Xiaomi Mi Watch: Apple clone from the outside, Google on the inside
From smartphones to smartwatches, Apple’s designs are unsurpassed the most copied and cloned on the market by far. And here comes another iteration of test tube-born gadget. Unsurprisingly, another Chinese company is the culprit in this seemingly unending endeavor of photocopying products that work on a global market.
Xiaomi’s new smartwatch, the Mi Watch looks undoubtedly like the Apple Watch. Maybe a bit more clunky, but even the colors on the screen could make you think you are wearing or buying one of Apple’s smart products.
Smart device lookism
I mean, it makes sense: If something works, don’t change it. With all that being said, Xiaomi might have successfully copied the looks, but what’s inside couldn’t be further apart from the truth – as the truth being the Apple Watch.
With the fourth and fifth generation of the Apple Watch already having struck the global market, these smartwatches offer experiences still unmatched, even for the Xiaomi Mi Watch. Life-saving features, like the fall detection, an integrated ECG, also OS 13 to fit in smoothly into the Android ecosystem, the Chinese maker hardly cannot follow into those big and deep footsteps.
So what’s inside?
The Xiaomi Mi Watch runs its own version of Wear OS, meaning the operating system for wearables comes in a Xiaomi skin Google will most likely not permit outside of China, so the chance of you officially acquiring the smartwatch from Target or Media Markt seems also less than likely and you will have to hit exporting online shops such as AliExpress. But is that going to be worth it? The watch will cost around $185, much cheaper than the Apple Watch. But from my experience with Wear OS devices, it’s probably a better idea to stick with wearables that have penetrated the market already and that you can buy without a mediator you cannot trust.
The Fossil Sport is one of the devices that show what Wear OS can do and how harmonious and stylish it can look like if you like to go about your day using Wear OS. To my likes, I’d rather stick with the Apple Watch. One thing some Wear OS devices might have the upper hand in is battery life. But hey, the times when we don’t charge a device at least once a day are far gone. In the end, it will truly depend on how much you use the device and not charging for even a day is a risk I’m not open to taking.












