel 7, you’re out of luck.
That’s the place the Xiaomi Watch 2 Professional is available in, with an virtually similar function that delivers a lot the identical knowledge as Samsung’s choice, however crucially, it’ll work with any Android smartphone. That’s an prompt leg-up on Samsung’s wearable.
It’s not like the 2 look that dissimilar both, although the Xiaomi Watch 2 Professional is nearer to the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Traditional with a standard design and a stainless-steel physique. Regardless, it’s a high-end construct that helps the wearable look extra premium.
The largest risk for Samsung, nonetheless? That’d be the value. At simply €269 (round £230), or €319 (round £276) if you need an LTE-enabled variant, it’s method cheaper than each the £289 Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 and £359 Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Traditional – and that’s with out LTE connectivity.
Meaning you may get a really functionally comparable smartwatch to Samsung’s choice at a less expensive worth, and it’ll work with extra Android smartphones too.
So sure, I believe Samsung has rather a lot to fret about with the Xiaomi Watch 2 Professional, and I hope this forces Samsung to rethink its Samsung-only wearable options in future generations of watch.
