Redmi Watch 2 Lite in the test: Fitness tracker with GPS and 10 days of running time

With the Redmi Watch 2 Lite, Xiaomi offers a fitness tracker for price-conscious users who can do without essential smartwatch features. Because contrary to what the name suggests, this device is not a classic smartwatch like the Apple Watch. Instead, the Redmi Watch 2 Lite is more comparable to the Amazfit Band 7 and offers the range of functions of a traditional fitness bracelet.

Visually, the Redmi Watch 2 Lite is reminiscent of the design of the Apple Watch, but it takes a step back in terms of workmanship and materials compared to expensive smartwatches. The 1.55-inch TFT touch display sits in a simple plastic housing. There is a small control button embedded in the chassis on the right side, otherwise the bracelet is controlled exclusively using gestures on the screen.

Xiaomi uses a classic plastic clasp for the silicone bracelet, which makes a sturdy but overall functional impression. The entire fitness tracker appears to be solidly built and promises the usual cheap but good Xiaomi quality. The Redmi Watch 2 Lite is waterproof up to a pressure of 5 bar and can therefore withstand immersion to a depth of 50 meters. You can also wear the watch for swimming, but you should avoid extensive diving. By the way, Xiaomi does not provide any information about the shock resistance of the display and housing, but in our test the Redmi Watch 2 Lite survived falls on gravel and tiled floors, as well as the impact of a kettlebell on the wrist.

Otherwise, Xiaomi offers mostly standard fare to users of the Redmi Watch 2 Lite when it comes to operations. The display brightness can be adjusted manually, but there is no sensor for ambient lighting and there is no always-on display. If you want to save battery power, you will have to manually adjust the screen brightness when required.

When it comes to setup and app, there is nothing to complain about in case of Redmi Watch 2 Lite. The tracker works in conjunction with the app Mi Fitness: If we go to the “Devices” tab, we can search for existing devices in the immediate vicinity of our smartphone by clicking the “Add device” button. The tracker then connects to the app using Bluetooth 5.0 and automatically syncs the recorded data. A user account Mi Fitness However, this is mandatory. The entire tracker setup only takes a few minutes. After the initial installation, we can update the device’s software directly if we want, which also doesn’t take much time.

We have already presented the app in detail in previous tests of Xiaomi smartwatches and trackers. That’s why we limit ourselves to a brief conclusion at this point: Mi Fitness Intuitive to use and clearly structured. The “Health” tab shows all the important data arranged in different tiles on one page, clicking on an individual tile brings up a detailed list of data. Synchronizing data with Google Fit is possible without any problems.

As mentioned, the Redmi Watch 2 Lite is actually a fitness tracker, so the watch also offers a variety of compatible functions. The obligatory pedometer is also on board, as well as permanent heart rate recording, blood oxygen level measurement and over 100 different training modes. The latter include a large selection of different sports, including classic endurance sports such as running, hiking, cycling and swimming, but also yoga, rowing or jumping rope.

What we noticed positively in the test was that the training modes are not limited to only recording the training duration and calories burned, but offer additional useful values ​​depending on the sport. For example, when running, the watch also measures distance using the integrated GPS module (with GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and Beidou), heart rate, speed, number of steps, length and frequency. Similar values ​​​​are also present for cycling and hiking, as well as other endurance sports. When jumping rope, there is a display of jumps completed during the training session and a pause mode. Unfortunately, when doing strength training you have to do without additional data such as repetitions, but since this display is often very error-prone on other sports watches, this shortcoming can be overcome. On the other hand, such extensive data measurements are nothing for a fitness tracker in this price range, so we definitely see the extensive training options as a plus.

GPS tracking and step recording also performed well in our test. When measuring over 1000 steps, there was a minimal deviation of 0.2 percent – a very high level of accuracy. We tested the GPS on a run of about 7 km and compared it with the tracking of the Garmin Fenix ​​7 (test report). The affordable Redmi Watch 2 Lite does not need to hide from the top dog. Although the watch lost its signal for a few seconds due to very cloudy weather in the forest, which affected the running speed, the Garmin Fenix ​​7 also struggled here at times. The measurement of the entire route is only a few meters off from the measurement of the Garmin Fenix ​​7 or the result measured via Google Maps.

The test had a sometimes good and sometimes less reliably working heart rate sensor. Under the same load, the Redmi Watch 2 Lite gave usable results, the accuracy of which was largely comparable to the measurements of our chest strap. However, during HIIT training with a rapidly changing heart rate, the tracker surrendered. There were significant deviations in the double-digit range. Unfortunately, it is not possible to connect the tracker to an external chest strap, which is why you have to use your smartphone to accurately measure your heart rate using the chest strap. By the way, what we could not confirm was the strong fluctuations in heart rate measurements during constant, low-range activity that were found in other test reports. In our case, the Redmi Watch 2 Lite has no noticeable drops here.

Smarter Siri: we still have to wait for these functions

Sleep tracking is one of the standard features of every fitness tracker and should therefore not be missing from the Redmi Watch 2 Lite. The watch monitors sleep duration and the individual sleep phases (deep, light and REM sleep). Your sleep and wake times are reliably recorded. In the app we also find the total sleep duration and wake time as well as the average pulse rate of the previous night. Although the measured data are only partially meaningful, in our personal experience they are so accurate that long-term trends can be observed from the analysis.

What users need to pay attention to: please don’t disturb the work Disabled by default on the Redmi Watch 2 Lite. If you don’t want to be woken up by notifications at night, you will have to manually activate the corresponding mode in the menu. However, there is an option to set the period of time during which the BNS mode remains automatically active.

Now we come to the reason why calling the Redmi Watch 2 Lite a “watch” is actually misleading. Anyone who assumes that this device is a smartwatch with additional functions is mistaken. The Redmi Watch 2 Lite has neither a telephony function nor an integrated music storage or payment feature. There is also no answer function for calls or messages. This means that the Redmi Watch 2 Lite has no additional features worth mentioning.

Xiaomi claims the battery life of the Redmi Watch 2 Lite to be ten days in normal use mode and five days in intensive use mode. In testing, we used the fitness bracelet with full display brightness, active notifications and GPS and three sports sessions lasting about one and a half hours per week. The battery lasted exactly the ten days that Xiaomi promised, even before we connected it to a charging station. By the way, it takes just under two hours to fully charge the battery.

The manufacturer’s official recommended price for the Redmi Watch 2 Lite is 69.99 euros. The street price of the black color variant currently starts at approx. 65 Euros. There were times when fitness trackers were available for less than 50 euros. Considering the functions offered by the Redmi Watch 2 Lite, we consider this price to be absolutely justified.

First of all: the Redmi Watch 2 Lite is not perfect. In particular, sometimes inaccurate pulse measurements with changing loads and the lack of smart features tarnish the overall impression. The name “watch” for a fitness tracker is somewhat misleading as users have to make do without typical smartwatch functions such as payment or telephony options. Nevertheless, Xiaomi is doing a good job with the Redmi Watch 2 Lite.

Considering the price, the Redmi Watch 2 Lite is absolutely reliable as a fitness tracker. Steps are measured reliably, there is an integrated GPS, which was not offered in this price category for a long time, and the training options leave almost nothing to be desired for amateur athletes. The display is just as reliable as the workmanship of the tracker, which makes the Redmi Watch 2 Lite recommendable for all users who consider Fitbit devices to be overly expensive pieces of junk technology.

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