The Redmi Watch 2 Lite takes what Xiaomi knows how to do best: a functional and efficient device at a very attractive, even aggressive price. The formula is not without some concessions of course, in terms of customization or even on the quality of the screen.
What do we generally expect from a smartwatch in 2022? If it gives the time (still), allows you to track your physical activity, track your sleep, integrates GPS, monitoring of heart activity and SpO2, a few apps, the possibility of managing the music broadcast on his smartphone, receive notifications, we can say that on paper, there is almost everything we need.
Because the credo of the Redmi Watch 2 Lite is the same as that of the brand's phones, or of Xiaomi, its parent company. Offer almost everything we expect in 2022 from a typical product, all at a scandalously low price. The Redmi Watch 2 Lite is sold at 70 euros, a connected bracelet price, quite simply. And it embeds all the aforementioned functions. It remains to be seen how the watch manages all this and how practical and pleasant it is to use. This test will attempt to answer that question.
Xiaomi Redmi Watch 2 LiteData sheet
Model
Xiaomi Redmi Watch 2 Lite
Screen size
1.55 inches
Technology
LCD
Screen definition
360 x 320 pixels
Screen size
Rectangular
Dimension
35.3mm
Weight
35 grams
Battery
262mAh
Heart rate sensor
Yes
Sleep analysis
Yes
Accelerometer
Yes
Ambient light sensor
No
Protection sign
5ATM
Price
69 €
Product sheet
See the test
This test was carried out with a copy of the watch lent by Xiaomi.
Xiaomi Redmi Watch 2 Lite Design
The Redmi Watch 2 Lite is not subtle on the design side, we are clearly in a profile that seeks to recall the Apple Watch, with its rectangular and flattened case and the glass of the slightly curved screen. That being said, the resemblance ends very quickly. Redmi's watch has only one central button, located on the right.
The bracelet for its part is as if fixed to the case, with a strong rigidity near the latter. Impossible to lay the watch flat, it will always have two legs to hold it precariously one or two centimeters from a flat position.
Worse still, the bracelet is connected to the case by a proprietary system, which means that in the event of breakage, it is impossible to repair the watch. That being said, it's a common concern among connected bracelets and an understandable concession for this price range, despite the ecological cost that a complete change of watch would represent for just its bracelet.
Let's dwell for a moment on the materials that make up this watch. Let's not go overboard: you will find plastic on all floors. This one is hard on the case and siliconized for the bracelet. The set is far from being unpleasant to wear.
Small downside on the comfort side, however: the heart sensor under the watch exceeds a little more than the average of what we are used to. Nothing too bad, but it can be a bit awkward if you like to wear your strap tight.
Let's end this overview by specifying that the watch is very light (35 g) and not bulky. It will be perfect for small wrists, to whom it will avoid the “big watch that imposes tavu” look (if you are not a customer of this) with its 10.7 mm thickness. It has a 5 ATM certification.
Xiaomi Redmi Watch 2 LiteScreen
Without delay, let's move on to the screen of the Redmi Watch 2 Lite. To put it succinctly, this one does the job. Admittedly, the 1.55-inch LCD panel and its 320×360 definition is not the thinnest we've seen, but its 311 dpi avoid the "visible pixels" side.
For an LCD screen, the color rendering is rather satisfactory, in particular thanks to the use of TFT (Thin film transistor) technology. As for the rendering of the black pixels, if it is not as deep as on the Oled, we still have this impression of "extinguished pixel" which makes it possible to confuse the edge of the watch with its screen , moreover more successful in low luminosity. With the brightness set to 5, the maximum level, black quickly turns to gray.
There is no Always On mode on this watch, a small concession balanced by a fairly effective motion sensor which ensures that each time you point the watch towards your face, the time appears without too much delay. However, a small latency is to be noted if you are very attached to the responsiveness of your watch.
Xiaomi Redmi Watch 2 LiteUsage and application
The Redmi Watch 2 Lite offers a simple and functional interface. I never had too much trouble finding what I was looking for, which is always a good point to note.
If you swipe up, you access the notifications sent to your smartphone. Impossible to answer, but we can however display larger messages a little longer by tapping on them. On the other hand, if you juggle between different conversations, you can quickly get lost, because they are displayed in simple reverse chronological order, without offering any grouping between discussions or applications, as we know today on Android. It remains usable of course, but a little ergonomic effort would have been appreciated.
Going to the right, we find the first of the customizable tiles. Starting on the left, you can start from the last one too. It includes, among other things, the measurement of beats per minute, the weather, activity monitoring, sleep monitoring, stress and music management. Overall, these tiles are useful for getting fairly quick summary information, but again there is a lack of interactivity. In sleep tracking, for example, you only get the number of hours you slept. It's a bit short. Let's add that the watch offers 9 widgets and we are forced to display only 7. A small concession that is not very bad, however.
However, some tiles allow you to go further. Activity tracking opens the dedicated application. And when it comes to music management, the Redmi Watch 2 Lite is efficient. I had no trouble using Spotify with this watch, the latter automatically retrieving title information and you can, in addition to changing songs, vary the volume without worry.
Going down, there is a fairly basic menu of shortcuts. It is possible to put the watch in night mode, to set its alarms, to use the lamp, to switch the watch or not to motion detection mode, to ask it to keep the screen on for 5 minutes or to go to settings. You can also see the remaining battery, time and Bluetooth connection status.
Internal apps
By clicking on the one and only button, you will access the applications of the Redmi Watch 2 Lite. For once, this watch is similar to the experience we know with a connected bracelet, in that it is not possible to install applications other than those preinstalled. In this, the watch really acts as an extension of the smartphone and not really as a standalone device. The watch is for example unable to connect to Wi-Fi alone.
However, you can launch a certain number of "applications" from a simple but effective menu, set with small logos, some very clear (a moon for sleep, a man running for sport, a heart for activity cardiac) and for others a little too nebulous (a gray circle to breathe, a sequence of three clocks to designate the alarm clock, the chronometer and the timer…). That said, once the watch is in hand, it all turns out to be very functional.
A few small faults, however, tarnish the experience a little bit. At this price, we must of course expect concessions, we can mention two important ones. The first is a certain rigidity in the user experience. For example, when you are consulting something on your watch and you receive a message, it is displayed on the entire screen for a few seconds. Similarly, once a sports activity has been launched, you cannot launch another application without completely stopping the recording of your activity.
More generally, do not expect a performance monster. If Redmi does not communicate on the chip that equips its watch, we have performances that are generally quite slow. It remains liveable and usable (no freeze or slowness of more than a few milliseconds is to be deplored), but if you like devices that react to the finger and the eye, you will have to spend a few more dollars.
The Xiaomi Wear app
As is often the case with watches that are a bit simple and without frills, the Redmi Watch 2 Lite relies a lot on its dedicated application, Xiaomi Wear, which you will install from your first moments in contact with it. By this we mean that the activity, sleep and other reports are infinitely more complete in the interface of the application than on the small screen of the watch. This is not a fault in itself, but for those who appreciate a standalone watch, the Watch 2 Lite takes the opposite route.
Again, Xiaomi is efficient. Slightly flashy pastel colors, small informative tiles, it's very clear and the interface allows you to have a complete status of the metrics measured by the watch in a few minutes. On the other hand, we might have liked a little more detail when we enter these metrics. Indeed, the information displayed usually stops at a graph that summarizes the day, a few averages and that's it. If you are attached to a little more completeness and details, know that we are far from the precision of certain sports watches for example, which will offer you personalized advice, etc.
The application is also used more broadly to configure the watch, manage notifications and authorizations or even access the user guide. And of course, capital use if any, this is also where you can download new dials for the watch.
Xiaomi's effort in terms of the variety of dials on offer should be commended. We have minimalist with just a little stylized time, dial with needles, pop culture, dials with a ton of metrics or just some essential information. Owl.
Xiaomi Redmi Watch 2 Lite Health Features
Let’s establish the exhaustive list of sensors available to you:
Optical heart rate sensor
Accelerometer
Gyroscope
Electronic compass
GPS/GLONASS/Galileo/BeiDou
For a watch at 70 euros, the presence of a GPS is notable. Especially since it is relatively effective. Count less than a minute to fix the GPS, a very good score.
Overall, the Redmi Watch 2 Lite is complete in the uses it offers, but neglects the personalization part of the experience. This means, for example, that if you have a favorite sports app, you won't really be able to use it on this watch. But for "mister and madam everyone", we have a nice tool, not too expensive, which seems to fill the whole list of what we expect from a connected watch in 2022. Here is an almost exhaustive list of everything that she offers:
Activity monitoring
Step tracking
Regular reminders to encourage you to get up
Calculation of calories burned during the day
Menstrual cycle tracker
Breathing exercise
Heartbeat
SpO2
When running, the on-screen activities are presented in a rather direct way. We simply swipe down to get more information. You can even manage your music while running, a real plus that some watches completely forget.
Note also that the watch can go off on its own when you move to offer you to measure your walk. A nice addition, but a pity that the watch does not offer to stop the activity automatically when you stop moving. As far as talking about the small flaws, the monitoring of stress generally seemed to me rather anarchic. One day it offers a value then stops working the next day before returning for a morning to stop in the afternoon. Don't count on it.
Xiaomi Redmi Watch 2 LiteAutonomy
The autonomy of the Redmi Watch 2 Lite is satisfactory, without crushing the competition. It relies on a 262 mAh battery. If we measure it against sports watches, some of which can last a short week, it is difficult to do the same with intensive use. If we measure it with “smart” watches running Wear OS or Watch OS, we manage to obtain a slightly longer autonomy without forcing too much. By this we mean that we can hope to touch the sacrosanct barrier of the two days of autonomy, which makes it possible to use sleep monitoring effectively without having to go through the recharge box before going to bed.
In detail, with the brightness set to 5 (the maximum value), sleep tracking activated and continuous heart rate monitoring, we managed to use the watch 36 hours.
To reach the two full days, or 48 consecutive hours (with a few extra hours), I had to lower the brightness to 1 (which is still quite readable elsewhere). I was even able to go running for 45 minutes with the GPS activated during this period.
Last case, we tried to use the watch in the most sober way possible, without monitoring at night, without monitoring cardiac activity and with the brightness at the minimum. Verdict: 5 full days of autonomy all the same! We are far from what Xiaomi promises, which advances five days in intensive use mode.
For charging, a magnetic charging cable is supplied. Allow a good hour to fully charge the watch.
Xiaomi Redmi Watch 2 LiteCall and communication
The Redmi Watch 2 Lite is not capable of making calls, given that it does not feature a microphone. Such a feature on such an inexpensive watch would frankly be a surprise, so it's not a flaw in itself.
To communicate with your smartphone, it relies on Bluetooth 5.0. The watch is compatible with Android system 6.0 and later, as well as iPhones running iOS 10.0 or later. Remember that it does not have Wi-Fi connectivity, but it does have a GPS chip.
Xiaomi Redmi Watch 2 Lite
The Redmi Watch 2 Lite is available at a price of 70 euros on the Xiaomi site. Three case colors are available: black, ivory and blue. The bracelets are offered in olive green, pink, brown, ivory, black and blue.
