Xiaomi Watch 3 Active first impressions: Premium look, clean interface

Xiaomi, the Chinese consumer electronics giant, among the top players in India, unveiled its latest smartwatch on Tuesday, August 1 — the Watch 3 Active. Sporting a square "dial" and a polished metallic finish, the Watch 3 Active, priced at Rs 2,999, is aimed at cornering the entry-to-budget smartwatch segment in India.

Xiaomi was kind enough to lend me a unit for review, and in the last few days, a few things stood out for me.

Xiaomi, during an earlier briefing, said the watch body is made of plastic and coated in a premium-looking metallic finish. This gives the watch a classy look without adding to the weight. Add to it the anti-allergen silicone watch bands, you barely notice that you're wearing it after a few minutes.

It's a relatively simple, intuitive interface. You have more than 200 watch faces to download onto the bright, 1.83-inch LCD display from the online store — which can be accessed on the Mi Fitness app, which you need to pair the watch to your smartphone. Once you have the watch face of your choice, you can then customise widgets — three to four per widget page. These widgets can be accessed by a simple side swipe on the watch screen.

A swipe down on the main watch face will bring up notifications, while a swipe up will bring up the control centre. The complications — or metrics displayed on the watch face a — are not interactive, though Xiaomi assured me that time will come eventually when that will be possible on its smartwatches.

A single press of the side button will take you to a grid-based app drawer. Overall, the interface is very clean, minimal, and functional. More importantly, it's very intuitive.

As always, Xiaomi promises an excellent experience, especially for the price you pay, with the Watch 3 Active. This includes health features, like round-the-clock heart-rate, sleep, and blood oxygen-level monitoring.

Highlighted during the briefing were Cinema Mode, which can be accessed via the control centre. Once activated, it silences your watch so that it doesn't accidentally light up when you're watching a movie, disturbing yourself and other patrons.

My favourite feature thus far is the "Wake For" feature. You can set the time limit on the app and once you hit the button in the control centre, the watch will stay awake for the specified period. Also included are options to eject water from, a Do Not Disturb Mode, and more. All these and more will be covered in my full review, so watch this space.

It is inevitable that comparisons will be drawn with the Apple Watch, which pioneered the square design. However, from first hand experience, I can tell you that they feel as similar as chalk and cheese. The Watch 3 Active has an aesthetic of its own, and feels way difference in the hand compared to my own Apple Watch. The similarities end with the square design. Everything else is quintessentially Xiaomi.

As I wrote earlier, I will have a full review up after testing the Watch 3 Active thoroughly, so watch this space.