Xiaomi recently launched the Redmi Watch 5 Active in India and the new smartwatch has already generated a lot of buzz in the market. This is primarily because it comes with a lot of upgrades over the Watch 3 Active (review) (Note: Watch 4 Active was never launched in India), which in itself was a pretty decent wearable. While Xiaomi has managed to keep this new smartwatch at an affordable price of Rs 2,799, it comes with a larger display, longer battery life, more sports modes, built-in Alexa support, and HyperOS. If you’re wondering whether these upgrades make it an instant buy or if there are some caveats involved, I’m here to help you out. I’ve used this smartwatch for over a week and can now share if you need to grab it ASAP or let this one pass. Without further ado, let’s jump into the detailed review.
Design and display
The Watch 5 Active comes with a zinc alloy body and has a minimalistic and clean design language. The watch case feels sturdy, thanks to the metal build, and comes with just one button on the side. At the back, the watch case has the heart rate sensor, the spO2 sensor, the speaker (for calls) and the pogo pins for the charger which attaches magnetically to its surface. The back of the watch case is made of plastic and comes with a matte finish. As far as dimensions are concerned, the Watch 5 Active measures 49.1×40.4×11.4mm and weighs just 42.2 grams. While I personally didn’t find the watch to be bulky on hand, I need to point out that it is fairly large in size and those with slender wrists might want to try it on before they buy this smartwatch. Having said that, I found that the watch can easily be worn through the day and even at night for sleep tracking.
The watch comes with 20mm bands that can be easily removed and replaced with third-party straps that can be easily purchased from third-party retailers. The TPU band was pleasant to wear and didn’t cause me any irritation as such. Overall, the build quality of the watch case (and even the bands for that matter) and its dark grey colour give it a rather premium look, which is rare for this price range.
While we’ve started getting some AMOLED panels in the price range on smartwatches, the Watch 5 Active ships with a 2-inch LCD display with a display resolution of 320 x 385 pixels. The display comes with a peak brightness of 500nits, which ensures that you don’t get any major visibility issues outdoors. While the bezels around the display (especially at the bottom) are a bit thick, the overall quality of the display is pretty good. While you don’t get the inky blacks as you do with the AMOLED panels, the display panel is capable of producing vibrant colours (more evident in some watch faces than others). While Xiaomi hasn’t shared the kind of protection the front glass comes with, I didn’t get any scratches or smudges on the screen during my usage, which is always a good sign for durability.
Now that we are talking about durability, I would like to clarify that this is an IPX8-rated watch. This essentially means that it can easily survive exposure to water but as there is no rating for dust resistance, it would be wise not to wear it on the beach.
Features and app
The Watch 5 Active syncs via the Mi Fitness app and is compatible with Strava and Apple Health too. If you’re thinking that HyperOS completely revolutionises how you use the smartwatch, that’s not the case, but it definitely feels intuitive and has an easy-to-navigate interface.
You can also set a reminder to stand up for a certain time if you have been sedentary for an hour. You can set regular reminders, alarms, and even rearrange the widgets as per your requirements through the app. If you have a habit of leaving your watch unattended, you can also set a password that can be used to unlock the wearable.
The smartwatch comes with 140+ sports modes, which is particularly impressive. However, the surprising omission here is the swim mode. However, the brand has included a water-expulsion feature that’s quite effective.
Bluetooth calling is one of the highlight features of this smartwatch and honestly, it was the most impressive one too. When talking on the smartwatch, the receiver could not tell that I wasn’t speaking through the phone’s microphone but rather the Watch 5 Active. The call was clear and the speaker ensured that I could also listen to the other person clearly. This is an impressive feat, particularly at this price point.
Performance and UI
The biggest highlight here is the inclusion of HyperOS on the watch. This user interface provides you with fluid animations, built-in Alexa support, over 200 cloud watch faces, Hindi language support, emojis support, and more. In terms of step count, the watch was fairly accurate, although I did notice slight inconsistency at times. However, the spO2 sensor worked surprisingly well and matched the reading taken by a dedicated machine for spO2 level detection. Having said that, only use these readings for reference purposes and do go for medical equipment for reliability when it comes to this sort of data.
The sleep tracking by the watch can work well at times but does show inconsistencies too. The built-in Alexa support works almost flawlessly and the results do not take a lot of time to load up. You can ask Alexa to set timers, ask it for general queries, or even control smart home devices directly from the smartwatch. However, you can’t ask it to play songs, or more importantly for a smartwatch – start a workout session through Alexa.
Battery life
The Watch 5 Active comes with a 470mAh battery, which is pretty decent for a wearable. Although the brand has claimed a battery life of 18 days for the smartwatch (12 with intensive usage), I could only manage to get around 10 days of backup in regular usage. I would say that my usage was not that intense either. However, charging your watch once in 10 days is still not a bad proposition at all. Even if you are planning a week-long hiking trip, you’d be just fine with this watch, and that’s what matters.
Verdict
The Redmi Watch 5 Active makes a serious case to be the best smartwatch under Rs 3,000 with an impressive battery life, bright display, tons of health features, clear Bluetooth calling, and a premium design. The smartwatch’s HyperOS user interface is intuitive and smooth, making it easy for anyone to use. While some of you might find this watch to be a bit bulky, if you can put aside this face, I would say it offers excellent value for money and is a great choice for those of you who want to start your fitness journey on a budget.
Editor’s rating: 8 / 10
Pros
- Affordable price point
- Long-lasting battery life
- Tons of health features
- Premium design
Cons
- Display bezels are uneven and thick
- Bulky watch case
