The Redmi Watch 5 Active makes for a great value proposition under ₹3,000. You get a fairly well-built watch that will last you a while, and if you are cutting it some slack given its price, it is a watch that performs well, too. It makes for a great daily companion. You will get plenty of options in this price range, competing for the top step of the podium. However, I would recommend going with this steady performer that comes with a promise of lasting you a considerable amount of time, and will not take a massive hit on your wallet.
One of the early movers in the wearables space, Xiaomi, with its Mi Band and Watch series, has been doing some great work over the years in the wearables space. Their products are well built and perform decently well, and the user experience is also one of the best in their price range with the release of every product. Be it their Mi band series of smart-bands or their Redmi Watch series of smartwatches, the brand has proven time and again that they are capable of being the budget kings. So, when the Redmi Watch 5 Active came to the Digit Test Centre, my expectations were riding high. I set out to answer one of the most pertinent questions – will the Redmi Watch 5 Active dethrone our go-to recommendation in the sub-₹3,000 in the price range, its predecessor, the Redmi Watch 3 Active?
Well, I put the watch through the churner of our test process and here’s what I found out –
Solid build and design
In terms of build and design, Xiaomi has gone with a massy and conservative design language on the Redmi Watch 5 Active. You have a rectangular watch face with rounded corners in a metallic casing, supported by a plastic back, which houses the sensor window and a TPU strap that comes attached out of the box. Nothing that stands out, everything that a regular user would need.
The metal case adds a nice touch of confidence when it comes to the overall quality and feel of the watch. There is no specific mention of certification for the front crystal of the watch protecting the screen, but it is made of glass. And, as you know, glass is glass, and it will scratch and break. Nevertheless, in my time of use, the watch did not pick up any major scratches or scuffs. No complaints here.
The strap also did not cause any irritation on my skin, and given that it has been made out of the widely adopted TPU (Thermoplastic polyurethane) material, it should be fine for most users, too. However, if you are someone who is susceptible to irritation when exposed to TPU (Thermoplastic polyurethane) , then you can swap the existing one for third-party straps that are plenty on online marketplaces. The only button on the side of the watch is also metallic with a nice polished edge, helping it stand out, and its overall feel and tactility were great in day-to-day use. It was responsive and registered inputs flawlessly.
In day-to-day use, there are no complaints either. The Redmi Watch 5 Active is lightweight, and given its solid build, you will have no worries rocking it daily. The watch is rated IPX8, which means you can expose it to water for longer than many other options available. However, given that there is no official dust protection, you will need to be careful on your trail runs and in dusty environments.
Redmi Watch 5 Active sports a fairly bright display!
The display of the Redmi Watch 5 Active is a standard LCD display with a 320 x 385 pixel resolution. It is responsive and rarely misses any touches, even when slightly wet, and it does get fairly bright, too. It is one of the few displays that I have tested that reaches the exact claimed number by the brand when it comes to peak brightness.
Xiaomi claims that the display of the Redmi Watch 5 Active can go up to 500 nits, and in my testing, I recorded its peak brightness to be 497 nits, which is amazing! In bright daylight, the text on the display is fairly legible, and the 2-inch size means that it fits enough information from the notifications to be fairly useful. One gripe that I have here, with the display of the watch is the uneven bezel around the main display.
The bezel, to start with, is thick all around. But when you get to the bottom edge of the screen, you get an even thicker bezel, which was a big turn-off for me. From the time I took the watch out of the box, I could see the choker of a display bezel on the watch, and it kept on irking me. You can work around it by choosing a darker watch face, which Xiaomi has defaulted to out of the box, but you will be reminded of its chunkiness whenever you are turning on the flashlight.
Apart from that, solid work here as well!
Features and Usability
In terms of features and usability, Xiaomi has again hit the ball out of the park for me with the Redmi Watch 5 Active. You get all you can ask for with the Redmi Watch 5 Active. Calling from the device, yes! Auto vitals tracking, yes! Great UI and, hence, a great user experience, yes! Customisability, yes!
I will not go into the depth of what is being claimed here by the brand. Rather, I would like to give you a bottom line here – Whatever is included in the watch works well, with a few exceptions here and there. For example, during my time of use, when I was out for a walk, which is a part of our performance test, the watch kept on alerting me about irregularities in the GPS signal, asking me to move to a more open space. However, I was in one! Apart from that, minor glitches here and there are present in the UI, which can be ironed out with an OTA update, and the fact that there was an update ready for me at the time of setting up the watch, makes me confident that if enough reports come in, Xiaomi will take action.
Performance — Satisfactory considering the price
To give you an idea of the performance of the Redmi Watch 5 Active, here’s a quick rundown of how it scored in our testing.
As you can see, across the board, there are a few inaccuracies reported by the watch. However, one thing that needs to be taken into account is the price. Under-₹3,000, I have come to expect such errors, simply because the brand does not have enough headroom to pack sensors and processors that are capable of churning out accurate metrics that a more expensive watch would put out. So, you will need to temper your expectations when it comes to the vitals tracking on the Redmi Watch 5 Active. Take all the measurements that are coming from the watch with a grain of salt.
Also Read: Sennheiser Accentum TWS Review – Sound shines bright, but not the features
In terms of the battery life, I started my testing with a nice 69 per cent battery on the watch, and as of writing this review, which is about 12 odd hours after my test, with the watch being on my wrist the entire time, the battery dropped to 45 per cent which is not bad. And, given our experience with the Redmi Watch 3 Active, you should get at least 8-10 days of battery life on a single charge with moderate use. You mileage where would depend on how intensely you use the watch. Keep the flashlight on 5 hours a day, and you will lose out on battery life.
Should you buy the Redmi Watch 5 Active?
The Redmi Watch 5 Active makes for a great value proposition under ₹3,000. You get a fairly well-built watch that will last you a while, and if you are cutting it some slack given its price, it is a watch that performs well, too. It makes for a great daily companion. You will get plenty of options in this price range, competing for the top step of the podium. However, I would recommend going with this steady performer that comes with a promise of lasting you a considerable amount of time, and will not take a massive hit on your wallet.
Redmi Watch 5 Active Key Specs, Price and Launch Date
| Release Date: | |
| Market Status: | Launched |
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Satvik Pandey
Satvik Pandey, is a self-professed Steve Jobs (not Apple) fanboy, a science & tech writer, and a sports addict. At Digit, he works as a Deputy Features Editor, and manages the daily functioning of the magazine. He also reviews audio-products (speakers, headphones, soundbars, etc.), smartwatches, projectors, and everything else that he can get his hands on. A media and communications graduate, Satvik is also an avid shutterbug, and when he's not working or gaming, he can be found fiddling with any camera he can get his hands on and helping produce videos – which means he spends an awful amount of time in our studio. His game of choice is Counter-Strike, and he's still attempting to turn pro. He can talk your ear off about the game, and we'd strongly advise you to steer clear of the topic unless you too are a CS junkie. View Full Profile
