Images provided by Xiaomi
Review by Jon Donnis
There's something really satisfying about a gadget that just does exactly what it promises. No weird setup. No clunky menus. Just clean, solid performance right out of the box. That's basically been my experience with the Redmi Watch 5, Xiaomi's latest entry in the smartwatch game. It's the top model in a slightly confusing trio of watches, so if you're thinking of picking one up, double-check you're not looking at the Watch 5 Active or the Lite version by mistake. This one's the proper one, the full-fat edition.
First thing you notice is the display. It's massive. Genuinely feels like a small screen on your wrist, not just a token little square for notifications. The 2.07-inch AMOLED panel is probably the brightest I've ever used on a smartwatch, which actually makes a difference outdoors. No more cupping your hand to squint at your steps. It hits 1500 nits at full blast, with a 60Hz refresh rate and really crisp resolution. The bezels are tiny too, which adds to that sort of seamless, edge-to-edge feel. It looks more expensive than it is, and it wears nicely thanks to the aluminium alloy frame. Doesn't dig into your wrist, doesn't feel like plastic pretending to be metal.
Comfort-wise, the watch sits well. Not too chunky, and the strap range means it'll fit most wrists without issue. It only weighs 33.5g without the strap, so you forget it's there after a while, which is kind of the dream. The crown's been updated too, which sounds minor, but if you've ever used a laggy or fiddly one, you'll know how frustrating that gets. This one's smooth, no misfires, no delay.
What properly sold me though is the functionality. You can answer calls on it. Not just see the call, but actually lift your wrist and talk into it. The dual-mic setup with noise cancellation means you're not shouting into the wind either. It holds up fine even when you're out walking or jogging. As someone who grew up watching Knight Rider, I'm not even going to pretend that didn't feel cool.
There's also this really handy built-in Recorder app. You don't need to pair your phone to use it either. Just tap and go. It's perfect if you're in the middle of something and an idea pops into your head, or if you hear a tune you want to remember later. You can just talk into your watch and capture the moment. Small feature, big convenience.
Then you've got all the health and fitness tracking stuff you'd expect. Heart rate monitoring, blood oxygen levels, sleep tracking, and it all works reliably. Nothing felt gimmicky or half-baked. The watch uses a new heart rate algorithm that's supposed to improve accuracy, and I didn't notice any weird spikes or dropouts when testing it. It syncs up well with exercise routines, and with more than 150 sports modes, you'll be covered whether you're a runner, swimmer or just walking a lot. The 5-system GNSS makes sure outdoor tracking stays accurate too, and it's water resistant enough for swimming.
Battery life's another win. Xiaomi say up to 24 days on typical use, and it's not just marketing fluff. Even after several days of fiddling and testing everything, I barely saw the battery dip. For anyone sick of charging every night, that alone makes this a decent upgrade.
There's a library of over 200 watch faces to mess around with, or you can use your own photos. That kind of personalisation's always welcome, even if it's not essential. Just makes it feel like your watch.
If I had to nitpick, it's not about the watch itself, but the naming system. There are three versions with nearly identical names. It would be easy to end up buying the wrong one unless you're paying close attention. Not a massive deal, but worth flagging.
Bottom line? The Redmi Watch 5 delivers where it counts. It looks great, runs smoothly, and packs in the kind of features that actually make daily life easier. It's not trying to be flashy, it's just quietly excellent at what it does. If you're after a watch that won't drain your wallet but still gives you that top-tier experience, this one's hard to ignore. I was genuinely impressed, and it's easily taken the place of my old smartwatch without missing a beat.
The Redmi Watch 5 was provided by Xiaomi for review, and is out now
