The Redmi Watch 5 Active is one of two new models in the Redmi Watch series. Focusing on health and fitness, it offers impressive on-watch monitoring, a bright two-inch display and a host of functions and features. This latest entry in the Redmi Watch series provides a cost-conscious solution to the growing array of smartwatch options.
The Redmi Watch 5 Active is lightweight at 30 g (without strap), which can be attributed to its hard plastic casing in place of metal. To offset the plastic, Redmi has finished the watch with a metal spray coating that looks sharp and has fooled more than one of my friends when I showed off the Watch 5 Active. A single button toggles between the current face and a list of apps, which can be quickly scrolled through, thanks to the two-inch display.
Speaking of the display, it features a resolution of 320×385 at 250PPI (Pixels per inch). It creates a clear and sharp image at its two-inch form factor and is plenty bright with an auto-brightness sensor handling brightness adjustments quite effectively. The screen is also touch-activated which makes navigating the settings and features simple and straightforward. The touch response is quick and responsive and the screen transitions are smooth.
“Sporting a heart rate sensor and blood oxygen sensor built for 24-hour monitoring, the Active does a solid job at tracking fitness and general health.”
Looking at the underside of the watch, Redmi has opted for a magnetically connected, traditional capacitor charger system. While it doesn’t benefit from wireless charging, the Watch 5 Active’s included cable does secure quite nicely and only the correct way thanks to the magnetic polarity between the cable and the watch back. As with most capacitor chargers, while you can set the watch on its side during a charging cycle, my experience has been that it tends to end up on its face.
The Watch comes with an athletic, thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) band that is secured via a spring-loaded pin lock. TPU is an excellent material for durability and longevity as it’s resistant to oils and wear over time. It’s an excellent choice considering the design and purpose of the Watch 5 Active. However, the design of the strap is a bit of a frustration.
Though functional, due to its wrap-behind design, it’s a bit of a process to lock it in place. Often when putting the watch on I found myself awkwardly balancing the watch against my leg or the table while trying to clip it together with my other hand. Thankfully Amazon has a host of watch strap options to accommodate you if this style of watch band doesn’t suit you.
Setting up the Watch 5 Active requires installing the Mi Fitness app from Redmi. Once installed and an account created, linking the watch is a relatively smooth process. Two notes on setup: first, for the watch to function properly, you will need the Mi Fitness app. The instructions included with the watch were somewhat confusing, and the QR code provided for app download was so small and blurred that my phone struggled to scan it. After a few minutes of searching, I was finally able to complete the setup.
Second, while the Mi Fitness app may be unfamiliar to first-time Redmi users, it is user-friendly. Mi Fitness provides a wealth of useful data and feature controls, specifically regarding what the watch tracks. Additionally, the notification settings allow per-app permissions, giving you full control over what and when you receive alerts. The app is fairly intuitive and features a simple, clean interface.
The feature set for the Watch 5 Active leans heavily into its namesake. Sporting a heart rate sensor and blood oxygen sensor built for 24-hour monitoring, the Active does a solid job at monitoring fitness and general health. The data produced by the sensors is collected by the Mi fitness app which can be linked to some of the standard fitness tracking apps typically found on modern smartphones. The Accelerometer also works well and can be set to accommodate 140 different workout routines, helping the user track their activity accurately.
“Setting up the Watch 5 Active requires installing the Mi Fitness app from Redmi, which provides a wealth of useful data and feature controls.”
To further accommodate the various workout options available, the Watch 5 Active is rated for 5 ATM water resistance. This means it can handle water depths of up to 50 metres without concern, which is impressive considering the $66 price point. Oddly, though, while it has a solid water resistance rating, none of the 140 workout routines included on the watch are designed to track water sports. This seems like a missed opportunity.
The Watch 5 Active supports incoming and outgoing calls thanks to Bluetooth 5.3. A built-in speaker handles audio during calls, and a dual noise-cancellation microphone system captures your voice. In testing, the microphone worked adequately, providing a functional means of communication. It wasn’t the best I’ve used, but the audio was clear, and the other person had no trouble understanding me during our conversation. The speaker system, meanwhile, was surprisingly loud and clear.
As for making calls, the Redmi Watch 5 Active, while it works well, does have a few limitations. While you can set up to 10 favourite contacts, they aren’t important directly from any favourite lists you might have saved on your phone. Instead, you need to manually import them to the watch by selecting from your entire contact list on your phone.
“Despite some limitations, the Watch 5 Active is a solid budget-conscious smartwatch with great sensors, useful features, and solid build quality.”
Additionally, you are limited to 10 contacts, meaning any other outgoing calls you wish to make will need to be done manually via a numeric display on the watch’s face. While I was hopeful this would be offset by simply using the Watch’s microphone to ask Google to make a call I was a bit disappointed to discover that there is no support for any of the voice assistance programs. Once again a bit of a missed opportunity to bring the Watch 5 Active to the next level in value.
While text notifications are present on the Watch 5 Active, it lacks any means of response from the watch, turning it into little more than a notification centre. While this may be a bit off-putting for some, I find that even on Smartwatches that feature full-text support I rarely use it. In the case of the Watch 5 Active, I appreciated the notifications which were provided via the vibration motors inside the watch. I never once missed a text message or incoming call alert, which in my case, often happens while working. In regard to keeping me in step with notifications, the Watch 5 Active does a great job.
Battery life on the Watch 5 Active is solid though not as good as advertised. The 470mAh battery is rated for up to 18 days of light use and 12 days of heavy use. I’m not an avid workout type of person but work a lot of hours a week so might still fall under the heavy user criteria. Regardless of testing, I could never achieve 18 days of us before charge. In fact, in testing, I’ve averaged 10–11 days at best based on a three-week testing cycle. While this is excellent for a 66-dollar Smartwatch, it is a bit disappointing when compared to what is advertised.
Despite some of the critiques I’ve levied against the Redmi Watch 5 Active I’d still argue that it’s a solid budget-conscious smartwatch. With great heart rate and Accelerometer sensors, a host of useful features and apps and solid build quality and battery life, there is a lot to like about the Watch 5 Active. At an MSRP of $66.27, The Redmi Watch 5 Active is an excellent substitution when compared to other fitness trackers while still providing many of the features I’d want to see in a Smartwatch. While voice assistant and texting would have put the Watch 4 Active over the top, it is still a great, cost-conscious solution to the Smartwatch dilemma.
