I’ve been asked about a value-for-money smartwatch for fitness tracking (steps, mainly) and basic notifications. Way too many times, in fact. Thankfully, Xiaomi’s sub-brand Redmi has trotted out a smartwatch that has now become the default answer to that question. Yes, I’m talking about the Redmi Watch Move, a bare-bones entry-level smartwatch that nails the basics without trying to go the extra mile (yes, pun intended).
The first thing you’ll notice with the Redmi Watch Move is that it’s larger than ever. Yes, it’s got a 1.85-inch AMOLED display, but it's still lightweight (though it is chunky at 39g) and comfortable. I wore it for about 12-13 days and didn’t feel it weighing on me. The thick bezels are the one thing I didn’t like, but it isn’t uncommon in this price range. Maybe for smaller wrists, this would feel a little out of place, but for most, it should be a good, comfy fit.
At just Rs 1,999, the Redmi Watch Movie will appeal to a wide variety of consumers. The watch's USP is its clean and modern design and aesthetics. It has a metallic crown on the right side and a matte finish (for concealing those smudges).
The Redmi Watch Movie is being positioned as the first “Made in India” smartwatch, and it’s good to see the company's direction.
Let’s get to the UI now. For a budget device, it’s smooth and fluid. It's not the fastest out there, but it’s a snappy interface, and the animations will not jar you. For basic fitness needs, like step count, heart rate monitoring, and sleep tracking, the Redmi Watch Move will be your next best friend. It doesn’t come near the Apple Watch regarding readings, but it does get reasonably close, which I can’t say about other budget devices. There is one thing lacking here, but again, you must remember that it is a budget device: GPS. There’s no built-in GPS, just in case you were hoping for it in such an inexpensive device. Notifications are sometimes delayed, and older ones can continuously pop up. That can be annoying, but thankfully, it doesn’t happen often.
Despite the lack of GPS and the fact that this is a fairly basic smartwatch, I could get over 10 days of battery life on a single charge. That’s quite impressive. I used the watch for step count, sleep tracking, Bluetooth calling, heart rate tracking, and even workouts. There’s no Type-C port for charging, and the proprietary charging dock isn’t great, but it does get the job done.
Now, let’s turn our attention to one thing that surprised me and another that was super annoying.
The surprising inclusion: Bluetooth calling! Yes, the Redmi Watch Move has Bluetooth calling support. In a quiet environment, this works flawlessly. In a noisy environment (like street traffic noises), this fails spectacularly. But, with that said, it’s great to see Redmi offering Bluetooth calling support in this smartwatch. They’ve definitely one-upped the competition.
The annoying feature: The notifications to set up the device, even after I paired it with my smartphone, came up one too many times on my parents’ computers. Even though the devices were on different floors of my house, the notifications kept coming: "would you like to pair your device with the Redmi Watch Move?” or something similar, it read.
Verdict: Best smartwatch under Rs 2,000?
The device is extremely comfy. The 1.85-inch display, with a resolution of 390x450 pixels, 600 nits of brightness, and Always-On Display support, is just the touch of premium one needs. With an IP68 dust and waterproof rating as well, this device will fly off the shelves. Yes, it doesn’t match up to other smartwatches from the likes of Garmin, Amazfit, Samsung, and Apple, but all of those are much more expensive than the Redmi Watch Active.
With the price on its side and a solid footprint, the Redmi Watch Active is now my default choice for a smartwatch under Rs 2,000.
