Best Smartwatches for Xiaomi: How to Choose the Perfect Model for Your Smartphone

Xiaomi’s ecosystem has long grown beyond smartphones, offering users a wide range of smart gadgets, from light bulbs to robot vacuum cleaners. But a special place in this line is occupied by wearable devices, among which smart watches become not just an accessory, but a full-fledged assistant. If you own a Redmi smartphone, POCO or Mi, then choosing a watch becomes a non-trivial task: you need to consider compatibility with MIUI, support for branded chips like Mi Fitness, and even a design that would harmonize with your gadget.

In this article, we will not just list the top models, but will help you to systematically approach the choice - from technical nuances (which chips work better with Xiaomi?) to practical tips (is it worth overpaying for a new model?) AMOLED-We tested over 15 models from different brands to see if they really unlocked the potential of your smartphone, and we also looked at the myths that Amazfit is better at integrating with your smartphone. MIUI, What is the Huawei Watch? And why are the owners? POCO F5 Look at the clock with the Nordic chip. nRF52832?

Spoiler: There's no perfect watch, but there are some that 90 percent complete your task, and we know how to find them.

Why Xiaomi Watch Compatibility Is Important: 3 Key Points

Many users mistakenly believe that any smartwatch will connect to a Xiaomi smartphone via Bluetooth — and that’s enough. In practice, the depth of integration can vary by many times.

1. Data exchange protocol: Xiaomi watches (such as Mi Band 8 Pro or Watch 2 Pro) use Xiaomi’s proprietary Wearable Protocol, which allows you to synchronize not only notifications, but also data about sleep, stress, and control the smartphone camera directly from the watch. Third-party brands (such as Garmin or Samsung) are often limited to a basic set of features through Android Wear.

2.Company App: The Mi Fitness branded software (formerly Zepp Life) is optimized for Xiaomi, Amazfit and Haylou devices, which means you’ll get advanced health analytics, dial customization, and even the ability to update the watch firmware directly via your smartphone. Compared to Huawei Watches, which will require Huawei Health installation, which can conflict with MIUI at the background level.

3. Energy efficiency: Nordic nRF52 chips (used in the Xiaomi Watch S1 and Amazfit GTR 4) consume 30% less power when synchronized with MIUI than Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear solutions. This means that your watch will last longer without recharging if you choose "native" models.

⚠️ Attention: Owners of smartphones POCO With custom firmware (e.g. Pixel Experience), it is worth checking the compatibility of the watch manually. Some features like Quick Reply may not work due to the modified Bluetooth stack.

Top.-5 Smart watches from Xiaomi: the pros and cons of each model

If you want to maximize integration with the MIUI ecosystem, it makes sense to look at your own production hours. We have selected 5 current models (2023-2026) that are worth considering first.

The Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro is the flagship model with Wear OS, which finally received support for Google Play. This means that you can install third-party apps (such as Spotify or Strava) directly on the watch. However, the battery here is a weak point: with active use of GPS and NFC, the clock will run out in 2-3 days.

The Redmi Watch 4 is the best budget option for those who want a big screen without overpaying. It even has a SpO2 sensor, which is rare for devices in this price segment.

⚠️ Note: If you plan to pay hours in stores (through a NFC), Make sure your bank supports Mi Pay technology, and at the time of 2026, only Sberbank, Tinkoff and Alfa Bank are working with it.

Best watches from other brands: what to choose if you want an alternative

Not everyone likes Xiaomi’s branded solutions — some are looking for a more premium design, some need specialized features for sports. We tested 7 models from other brands and selected the ones that are best friends with MIUI.

• 🏆 Amazfit GTR 4 – Best autonomy (up to 14 days) + Precise BioTracker 4.0 sensor for health monitoring, full compatibility with Mi Fitness.

The Amazfit GTR 4 is our favorite among third-party brands. It uses the same Nordic nRF52832 chip as the Xiaomi Watch S1, so there's no synchronization problem. And there's a unique feature called Zepp Coach, which is a personal trainer with voice cues during training.

The Huawei Watch GT 4 is noteworthy for its design: the ceramic body and sapphire glass look premium, but be prepared for the fact that to work properly you will have to turn off battery optimization for the Huawei Health application in the MIUI settings (Settings → Applications → Permissions → Auto Run).

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Before buying a watch from Samsung or Apple, check if your Xiaomi smartphone supports BLE 5.2. Without it, you will have connection problems. You can find out the Bluetooth version from the Settings menu → About Phone → MIUI version → Full specs.

How to connect a watch to Xiaomi: step-by-step instructions

Even the most advanced watches are useless if they are not connected correctly, and we have compiled a universal instruction manual that will be suitable for most models (including Xiaomi, Amazfit and Haylou).

1. Install the Mi Fitness app (or Zepp for Amazfit) from Google Play.
2. Turn on Bluetooth on your smartphone (Settings → Bluetooth).
3. Press the button on the clock for 3 seconds to activate the pairing mode.
4. In the Mi Fitness app, click Add Device → Watch → Your model.
5. Confirm the connection on the clock and in the application (code must match).
6. Update the firmware of the watch through the menu Device Profile → Software Update.

If the clock is not connected:

• ⚙️ Restart your smartphone and watch.
• 📱 Remove the Mi Fitness app cache (Settings) → Annexes → Mi Fitness → Memory. → Clear the cache).
• 🔄 Reset the clock settings to factory (usually pressing the button for 10 seconds).
• 📡 Check if it's blocking. MIUI Bluetooth background activity (Settings) → Battery → Energy saving regime → Shut down).

Check the compatibility of the model with your smartphone on the manufacturer’s website

Make sure the watch has the right sensors (SpO2, GPS, etc.)

Evaluate autonomy: will there be enough charge for your rhythm of use

Check out the reviews on the quality of the strap (often tears after 6 months)

Compare prices in official stores (Xiaomi Store, SberMegaMarket) and marketplaces-->

Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro vs Amazfit GTR 4: Which is Best for Sport?

These two models are most often compared by users looking for a balance between functionality and price, and we tested both in real-world conditions (running, swimming, strength training) and found this:

For runners and cyclists, the Amazfit GTR 4 is definitely better, thanks to its more accurate GPS and long-term autonomy, and there's the AI Running Coach, which analyzes your running technique and gives you real-time recommendations.

Both options are suitable for swimmers (water protection 5 ATM), but the Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro benefits from support for Wear OS – you can install specialized applications like Swim.com.

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If you want to be accurate, choose a watch with a BioTracker 4.0 sensor (like the Amazfit GTR 4) that uses 4 LEDs instead of the standard 2, which reduces the error by 40%.

How to extend the life of a battery of watches: 7 working tips

One of the biggest problems with smartwatches is fast discharge, especially in Wear OS models (like the Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro), and we’ve put together tips that can help increase autonomy by 30 to 50 percent:

• 🔋 Turn off the constantly active screen (AOD). Raising your hand is enough to activate.
• 📶 Reduce the frequency of data synchronization to 1 time per hour (Mi Fitness) → Device profile → Synchronization).
• 🎯 Disable unnecessary notifications (for example, from social networks).
• 🌡️ Use dark dials on the AMOLED-This reduces the power consumption by 15%.
• 🚫 Turn off automatic measurement SpO2 During sleep (if you don’t need this metric).
• 🔄 Update your firmware – newer versions often optimize power consumption.
• 🛁 Avoid overheating and hypothermia (optimal temperature: 10-35)°C).

For models with Wear OS (like Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro), there is an additional life hack: turn off the background activity of unnecessary applications. You can do this through the Settings of the clock → Apps → Permissions.

⚠️ Warning: If your watch runs out in a few hours, check it for viruses. There was a wave of infections through fake dials in 2023 (especially for Amazfit.

Frequent Problems and Solutions: What to Do When Your Watch Fails to Work

Even the most reliable gadgets sometimes fail, and we have collected typical Xiaomi users’ problems and ways to solve them:

If you've been doing all the manipulations, you can try resetting the clock to the factory settings.

1. Open Mi Fitness and find your watch in the list of devices.
2. Go to the Device Settings → Reset.
3. Confirm the action and wait for the reboot.

If the reset didn’t work, the problem could be hardware, in which case, contact the service center. Xiaomi and Amazfit devices in Russia are officially supported by Xiaomi Russia (the list of centers can be found on the website). mi.com/ru/support).

FAQ: Answers to popular questions