Redmi Watch First Impressions: Watch Out

Xiaomi has been in the wearables space in India for a really long time now. Its Mi Bands have cemented their position as value-for-money fitness trackers. Xiaomi also recently launched a smartwatch called the Mi Watch Revolve to cater to an audience with a higher budget. The company has now launched the Redmi Watch which sits right between the Mi Bands and the Mi Watch Revolve while promising to record fitness information with the same accuracy. The Redmi Watch also happens to be the first smart watch under the Redmi brand. I got to spend some time with the Redmi Watch, and here are my first impressions of it.

Redmi Watch Price in India

The Redmi Watch is priced at Rs.3,999 in India. It is available in three case colours (Black, Blue, Ivory) and four strap colour options (Black, Blue, Ivory, Olive). I had an all-black Redmi Watch with me for review.

Xiaomi has gone with a square dial for the Redmi Watch which is quite common among smartwatches at this price point. The body of the Redmi Watch is made out of plastic and is tightly sealed making it water-resistant up to 5ATM of pressure. The LCD screen measures 1.4 inches diagonally and has 2.5D curved glass on it. The case sides are flat with only a single multi-function button on the right.

The underside of the Redmi Watch has sensors and charging pins

On the underside of the body, you'll see the heart rate sensor along with charging pins. The strap is made out of TPU and has an oval buckle. It's also pre-curved which makes it easy to wear the watch. The strap width is 20mm and these are user-replaceable, but there is a catch here. Xiaomi has opted for a proprietary connector design which limits strap options to ones made specifically for this device.

The Redmi Watch comes with a charging cradle that has pins that match the contact points on the bottom of the watch. This charger has an attached cable with a USB Type-A plug. Xiaomi has packed a 230mAh battery inside the Redmi Watch which it claims offers 10 days of battery life. That is one claim I'm going to put to the test when I review the Redmi Watch fully.

In terms of software, the Redmi Watch runs RTOS and can be paired with an Android or iOS smartphone. You'll need the Xiaomi Wear or Xiaomi Wear Lite app on these platforms respectively. You can track steps, sleep, and heart rate, as well as eleven types of workouts on the Redmi Watch. It does not have SpO2 tracking, which is available on its competitor, the Amazfit Bip U. You do get inbuilt GPS and GLONASS support on the Redmi Watch, which should allow you to track outdoor workouts without needing a smartphone to pinpoint location. Other sensors on the Redmi Watch include a compass and a barometer.

The Redmi Watch is capable of heart rate tracking

An interesting feature addition to the Redmi Watch is guided meditation, which guides you while performing breathing exercises. The UI on the Redmi Watch is easy to use and all the features can be accessed by pressing the multi-function button when on the home screen. The Redmi Watch is also capable of notifying you of incoming calls or messages on a paired phone, and we'll explore how useful this actually is in the full review.

The Redmi Watch seems to cover all the basics when it comes to fitness tracking. Given the current global situation, an SpO2 sensor would have been a valuable addition. That said, I am looking forward to putting the Redmi Watch through its paces and testing its accuracy, ease of use, battery life, and features. If you have your eyes set on the Redmi Watch, stay tuned for the full review, coming up soon on Gadgets 360.