What can a $45 smartwatch get you?

TL;DR

• Redmi has launched its first smartwatch in China.
• Called the Redmi Watch, the wearable sports a square face, lengthy battery life, and basic fitness tracking smarts.
• It’ll cost ~$45 in China, with a promo price of ~$41, but there’s no word on a global release.

Redmi today unveiled its first smartwatch alongside the upgraded Redmi Note 9 series. Simply dubbed the Redmi Watch, the wearable adopts a squared design with a focus on “Nordic style” and minimalism.

If you squint, you may mistake it for the Apple Watch but thankfully, we’re not seeing the prices to match here. Although it’s not as cheap as the ~$15 Redmi Smart Band, the Redmi Watch will retail for just 299 yuan (~$45), undercutting the likes of Xiaomi’s Mi Smart Band 5. In fact, the watch will have a promotional launch price of 269 yuan (~$41).

While the Mi Smart Band 5 is the more serious fitness wearable, and the Redmi Smart Band the cheapest choice, the Redmi Watch is arguably the better looker. Users have a choice of pastel TPU straps affixed to a 1.4-inch square display with a 323 PPI pixel density. Pastel colorways on offer include “Elegant Black, Ivory White, and Ink Blue,” while straps are also available in Cherry Blossom Pink and Pine Needle Green. The Watch is also pretty light at 35 grams but sports a hefty 12-day battery life.

As with most wearables released in 2020, the fitness tracking aspects aren’t lost on Redmi. The Watch features tracking for seven sports modes, including “outdoor running, indoor running, outdoor cycling, indoor cycling, walking, swimming in the pool, and free activities.” Activity is also monitored with round-the-clock heart rate monitoring and standing tracking. When you’re horizontal and in bed, the Watch also tracks the hours you’ve slept. Breathing training is also included. The Redmi Watch is also water-resistant up to 50 meters.

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Those who aren’t keen to sweat daily can use the watch to talk to Xiao AI — the Xiaomi stable’s virtual assistant — via the built-in microphone. Completing the offering, NFC also arrives on the Redmi Watch. For Chinese users, this allows the Watch to double as a bus card or contactless card via Alipay.

Xiaomi has confirmed to Android Authority that it has no details regarding global availability at present. This doesn’t mean we won’t see the Redmi Watch make its way to markets beyond China in the future, though. That said, those in China can snag the wearable from November 26.

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