Review: Xiaomi Mi Watch Lite

The Xiaomi Mi Watch Lite is ideal for those torn between a classic watch and a smart activity tracker. If you’re new to smartwatches, starting with an affordable option like this is a smart move. While it doesn’t offer all the features of premium models like the Apple Watch or Samsung Galaxy Watch, it’s a fantastic choice for beginners.

Design

Xiaomi, a Chinese brand, is known for delivering high-quality products at budget-friendly prices. The Mi Watch Lite is no exception, offering impressive value. Here’s a breakdown of its design specifications:

The Mi Watch Lite’s design resembles the Apple Watch with its square plastic case, available in three colours. It connects easily via WiFi or Bluetooth 5.0, and its 230mAh battery lasts up to nine days. A physical button on the side activates the screen or opens the app menu. The touchscreen prioritises taps over swipes, but scrolling can feel sluggish, especially during sweaty workouts, which may be frustrating.

Software

Xiaomi uses its proprietary operating system, compatible with Android and iOS via the Xiaomi Wear app. Pairing is straightforward: a QR code on the watch guides you to download the app, and setup is quick. Once connected, you receive phone notifications, but the system has quirks. Notifications sometimes persist until opened, and deleting them from the watch isn’t possible. Emojis or icons may display as question marks, and while the watch shows incoming call alerts, you can only reject calls, not answer them.

The software is user-friendly, with swipes revealing widgets like weather or heart rate. The Mi Watch Lite offers heart rate monitoring, music control, and activity tracking to monitor daily calorie burn. However, app icons lack text labels, which can make navigation less intuitive. There’s no app store for additional downloads beyond the pre-installed apps.

Battery

The Mi Watch Lite’s 230mAh battery delivers up to nine days of use, based on lab tests with heart rate monitoring set to the widest interval, 100 daily notifications, and 35 minutes of weekly outdoor training. It fully charges in about two hours using a large charging cradle that clips to the back. Premium smartwatches may charge faster, but the nine-day battery life is a fair trade-off. Battery level visibility is inconsistent, appearing on some watch faces but not others, with no dedicated battery display option.

Features

While not a rival to premium smartwatches, the Mi Watch Lite offers solid features for its price. It connects to Android or iOS devices, controls phone music, displays weather forecasts, and supports alarms and timers. Notifications are viewable but not actionable, and emojis may not render correctly. Music controls and weather displays work well across multiple screens.

With over 120 watch faces, built-in GPS, and GLONASS satellite support, it accurately tracks outdoor activities. It includes accelerometer and gyroscope sensors for indoor activity tracking and supports 11 sports modes, such as running, walking, swimming, and cycling. However, it lacks stress monitoring, blood oxygen measurement, automatic workout detection, and broad satellite support.

Despite these limitations, the Mi Watch Lite performs well for sports and health tracking. Its GPS is highly accurate, and heart rate, step count, distance, and calorie burn measurements are reliable. Sleep tracking is effective but doesn’t monitor REM sleep or offer sleep improvement advice.

In Summary

The Xiaomi Mi Watch Lite is an excellent choice for smartwatch newcomers or those hesitant to invest in a premium model. It doesn’t match the sharp displays or extensive features of top-tier smartwatches but stands out with its nine-day battery life. It offers reliable health and fitness tracking, making it a simple, sturdy option for beginners. If you’re convinced, explore our range of Xiaomi Mi Watch Lite straps at Smartwatch-straps.co.uk for a stylish upgrade.