Apart from producing its own wearables, Xiaomi has also released its fair share of smartwatches and fitness trackers under its sub-brand, Redmi. The company recently unveiled the Redmi Watch 5 in China. This new smartwatch is one of the first wearables to arrive with HyperOS 2.0 pre-installed, offering modest upgrades over the Redmi Watch 4.
The smartwatch was launched alongside the high-end Redmi K80 series. While Xiaomi already introduced the Redmi Watch 5 Active and Watch 5 Lite, the Redmi Watch 5 is technically the direct successor to last year’s Redmi Watch 4.
Xiaomi’s Redmi Watch 5 is closest to the Apple Watch in design
In terms of design, the Redmi Watch 5 retains the same rectangular form factor but now features a 2.07-inch AMOLED display with a 60 Hz refresh rate. The screen is noticeably brighter at 1,500 nits and slightly wider thanks to its reduced bezels. The overall look has become rounder, while the mechanical crown remains on the right side.
The revamped design and larger display result in a slight increase in thickness and weight. However, the smartwatch still features an aluminum chassis with a plastic underside and maintains its 5 ATM waterproof rating (50 meters of water resistance).
Slightly heavier but with a longer battery life
One contributing factor to the slight bulk increase is the larger 550 mAh battery within, which Xiaomi claims offers up to 12 days of battery life with the Always-on Display enabled and up to 24 days in smart mode, depending on the paired device (22 days when paired with iOS).
Xiaomi also highlighted improvements in biometric tracking. The heart rate sensor now boasts 97.1% accuracy, and the smartwatch includes the usual health metrics such as SpO2 monitoring, sleep tracking, and stress management. In addition, it supports more than 150 fitness modes and features a built-in GNSS module, eliminating the need to connect to a smartphone for GPS tracking.
The Redmi Watch 5 is priced at CNY 599 (~$83) for the standard model, while the LTE-enabled variant costs CNY 799 (~$110). Like the Redmi Watch 4, the fifth-generation Redmi smartwatch is expected to launch internationally in the coming weeks or early next year, although pricing details remain uncertain. This is the closest thing you’ll get to an Apple Watch for a non-Apple device in terms of design!
Are you looking for a budget smartwatch? Let us know your thoughts on the Xiaomi Redmi Watch 5 in the comments below!
