Xiaomi Watch S3 Release Date
Xiaomi officially unveiled the Xiaomi Watch S3 during its global launch event on February 25, 2024, in Barcelona, Spain, coinciding with MWC 2024. Global availability commenced immediately following the announcement through Xiaomi’s official online store and select partner retailers in Europe and key Asian markets. For consumers in Mainland China, the watch debuted slightly earlier, hitting shelves on February 18, 2024, via Xiaomi’s official website, Mi Home stores, and major e-commerce platforms like JD.com and Tmall. Pre-orders opened globally one week prior to the respective launch dates. This strategic release timing positions the Watch S3 directly against competitors like the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 and recent Wear OS offerings, leveraging the MWC platform for maximum global visibility. Xiaomi confirmed ongoing regional rollouts throughout Q1 and Q2 2024, ensuring wider availability across North America, Latin America, and additional regions in the coming months.
Design & Build: Interchangeable Bezels Take Center Stage
The Xiaomi Watch S3 marks a significant design evolution, headlined by its innovative Quick Release Interchangeable Bezels. Users can physically swap the outer watch bezel in seconds without tools, dramatically altering the watch’s aesthetic. Xiaomi launched with four bezel options: Classic (stainless steel with minute markers), Sport (lightweight matte polymer), Digital (featuring a futuristic segmented LED display), and a premium Ceramic Edition. The core watch body utilizes a lightweight yet durable aerospace-grade aluminum alloy frame, contributing to an overall weight of approximately 39 grams (without strap). It maintains a 46mm case diameter and features a 5ATM water resistance rating, suitable for swimming and showering.
The 1.43-inch AMOLED display boasts a sharp 466 x 466 pixel resolution, delivering vibrant colors and deep blacks protected by 3D curved sapphire glass for exceptional scratch resistance. Always-On Display (AOD) functionality is fully supported. Straps utilize a universal 22mm quick-release mechanism, compatible with a vast third-party market. Initial strap materials include fluoroelastomer (silicone), breathable nylon, and genuine leather. Color options for the watch body itself are Obsidian Black, Moonlight Silver, and a limited-run Meadow Green. The physical design incorporates a single rotating crown with haptic feedback and one multifunction button, ensuring intuitive navigation.
Advanced Health & Fitness Tracking Capabilities
The Watch S3 integrates a comprehensive sensor suite for holistic health monitoring:
- Dual-LED Bio-sensor Array: Enables 24/7 high-precision heart rate monitoring, blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) tracking (including continuous low SpO2 alerts during sleep), and stress level assessment via heart rate variability (HRV) analysis.
- Body Temperature Sensor: A notable addition, allowing wrist-based temperature measurement for tracking trends and potential early signs of illness.
- Sleep Monitoring 2.0: Utilizes advanced algorithms for detailed sleep stage analysis (Deep, Light, REM, Awake), providing Sleep Score insights and personalized improvement suggestions.
- Comprehensive Women’s Health Tracking: Logs menstrual cycles, symptoms, and offers predictions and reminders.
- All-day Activity Monitoring: Tracks steps, distance, calories burned, and active minutes automatically.
Fitness prowess is equally robust, featuring:
- Over 150 Professional Sports Modes: Covering running (indoor/outdoor), cycling, swimming (pool/open water), hiking, skiing, HIIT, yoga, and numerous niche activities.
- Dual-Band Five-Satellite GNSS: Incorporates GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou, and QZSS support for rapid, highly accurate outdoor location tracking, even in challenging urban or wooded environments.
- Dedicated Running Metrics: Includes VO2 Max estimates, training load analysis, recovery time guidance, cadence, stride length, and ground contact time.
- Automatic Workout Detection: Recognizes and starts tracking for common activities like walking, running, and cycling after 10 minutes.
- Swim Tracking: Leverages 5ATM water resistance to track laps, stroke type, SWOLF efficiency, and calorie burn during pool swims.
Smart Features & Connectivity
The Xiaomi Watch S3 operates on Xiaomi’s proprietary HyperOS for Wearables, delivering a fluid and customizable user experience distinct from Wear OS. Key smart functionalities include:
- Bluetooth Calling: Make and answer phone calls directly from the watch via Bluetooth 5.2 connection to your smartphone. Features a built-in microphone and speaker.
- NFC: Enables Xiaomi Wallet for contactless payments (region-dependent) and digital access via Mi Home for compatible smart locks.
- Voice Assistant: Integrated XiaoAi Voice Assistant (Chinese markets) or Google Assistant (global markets) for voice commands, queries, and smart home control.
- Notifications & Alerts: Delivers customizable vibrations and previews for calls, messages (SMS, WhatsApp, Telegram, etc.), emails, and app alerts from your paired Android or iOS phone.
- Media Control: Play, pause, skip tracks, and adjust volume on your connected smartphone’s music or podcast apps.
- Standalone Music Playback: Offers 4GB of internal storage (approx. 2GB usable) to store music locally for playback via Bluetooth headphones, independent of your phone.
- Find My Phone: Triggers your paired phone to ring loudly, even if on silent.
- Weather Forecast: Provides detailed current conditions and multi-day forecasts.
- Stopwatch, Timer, Alarm: Essential timekeeping tools.
Battery Life & Charging
Powering the Xiaomi Watch S3 is a substantial 500mAh battery. Xiaomi provides the following endurance estimates based on usage patterns:
- Typical Usage: Up to 15 days (Heart rate monitoring always on, sleep tracking, 150 notifications/day, 30 mins exercise tracking/week, AOD off).
- Heavy Usage: Up to 7 days (Includes frequent GPS use for workouts, Bluetooth calling, higher notification volume, and Always-On Display enabled).
- GPS-Only Mode: Up to 30 hours of continuous outdoor activity tracking.
Charging is handled via a proprietary magnetic pogo-pin charger. A full charge from 0% takes approximately 90 minutes. A rapid 10-minute charge provides enough power for roughly 3 days of typical usage. The watch also features a power-saving mode that extends basic functionality for several additional days when the battery is critically low.
Performance, Software & Ecosystem
At its core, the Watch S3 utilizes the Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 Gen 1 platform, paired with 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. This combination ensures smooth navigation, quick app loading, and efficient multitasking within the HyperOS environment. The interface features a tile-based system swiped from the sides, customizable watch faces accessible via long-press, and a fluid app grid. Over 200 customizable watch faces are available at launch via the Xiaomi Wear app (Android/iOS), with more added regularly.
HyperOS for Wearables emphasizes deep integration within the Xiaomi ecosystem:
- Seamless Mi Home Control: Directly manage compatible Xiaomi/IoTM smart home devices (lights, plugs, cameras, robot vacuums) from the wrist.
- Xiaomi Health Sync: All health and fitness data syncs comprehensively with the Xiaomi Health app for long-term trend analysis and insights.
- Third-Party App Support: Limited but growing app compatibility (e.g., weather services, navigation apps like Komoot for route syncing, basic calculators, note viewers).
The UI supports multilingual interfaces and offers extensive customization for notifications, quick settings, and display preferences.
Pricing, Availability & Options
The Xiaomi Watch S3 adopts a tiered pricing structure based on the included bezel and strap:
- Standard Package (Fluoroelastomer Strap + Classic Bezel): €249 / $249 / ¥1,499
- Sport Package (Nylon Strap + Sport Bezel): €269 / $269 / ¥1,599
- Premium Package (Leather Strap + Digital LED Bezel): €299 / $299 / ¥1,799
- Ceramic Edition Package (Ceramic Bezel + Leather Strap): €349 / $349 / ¥1,999 (Limited Availability)
Additional standalone bezels are priced between €39 / $39 / ¥299 (Sport/Polymer) and €149 / $149 / ¥999 (Ceramic). Replacement straps start from €19 / $19. The watch is available globally through Xiaomi’s official online stores, authorized electronics retailers, and major e-commerce partners. Regional variations in supported features (e.g., specific payment services, voice assistants) apply. Xiaomi offers a standard 12-month warranty covering manufacturing defects.