Wear OS by Google isn’t the most popular smartwatch platform. This is partly because of the limited brands Google has been able to bring on board the watch OS. However, this could be about to change with Xiaomi’s first Wear OS product that’s set to arrive next week.
After months of rumors, the Chinese company has today confirmed in a post on X that Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro with Google’s Wear OS is coming. The watch will be unveiled at an event in Berlin, Germany on September 26.
Of course, this won’t be Xiaomi’s first attempt in the smartwatch market. The company already has several of them, including Xiaomi Watch S1 Active and its sub-brand’s Redmi Watch 2 Lite that have been selling in Kenya for a while now.
🕙Time to hit the high notes! How handy can it get?#SmarterEveryWear #XiaomiWatch2Pro #XiaomiLaunch pic.twitter.com/1zOkopb7vs
— Xiaomi (@Xiaomi) September 19, 2023
Google is currently testing Wear OS 4 based on Android 13. But it remains unclear whether this is the version that will power the Watch 2 Pro out of the box. It’s also possible that the older Wear OS 3 based on Android 11 could run the show. But what seems certain is that MIUI will be atop whatever version the watch runs on.
Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro may come with 32GB storage
There have been talks of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon W5+ chip paired with 2GB of RAM and 32GB of internal memory. On paper, it makes the Watch 2 Pro quite appealing. The watch is also said to come with a 1.43-inch screen, a water resistant (5ATM) stainless steel and Gorilla Glass body, a rotating crown, optional LTE, and in typical Xiaomi fashion, a 500mAh battery.
The watch is also rumored to come with features like ECG, heart rate, body temperature, and sleep tracking. Below are some previously leaked images, although you should take them with a pinch of salt since the X account that shared them is quite recent.
Xiaomi hasn’t revealed much about the Watch 2 Pro besides the launch date and the fact that it runs Wear OS by Google. Although it’s possible that it could arrive alongside Xiaomi 13T. In terms of pricing, rumors point to €349 in Europe, which translates to about Sh55,000 less shipping costs. However, a Kenyan release remains in doubt.
