And five! This beginning of 2025 marks the arrival of the fifth generation of the Redmi Watch, this Xiaomi smartwatch at a rock-bottom price. Displayed at 120 euros, its price, which is still very reasonable, has nevertheless increased by 20 euros compared to last year's model. To justify this, the Chinese manufacturer is however highlighting a larger screen and better accuracy of the heart rate monitor.
The design is also evolving, with in particular a less angular front face, helped by the slight curvature of the edges of the 2.5 D glass. Enough to give an impression of better finish than that of the Redmi Watch 4. The screen is therefore significantly enlarged to a 2.07-inch AMOLED panel (compared to 1.97 inches for the fourth generation). Enough to enjoy a very large and comfortable display. For comparison, the Apple Watch Series 10 only has a 1.96-inch screen, the largest in the Apple brand's watch range.
A large and beautiful screen
The case keeps the same size of 47.5 x 47.5 mm, but gains weight on the thickness: 11.3 mm against 10.5 mm previously. The whole thing weighs 33.5 grams without strap and knows how to be rather discreet on the wrist. The strap supplied by default is also quite basic, made of polyurethane, but can be easily replaced by another model from the Xiaomi range, thanks to its proprietary fastening system very easy to use via a push button. The latter is located on the back of the watch, entirely in plastic, while the rest of the frame is made of aluminum. On the right side is a rotating crown that also acts as a button, but it is not possible to reverse the display to place it on the left if you wear the watch on your right wrist.
To integrate a larger screen while maintaining the same case dimensions, Xiaomi has obviously trimmed the edges. At 2 mm thick, they are still clearly visible, but do not interfere with daily use. With a resolution of 324 pixels per inch for a definition of 432 by 514 pixels, the AMOLED panel is really very pleasant to consult. Especially since the maximum brightness of 1500 nits allows it to remain readable even in full sunlight. The only possible criticism is that in the middle of the night, the maximum brightness tends to remain high and can be disturbing, despite the brightness sensor which modulates its intensity (sometimes quite abruptly). Finally, an “always on” mode is also offered to permanently display the time, without having to raise your wrist.
Still no third-party applications
True to its philosophy, Xiaomi uses a proprietary operating system on this Redmi Watch 5 that allows it to be compatible with both Android and iOS. The downside is that no store is available to install third-party applications. You will therefore have to use only those supplied with the watch. However, the interface is clear and easy to use. From the dial, swiping down gives access to notifications, up to widgets and to the right to quick settings. By pressing the crown, you can access all the applications. You will find the main ones there; both those focused on sports and health, as well as the classic timers, weather, task management or even a voice recorder.
It is clearly on the health and sports side that Xiaomi has insisted, since the sensors can detect heart rate, sleep, number of steps, stress or the amount of oxygen in the blood (SpO2). There are also 150 physical activities that can be measured; an impressive number, but was it really useful to offer darts or board games? However, it is possible to wear it in a pool for a swimming session thanks to its 5 ATM waterproof rating (diving or water skiing are not recommended due to the pressure).
Finally, the Mi Fitness app can connect to Strava or Suunto accounts to export its data. Xiaomi's smartphone app is relatively comprehensive, always grouping together in one place the health, training and certain watch settings functions. You can also download watch faces from the hundreds offered for free. Note that only the Android version allows you to transfer music files to the watch. When using it with iOS, the watch will only display the music played on the iPhone.
Amazing battery life, heart rate struggling
But what is this Redmi Watch 5 worth in sports use? First of all, it has its own GNSS system compatible with GPS, Galileo, Glonass, BeiDou and QZSS. It is therefore possible, for example, to go running without your phone in your pocket. Data acquisition takes a few seconds before you can start the exercise. Despite this, we once again noticed a tendency to zigzag and take shortcuts that was still very present on the track acquired by the watch. Enough to slightly distort the distances covered and therefore the final performances, like a running pace. This is all the more visible in the city, when you find yourself on a street lined with buildings.
The heart rate monitor does much better, provided you don't ask too much of it. Also during a running exercise, it proved to be relatively accurate when we kept a constant pace, displaying measurements equivalent to those of our reference Apple Watch Series 10. On the other hand, the heart rate measurement completely lost the pedals during an interval exercise, leading to rapid variations. There, the measurement tended to show much too high (189 BPM that we never actually reached!) and had difficulty coming back down quickly. While the average pace recorded on the Apple watch was 133 BPM, that of Xiaomi indicated 151 BPM; nothing very realistic for us. This is clearly the limit of this entry-level watch.
Fortunately, it makes up for it on another crucial point in the world of smartwatches: battery life. To carry out our test, we chose to activate all the demanding features: always-on screen, advanced sleep and breathing measurements, but also stress and SpO2. After performing three physical exercises of around 35 minutes each, the Redmi Watch 5 (550 mAh battery) managed to last 10 days without being recharged. Without integrated Wi-Fi or 4G, this may seem easy, but the performance is anything but trivial on a device equipped with such a beautiful AMOLED screen. To recharge it, you must use the supplied cable, USB-A to the proprietary magnetic connector and wait about 1 hour 45 minutes for a full charge.
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