I have generally decided to make as much of a turn as possible to VFM purchases and I will explain below. I have had the watch for a little over 2 weeks, I bought 2, one for myself and one for my wife. I gave the Garmin Fenix 6 Pro (excellent) and with the money I bought 2 and I still have some left.
I will try to break down the evaluation as much as I can:
1) Appearance: For me, this watch is very beautiful, but that is subjective. We got the silver ones, they are not exactly as they appear in the photo, the strap is more like the gray of ice. If you add the interchangeable bezels that will come in the next few days in Greece and the ability (which they all have) to change the strap, then practically you don't get tired of it easily in my opinion.
2) Screen: The screen is AMOLED, very beautiful in my opinion, with many watch faces to choose from through the Mi Fitness app. The screen has the option to be always on, which significantly reduces brightness for battery management purposes and has a look similar to Garmin screens, if you understand, or it has the ability to turn on when you lift your wrist (more beautiful in my opinion because you always see the AMOLED screen in its "full" dimensions with the corresponding "cost" in battery life), or you can schedule and choose specific times for it to happen and what. The arrangement of the applications in its classic form is like that of the AW if you have an idea, but practically scrolling to the right or left is quite customizable and you can choose which indicators you prefer to see.
3) Battery: Xiaomi says up to 14 days, I don't think that's true. Depending on various factors such as usage and activities, I think the battery will range from 3-8 days. Personally, I find it more difficult to last longer.
4) App: I compare it to Garmin Connect, which, okay, especially on a computer, went to a "scientific" level. I think Mi Fitness is very decent, it provides all the details that an average user needs, it looks nice, I find its sleep tracking maybe even more accurate than Garmin's, the S3 records naps properly, which the Fenix 6 Pro did not, and it also records standing activities, which Garmin did not. In terms of calories, Garmin recorded both resting and active metabolism, while Mi Fitness only records activity. I preferred Garmin, but this is okay, a matter of taste. In the same app, you can also choose from various watch faces, which are quite nice.
5) Connectivity: I have the iPhone 13 Pro Max 256GB. It has disconnected twice and I have a problem with some notifications sometimes. Because my friend has the watch with an iPhone as well and has no issues, I think it is possible that I have some settings issue or I have an issue with my phone. If I had to find a "downside" regarding notifications and activities, I would say the weak vibration. Also, it is important for some people that you can make and receive calls from the watch with excellent sound. You can see messages, but you cannot reply.
6) Activities, measurements, and display: Due to some health issues, I haven't gone for a run, only for walks. From what I saw, it has many sports, but I am only interested in running, walking, and hiking. In the 4 activities that I measured, the GPS was a little slow to lock once. Because these are routes that I have always done with Garmin and previously with AW, they seemed accurate to me. The depiction on the map is a bit strange, as it shows me passing through apartment buildings or walking on the sea. The map shows a significant deviation in the route that doesn't seem to represent the measurements accurately. My friend, who also runs and compares similar routes, doesn't see any serious discrepancies. It connects properly with Strava and transfers your activities there.
Conclusion: If someone is a professional marathon runner, this watch is not for them. They should go for more precise solutions like Garmin, Coros, etc. However, if someone wants to run or engage in any activity and wants a smartwatch that practically does everything and does it decently, at an excellent price, then this is the way to go. I would describe the watch as something between Garmin and Apple Watch (more aesthetically pleasing to me than AW) at a quarter of the price of an AW. At the €117 that I bought it for, I consider it one of the best purchases I have ever made. If I could find any drawbacks, I would mention the strap (it doesn't fit well, it gathers from the inside), the vibration, and the depiction on the map.
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