- #1
Thread Owner
: phillynews215
Redmi smartwatches are known for their affordability and variety of health features, and the Redmi Watch 5 Lite is no different. This newly launched affordable smartwatch is the second of two new Watch 5 variants. Redmi introduced two smartwatches under the Watch 5 series: the Redmi Watch 5 Active and the Redmi Watch 5 Lite. I’m reviewing the latter, which is superior to the former in terms of features. Of course, it’s slightly pricier than the Watch 5 Active because of the extra features, such as the GNSS system, AOD mode, and gyroscope.
After putting Xiaomi’s Redmi Watch 5 Lite through lots of tests over the last couple of months, including walking, strength training, running, cycling, and yoga, this smartwatch impressed me a lot in every way. However, this budget-friendly smartwatch isn’t without its imperfections.
So, should you buy it? Read on to find out whether or not the Redmi Watch 5 Lite holds the ground against its immediate rivals, such as Amazfit Active and Samsung Galaxy Fit 3.
The Redmi Watch 5 Lite costs $75.58 and comes in light gold and black color options. It is now available for purchase via Amazon and Xiaomi’s official website. Compared to its counterpart, the Watch 5 Active, the Watch 5 Lite is $10 pricier. The obvious reason is the addition of the GNSS system and gyroscope.
Xiaomi also offers three different changeable straps via its website, including Lemon Yellow, Mint Green, and Candy Pink.
Image credit: Abhinav Fating
Xiaomi used its typical square-shaped design for the Watch 5 Lite, and it looks great. The Watch 5 Lite has a non-conductive vacuum metallization (NCVM) plastic build, which is quite sturdy and feels premium when worn in hand. Despite being made of plastic, the smartwatch’s overall shiny look and texture remind me of the metallic build of the Xiaomi Band 9. Speaking about dimensions, the smartwatch measures 48.1mm in width, 39.2mm in length, and 10.6mm in thickness, and weighs 29.2 grams.
The good thing about the Watch 5 Lite is that it looks sturdy and doesn’t feel bulky when worn in hand. The weight of the smartwatch is properly balanced; one can comfortably wear it for extended periods of time. Design-wise, the Watch 5 Lite and 5 Active both have similar designs. However, the Lite variant is 1 mm smaller in width and weighs 1 gram less than its counterpart. Xiaomi sent us a Black variant for review, which looks quite classy and premium. On the other hand, the Light Gold variant is slightly more shiny than the black one.
The TPU strap quality is amazing, and despite being affordable, it doesn’t feel cheap. You can easily change the strap by following the simple push-and-pull mechanism. Another good thing about straps is you can also use these interchangeable straps with the Redmi Watch 5 Active as well. While the strap is quite comfortable for daily use and even for wearing while working out. Unlike other straps, it doesn’t get uncomfortable when the wrist gets sweaty during exercise.
To wrap up the design elements, the smartwatch is rated for ATM 5, meaning you can easily use it during swimming activities without even worrying about water damage. There’s also a power button on the right side and a magnetic charging slot at the bottom.
Image credit: Abhinav Fating
The Redmi Watch 5 Lite boasts a 1.96-inch AMOLED display, a step up from the LCD of the Watch 5 Active. This now truly makes sense as to why Xiaomi is charging $10 extra for the Lite variant. The AMOLED panel outputs at 410 x 502 pixels with 332 PPI. The large AMOLED display is bright, punchy, colorful, and responsive to the touch. Xiaomi also added an always-on-display (AOD) mode in the smartwatch, which is a cherry on top. With AOD mode on, the smartwatch continuously displays important data, such as date and time, and once tapped or raised, it switches to full-face mode. One drawback of the AOD is that it does impact battery life, but Xiaomi also offers a solution to save battery while using the AOD. You can opt for the Smart AOD option available in the watch settings, which turns off always-on-display automatically when you’re asleep or not wearing the watch.
Image credit: Abhinav Fating
The display was bright enough to read under the direct sunlight of mesmerizing northern Indian skies. You can easily set your favorite watch faces from the pre-loaded 200+ watch faces via the companion Mi Fitness app.
Image credit: Abhinav Fating
The Redmi Watch 5 Lite can track 150+ activities, from standards like indoor/outdoor cycling and running to more advanced options like kayaking, rock climbing, and horse riding. The smartwatch also supports automatic workout detection for running, cycling, walking, and rope jumping.
During my one and a half months of testing, I used the smartwatch’s several built-in activities, such as outdoor cycling, running, and strength training, and found the Watch 5 Lite effectively tracked all my workouts. The gadget measures different levels of activity and stress throughout each workout, including heart rate, light, intensive, aerobic, anaerobic, VO2 Max, training load, and recovery time.
I found the heart rate and intensity workout tracking pretty accurate. You can access all detailed insights via the Mi Fitness app. While the Watch 5 Lite isn’t the most accurate when it comes to calorie and step counting. I did notice that the smartwatch oftentimes miscalculates steps and calorie burn estimates, which is very annoying.
Image credit: Abhinav Fating
The noteworthy feature of the Watch 5 Lite is the built-in Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). For outdoor activities like cycling, hiking, and running, the GNSS system comes in handy. During testing, the built-in Global Navigation Satellite System worked quite well. The smartwatch tracks my route from start to finish point and offers helpful insights such as speed, heart rate, workout intensity, and vitality score. It also graphs out useful metrics that you can check in the app and can also use the same data to improve your workout performance.
Speaking about health tracking, the Watch 5 Lite is equipped with the same heart rate sensor and accelerometer found in the slightly affordable Watch 5 Active smartwatch. It offers all standard health monitoring options, such as heart rate, SpO2, sleep, and stress cycles. The Watch 5 Lite did a great job of monitoring heart rate and SpO2 levels. I found all of the data to be mostly accurate and in line with my expectations.
Image credit: Abhinav Fating
The smartwatch also allows you to track your sleep cycles, and surprisingly, it’s insanely accurate. The Watch 5 Lite promptly records both falling asleep and waking up times and also provides a detailed map of your sleep cycle, highlighting sections for light, REM, and deep sleep phases. It also tracks average sleeping heart rate, SpO2 levels, and breathing rate, which I found really helpful. You can also check all your detailed sleeping graphs in the companion app.
Xiaomi’s Redmi Watch 5 Lite pairs with the Mi Fitness smartphone app. The companion app is easy to use, and one can easily navigate through it. It offers a comprehensive overview of all your health and workout metrics in a simple and clean manner. You can also integrate third-party data from Strava, Google Fit, and Sunnto into the companion app.
The Mi Fitness is quite reliable, and I didn’t notice any sudden app crashes while testing. The companion app also allows you to tweak the Watch 5 Lite’s settings and set your fitness goals.
Software-wise, the Watch 5 Lite runs on Xiaomi HyperOS right out of the box. The UI is very simple and easy to use, requiring only simple swipes left, right, up, or down; that’s it. The UI felt smooth during testing, and I didn’t encounter any lags or freezes.
Image credit: Abhinav Fating
The Redmi Watch 5 Lite boasts a 470mAh battery cell. With all advanced tracking disabled, Xiaomi claims the Watch 5 Lite can last up to 18 days on a single charge.
In my real-world testing, with AOD off and all advanced tracking disabled, the Watch 5 Lite lasted around 12 days on a single charge. While with AOD mode on, I found the smartwatch easily offers 7 days of battery life.
In comparison with other smartwatches, such as the Amazfit Active (which offers 6 days of battery) and Samsung Galaxy Fit 3 (5 days) with “AOD-on,” the Redmi Watch 5 Lite boasts decent battery life. You can expect around 7 days of battery life with the always-on display and all the advanced monitoring features enabled.
Refueling won’t take much time. The smartwatch brings you back to full charge in around one and a half hours, thanks to the fast charging support.
Earned for achieving an overage average star rating of at least 3.75 stars, this product is an AndroidGuys Smart Pick, signifying a perfect blend of quality, performance, and value. It excels in key areas like design, innovation, and user experience, offering top-notch functionality at a great price.
Image credit: Abhinav Fating
At $75.58, the Redmi Watch 5 Lite is a solid option for budget-conscious smartwatch lovers. Xiaomi packed so far everything in the Watch 5 Lite smartwatch, from a colorful AMOLED display, a lightweight, sturdy build with a 5ATM water resistance rating, and decent health tracking to a solid 12 days of battery life, a GNSS system, and a variety of activity tracking options. Honestly, I was quite surprised by its performance, and it doesn’t cost a fortune.
The only quibble is that it doesn’t have voice assistant support and texting. We hope Xiaomi will add this in its next iteration. So if you are looking for a budget-friendly smartwatch that can provide a good level of health and fitness insights and solid battery life, then it’s really hard not to recommend the Redmi Watch 5 Lite.
More...
After putting Xiaomi’s Redmi Watch 5 Lite through lots of tests over the last couple of months, including walking, strength training, running, cycling, and yoga, this smartwatch impressed me a lot in every way. However, this budget-friendly smartwatch isn’t without its imperfections.
So, should you buy it? Read on to find out whether or not the Redmi Watch 5 Lite holds the ground against its immediate rivals, such as Amazfit Active and Samsung Galaxy Fit 3.
Pros
- Bright always-on AMOLED screen
- GPS onboard
- 150+ trackable fitness activities
- Impressive sleep tracking for the price
- Solid 12 days of battery life
- Affordable price
Cons
- No voice assistant support
- Unreliable step tracker
Unboxing
Price and Availability
The Redmi Watch 5 Lite costs $75.58 and comes in light gold and black color options. It is now available for purchase via Amazon and Xiaomi’s official website. Compared to its counterpart, the Watch 5 Active, the Watch 5 Lite is $10 pricier. The obvious reason is the addition of the GNSS system and gyroscope.
Xiaomi also offers three different changeable straps via its website, including Lemon Yellow, Mint Green, and Candy Pink.
Lightweight design with sturdy build
Image credit: Abhinav Fating
Xiaomi used its typical square-shaped design for the Watch 5 Lite, and it looks great. The Watch 5 Lite has a non-conductive vacuum metallization (NCVM) plastic build, which is quite sturdy and feels premium when worn in hand. Despite being made of plastic, the smartwatch’s overall shiny look and texture remind me of the metallic build of the Xiaomi Band 9. Speaking about dimensions, the smartwatch measures 48.1mm in width, 39.2mm in length, and 10.6mm in thickness, and weighs 29.2 grams.
The good thing about the Watch 5 Lite is that it looks sturdy and doesn’t feel bulky when worn in hand. The weight of the smartwatch is properly balanced; one can comfortably wear it for extended periods of time. Design-wise, the Watch 5 Lite and 5 Active both have similar designs. However, the Lite variant is 1 mm smaller in width and weighs 1 gram less than its counterpart. Xiaomi sent us a Black variant for review, which looks quite classy and premium. On the other hand, the Light Gold variant is slightly more shiny than the black one.
The TPU strap quality is amazing, and despite being affordable, it doesn’t feel cheap. You can easily change the strap by following the simple push-and-pull mechanism. Another good thing about straps is you can also use these interchangeable straps with the Redmi Watch 5 Active as well. While the strap is quite comfortable for daily use and even for wearing while working out. Unlike other straps, it doesn’t get uncomfortable when the wrist gets sweaty during exercise.
To wrap up the design elements, the smartwatch is rated for ATM 5, meaning you can easily use it during swimming activities without even worrying about water damage. There’s also a power button on the right side and a magnetic charging slot at the bottom.
Amazing AMOLED display
Image credit: Abhinav Fating
The Redmi Watch 5 Lite boasts a 1.96-inch AMOLED display, a step up from the LCD of the Watch 5 Active. This now truly makes sense as to why Xiaomi is charging $10 extra for the Lite variant. The AMOLED panel outputs at 410 x 502 pixels with 332 PPI. The large AMOLED display is bright, punchy, colorful, and responsive to the touch. Xiaomi also added an always-on-display (AOD) mode in the smartwatch, which is a cherry on top. With AOD mode on, the smartwatch continuously displays important data, such as date and time, and once tapped or raised, it switches to full-face mode. One drawback of the AOD is that it does impact battery life, but Xiaomi also offers a solution to save battery while using the AOD. You can opt for the Smart AOD option available in the watch settings, which turns off always-on-display automatically when you’re asleep or not wearing the watch.
Image credit: Abhinav Fating
The display was bright enough to read under the direct sunlight of mesmerizing northern Indian skies. You can easily set your favorite watch faces from the pre-loaded 200+ watch faces via the companion Mi Fitness app.
Smorgasbord of Fitness Features
Image credit: Abhinav Fating
The Redmi Watch 5 Lite can track 150+ activities, from standards like indoor/outdoor cycling and running to more advanced options like kayaking, rock climbing, and horse riding. The smartwatch also supports automatic workout detection for running, cycling, walking, and rope jumping.
During my one and a half months of testing, I used the smartwatch’s several built-in activities, such as outdoor cycling, running, and strength training, and found the Watch 5 Lite effectively tracked all my workouts. The gadget measures different levels of activity and stress throughout each workout, including heart rate, light, intensive, aerobic, anaerobic, VO2 Max, training load, and recovery time.
I found the heart rate and intensity workout tracking pretty accurate. You can access all detailed insights via the Mi Fitness app. While the Watch 5 Lite isn’t the most accurate when it comes to calorie and step counting. I did notice that the smartwatch oftentimes miscalculates steps and calorie burn estimates, which is very annoying.
Image credit: Abhinav Fating
The noteworthy feature of the Watch 5 Lite is the built-in Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). For outdoor activities like cycling, hiking, and running, the GNSS system comes in handy. During testing, the built-in Global Navigation Satellite System worked quite well. The smartwatch tracks my route from start to finish point and offers helpful insights such as speed, heart rate, workout intensity, and vitality score. It also graphs out useful metrics that you can check in the app and can also use the same data to improve your workout performance.
Speaking about health tracking, the Watch 5 Lite is equipped with the same heart rate sensor and accelerometer found in the slightly affordable Watch 5 Active smartwatch. It offers all standard health monitoring options, such as heart rate, SpO2, sleep, and stress cycles. The Watch 5 Lite did a great job of monitoring heart rate and SpO2 levels. I found all of the data to be mostly accurate and in line with my expectations.
Image credit: Abhinav Fating
The smartwatch also allows you to track your sleep cycles, and surprisingly, it’s insanely accurate. The Watch 5 Lite promptly records both falling asleep and waking up times and also provides a detailed map of your sleep cycle, highlighting sections for light, REM, and deep sleep phases. It also tracks average sleeping heart rate, SpO2 levels, and breathing rate, which I found really helpful. You can also check all your detailed sleeping graphs in the companion app.
App and Software
Xiaomi’s Redmi Watch 5 Lite pairs with the Mi Fitness smartphone app. The companion app is easy to use, and one can easily navigate through it. It offers a comprehensive overview of all your health and workout metrics in a simple and clean manner. You can also integrate third-party data from Strava, Google Fit, and Sunnto into the companion app.
The Mi Fitness is quite reliable, and I didn’t notice any sudden app crashes while testing. The companion app also allows you to tweak the Watch 5 Lite’s settings and set your fitness goals.
Software-wise, the Watch 5 Lite runs on Xiaomi HyperOS right out of the box. The UI is very simple and easy to use, requiring only simple swipes left, right, up, or down; that’s it. The UI felt smooth during testing, and I didn’t encounter any lags or freezes.
Long Lasting Battery life
Image credit: Abhinav Fating
The Redmi Watch 5 Lite boasts a 470mAh battery cell. With all advanced tracking disabled, Xiaomi claims the Watch 5 Lite can last up to 18 days on a single charge.
In my real-world testing, with AOD off and all advanced tracking disabled, the Watch 5 Lite lasted around 12 days on a single charge. While with AOD mode on, I found the smartwatch easily offers 7 days of battery life.
In comparison with other smartwatches, such as the Amazfit Active (which offers 6 days of battery) and Samsung Galaxy Fit 3 (5 days) with “AOD-on,” the Redmi Watch 5 Lite boasts decent battery life. You can expect around 7 days of battery life with the always-on display and all the advanced monitoring features enabled.
Refueling won’t take much time. The smartwatch brings you back to full charge in around one and a half hours, thanks to the fast charging support.
Earned for achieving an overage average star rating of at least 3.75 stars, this product is an AndroidGuys Smart Pick, signifying a perfect blend of quality, performance, and value. It excels in key areas like design, innovation, and user experience, offering top-notch functionality at a great price.
Final Thoughts
Image credit: Abhinav Fating
At $75.58, the Redmi Watch 5 Lite is a solid option for budget-conscious smartwatch lovers. Xiaomi packed so far everything in the Watch 5 Lite smartwatch, from a colorful AMOLED display, a lightweight, sturdy build with a 5ATM water resistance rating, and decent health tracking to a solid 12 days of battery life, a GNSS system, and a variety of activity tracking options. Honestly, I was quite surprised by its performance, and it doesn’t cost a fortune.
The only quibble is that it doesn’t have voice assistant support and texting. We hope Xiaomi will add this in its next iteration. So if you are looking for a budget-friendly smartwatch that can provide a good level of health and fitness insights and solid battery life, then it’s really hard not to recommend the Redmi Watch 5 Lite.
More...