MWC Callisto Pro 2 Review: Is it the best for the price?

The budget smartwatch market is overflowing with countless options, with both well-known brands and OEMs vying for attention. Among them, MWC is a fresh player. I've been using the MWC Callisto Pro 2 for a while now, and, I'll be breaking down whether it truly offers the best value for the price in this MWC Callisto Pro 2 review.

MWC Callisto Watch Pro 2 Specifications

• Design, Build: 1.43-inch circular watch face, zinc-alloy outer frame, high-hardness shield glass, 5ATM water resistance, 1x silicone strap + 1x nylon strap
• Display: 1.43-inch HD AMOLED, 466 × 466 pixels, always-on display
• Chipset: Adaptive Processing AI
• Memory: 2GB internal storage
• Software & UI: OpenHarmony, On Wear Pro app
• Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.3, Built-in GPS (5-GNSS), one-button Bluetooth call
• Sensors: Heart-rate monitor, blood-oxygen monitor, motion game sensor, gyroscope
• Battery: 390mAh with magnetic fast charging, 1.5 hours charging time, 6-7 days usage time
• Health Features: All-day health monitoring, heart-rate tracking, blood-oxygen monitoring, female physiological cycle reminders, and sedentary alerts
• Price in Nepal: NPR 11,999
• Buy MWC Callisto Watch Pro 2

MWC Callisto Pro 2 Review:

Design and Build

When it comes to looks, I wouldn’t say the MWC Callisto Pro 2 does anything extraordinary. I’m using the Black color variant, which I find decent. But if I had to choose, I’d personally go with the MWC Watch Pro's design, which looks more premium.

Moving past aesthetics, I find the Callisto Pro 2 very comfortable to wear. I like how compact and lightweight it feels on my wrist, and the Nylon straps are soft enough that I don’t experience any discomfort, even after long hours. While you can also go for the Silicon strap, I'm afraid it's not for the sweaty wrists, but it's winter at the moment, so it's fine. Likewise, the zinc alloy frame does offer a premium in-hand feel—though I wouldn’t call it awesome.

Overall, I’m mostly satisfied with the design. You get two buttons on the side, one for menu navigation and the other for exercise modes. Likewise, I appreciate that the watch is 5ATM water-resistant, so I don’t have to worry about splashes, rain, or showers during daily use. But you have to clean it properly for smooth usage after it's been soaked in water.

Display

Okay, let's talk about the display. The Callisto Pro 2 has a 1.43-inch AMOLED panelthat delivers good contrast and color. Also, I found it to be very responsive, runs at 60Hz without hiccups. MWC's official site mentions a High-Hardness Shield glass protection for this guy, while you also get a tempered glass bundled in the box. Overall, it has saved me from some scratches for sure.  Likewise, the sunlight readability is also pretty fine. I haven’t had any visibility issues with this thing in direct sunlight either.

Open Harmony OS

I was handed this watch by my colleague, who said this guy has Open Harmony OS on it. Which I quickly related to Hauweri, of course, who made HarmonyOS after the harsh U.S. sanctions. Turns out, Huawei does not directly make the Open Harmony OS, although MWC promotes it that way. So, OpenHarmony is an open-source project of the OpenAtom Foundation, and Huawei is one of the major contributors to its development.

And the OS feels smooth and responsive, though it doesn't look as polished as a premium smartwatch, leaning more towards what we see on budget smartwatches. Overall, it's fine and smooth, though. As for the haptics, they’re pretty average—nothing to write home about.

Companion App

Pairing and setting up the watch is really simple. MWC uses a third-party called OnWear App, which is available for both iOS and Android. The UI is neat and minimalistic. All your health-related data is there on the home page itself. 

At the same time, the watch has motion-sensing capabilities that let you play some games while the game runs on your smartphone. However, I had little luck with it. The game often gets stuck at 94%, and when it does manage to open, I'm left waiting forever for my opponent. It feels more like a gimmick than a functional feature.

On a brighter note, the watch does allow you to customize watch faces and even add your own photos and videos, which is a nice touch.

Health and Fitness Tracking

Moving on, the health and fitness tracking on the MWC Callisto Pro 2 watch is just fine. I compared it to my Redmi Watch 4, which is for sure more reliable, and the results were mostly similar. This MWC watch can track your steps quite accurately, while the sleep tracking is relatively accurate. Although REM, light sleep, and deep sleep are more trustworthy on my Redmi Watch 4. 

Likewise, this guy can also measure your heartbeat and SPO2, but a smartwatch of this caliber would barely match medical-grade professional-grade equipment. It's totally fine for casual usage, but never bet on the smartphone data unless it's a premium Apple or Galaxy Watch, which has a lot better sensors. 

Moreover, there are various exercise modes to choose from, such as Outdoor Run, Outdoor Walking, Cycling, Swimming, and Football. But whatever you choose, it all does the same thing: measuring your heartbeat, footsteps, and that's it. But one commendable feature is the GPS. It gets connected pretty swiftly and provides you with the trail.

Calling and Notifications

This watch also features a microphone and speaker for phone calls. You can pick up and dial from the watch itself, which is pretty handy for a hands-free call. But it's not that loud and is only suitable for indoor usage. Meanwhile, you do get notifications on the watch, but it's just very basic and non-actionable. I wish it were more polished.

Battery and Charging

The MWC Callisto Watch Pro 2 features a 390mAh battery that delivers up to 7 days of battery life. During normal usage, the watch provides good endurance, making it ideal for those who don’t want to worry about frequent charging.

As for charging, it uses a 2-pin magnetic charger, which is convenient and straightforward. From 0 to 100%, it takes just over 1.5 hours to charge the 390mAh battery fully.

MWC Callisto Pro 2 Review: Conclusion

Alright, folks, after using the Callisto Pro 2 watch for a few days, I can say it's an acceptable option in its price category. The pricing could have been better, though. But its price keeps fluctuating! Right now, it's retailing for 11,999 on Daraz, which is a bit more than it actually offers. But if you head on to its official site, you can save 2000 rupees and get it at NPR 9,999. And for this price, you are getting a good-looking wearable with a bright AMOLED panel, smooth OS, and fine health tracking, if not the best.

MWC Callisto Pro 2 Review: Pros & Cons

Pros:

• 5 ATM water resistance
• Bright, vibrant AMOLED display
• Fairly smooth OpenHarmony OS

Cons:

• Pricing could have been better
• The companion app is just average
• Weak haptics