Redmi Watch Move review: Budget smartwatch that nails the basics

Redmi Watch

The budget smartwatch category in India is filled with shoddy, uninspiring products, as users often get a laggy UI, inaccurate sensors, or an unreliable step counter. These things make it very difficult for budget-conscious buyers to make a fruitful purchase in this price category. However, the Redmi Watch Move has been launched to take care of all these worries, as it brings a mix of style, fitness tracking, and day-to-day practicality at an asking price of less than Rs 2,000. And while it doesn’t reinvent the category, it brings enough features and design traits that make potential buyers sit up and notice.

Weighing just 39 grams, the Redmi Watch Move feels feather-light in the wrist, so much so that I barely noticed any major heft even during long, intense gym or football sessions. I received the Silver Sprint colour shade of the watch that features a sliver-coloured body with a grey silicone strap with TPU material. It easily suits all skin types and sits comfortably on the wrist. However, over a prolonged period, the strap has accumulated quite a bit of dust.

redmi watch

The Watch Move has an Apple Watch-like display with a square-shaped dial and 2.5D curved glass with round edges. These round edges give it a premium feel. Moreover, the 1.85-inch AMOLED display is quite sharp and vivid. With 600 nits of brightness and 322 PPI, the on-screen small text is easy to read, even under bright sunlight. The bezels are there on all sides, yes, but they’re not a distraction thanks to thoughtful UI design.

Moreover, the navigation is smooth, and I encountered no jitters or lags during day-to-day usage, which is impressive for its price. The IP68 rating ensures decent durability, and the watch works adequately even in light rain. However, we wouldn’t recommend taking it for a swim. It also supports Always On Display (AOD); however, the auto brightness sensor in this mode occasionally does not adjust to the lighting, and hence, after a brief usage, I turned AOD off.

The Redmi Watch Move offers a well-rounded set of health tracking features, including constant heart rate and SpO₂ monitoring, sleep tracking, stress tracking, guided breathing, and over 140 sports modes. It also comes stacked with important sensors that let you track various health parameters. Moreover, the watch can actually auto-track six sports, which include running, walking, skipping, elliptical walking, cycling, and rowing.

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During my testing, the step counter and heart rate features of the Redmi Watch Move were pretty accurate, especially when compared with other premium smartwatches. Even sleep pattern tracking is also praiseworthy, and the watch provided consistent sleep data, including deep sleep, light sleep, and the number of times you wake up. Apart from fitness and health tracking, users can also set an alarm, pick and reject calls, access the default music player and camera control through the watch itself, which usually saves time.

The Redmi Watch Move can be easily paired with the Mi Fitness app, which works on both Android and iOS. Through this app, you get access to over 200 watch faces, with the option to store five on the watch for quick switching. The pairing process was seamless, and once connected, it maintains a stable connection with the phone, which helps in receiving calls or important notifications. The watch has an AI Zone that can answer questions and create watch faces using AI. However, it still needs polishing and needs more work from a refinement perspective.

The Redmi Watch Move claims to offer up to 14 days of battery life with a single charge, and in our testing, it stood true to its claims. Moreover, if you turn on continuous heart rate tracking, advanced sleep monitoring, all-day tracking of blood oxygen, all-day stress monitoring, and the always-on display, the watch still lasts for close to 4-5 days on a single charge, which is fairly impressive.

redmi

The watch comes with a Pogo Pin USB cable, which magnetically snaps on the back of the device. A full charge takes close to 80 minutes, and the supplied USB Type A port ensures that it can be topped up through any power bank or charger. However, we wished Redmi had bundled a USB Type-C port cable or converter for added usability.

At its current asking price of Rs 1,799, the Redmi Watch Move is an easy recommendation as it is a no-frills smartwatch that delivers on all aspects. Yes, there are other smartwatches available at this price point, from the likes of Boult, Boat, and Noise, but none offer the health tracking accuracy, polished software, and longevity that we have seen on the Redmi Watch Move.

It also does the basics brilliantly, and works smoothly, delivering the sort of performance you expect from higher-priced smartwatches or smartbands. Therefore, for someone looking for an entry-level smartwatch that covers all the basics, the Redmi Watch Move stands out, and honestly, it’s hard to replace it in the near future.