[Review] Xiaomi Mijia SYB01 Hybrid Smartwatch – Simply Elegant

[Review]  Xiaomi Mijia SYB01 Hybrid Smartwatch

Several companies ventured in the world of hybrid smartwatches, one of the popular companies with an entry this area of wearable is the Xiaomi. A company known to bring affordable yet good quality product in the market. Their latest entry is the Xiaomi Mijia SYB01 hybrid smartwatch. Well, we got one from Tomtop.com and here is our take on this Xiaomi hybrid smartwatch.

Xiaomi Mijia Hybrid Smartwatch

The Box

The Xiaomi Mijia SYB01 Hybrid Smartwatch comes in a rectangular box packaging, the box occupies the total length of the smartwatch, this packaging approach is very unusual, knowing Xiaomi, their previous wearable is packed in a small compact box, portable and space friendly while this one has the opposite.

Get it for less on Tomtop.com, Great Discounts and Coupon Codes: SJXMQDD

Contents included are the smartwatch with its strap already attached, the user manual that is in Chinese language format.

 

Design

At first glance, you will notice right away the high quality make of the Mijia smartwatch, its curved dome shape glass that  makes it distinct from other smartwatches in its category. The glass is clear, and looks premium, but the issue with this style of glass cover is it is prone to scratches compared to a traditional flat surface. Nevertheless still it makes the Mijian very unique and much more attractive.

The wearable  has an analog time set-up, a simple dial with markings for the time with small hands on the bottom part for pedometer. The screen is around 1.5” inches and with stainless steel body with a genuine italian leather strap that I found to be soft and with a comfortable feel on the skin. The body  measure 4.0 x 4.0 x 1.19 and just weighs 42 grams, not that big, not that small either, its kinda unisex type of smartwatch that fit for all ages.

Right now the smartwatch is available in three color variation, a common black, a gray color and white color which is more attractive yet has an additional cost. The smartwatch has an IP67 waterproof rating making the smartwatch able to withstand splashes of water, rain and dust which is a good thing but take note that the Mijia is not swim proof. Overall, the design is minimalistic, simple yet beautiful.

Functions and Features

Aside from telling time which is the main feature, the Xiaomi Mijia SYB01 Hybrid Smartwatch has some smart functions under the hood, the bottom of the dial is a pedometer making which shows the number of steps you gain.

But if you want to see more details such as exact number of steps, duration, calories as well as distance for the day, week or month, you can check it on the support app.

Regarding the support app, it is very simple, just an additional section for the existing Mi Home app,  nothing much really  compared to other hybrid smartwatches, some options included are option to set the time, interval reminders, as well as call reminder and alarm. In the call reminder, you can set on who are the persons that is calling you, pick one or more contacts whom you want to receive call notifications.

All of the notifications and other options will notify you via vibration, although it is not that strong but enough to alert you  if you receive a call notification.

It lack additional health and fitness option compared to that of the Lenovo Watch X but I think its enough for those who are looking for a simple smartwatch with non-intrusive way of providing notifications.

Battery

The Xiaomi Mijia SYB01 Hybrid Smartwatch uses a button battery, a CR243 button cell battery with 270 mAh capacity. Most of the hybrid smartwatch boast its 1 year or more battery life, according to Mijia specs, the battery will last only for 6 months. But I think if the device is on watch only mode, the smartwatch might last for more than 6 months.

So far, no way to know the status of how much juice is left in your smartwatch, the app doesn’t show except for the line “Enough Battery Power ”  on the main UI of t he app. Anyways, once you run out of juice, it is easy to replace the battery, the CR243 button cell battery is easily replaceable and available in your local electronic or battery store.

Replacing the Battery

You don’t need a special tool to remove the back cover, just move the strap of the watch, just remove the quick release pin first and with a flat tip screw driver, insert it in the notch of the back cover and apply force to twitch the cap to remove.

See Full Specifications here of the Xiaomi Mijia Hybrid Smartwatch

Overall

When it comes to looks, the Xiaomi Mijia SYB01 hybrid smartwatch did not disappoint, it has that premium elegant look with its convex drone glass premium material. It is also lightweight and very comfortable to wear, feels like you are not wearing a smartwatch with its lightweight design.

Talking about functionality, it is pretty basic, although it is able to provide step counter as well as call  notifications, it is disappointing that Xiaomi did not include a message notification which I think is one of the most important part, aside from call notification, there is not social app notification also. Hopefully, Xiaomi will be able to provide an OTA update for it, an app upgrade or software update.

Well, for the price, the Mijia SYB01 is worth it, the elegant look and materials used in the smartwatch is totally worth the price, for the features it’s a bit lacking, hopefull an upgrade will be able to fix it.

Jo Di Calivo -Blogger, Tech Guru, providing the current news on wearables particularly on smartwatches, smartbands. And loves to go fishing on spare time.