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Xiaomi Mi Watch Lite review: Basic, but all-around good
June 05, 2025
Xiaomi Mi Watch Lite
What we like
What we don’t like
Xiaomidevices are popular because they’re good and affordable. That is true for the company’s smartphones and fitness trackers, and it’s starting to be the case for its smartwatches, too.
The Xiaomi Mi Watch Lite is a basic smartwatch with a surprising amount of fitness features. If you’re wondering if you should spend your money on this ultra-cheap smartwatch, read our full Xiaomi Mi Watch Lite review.
Update, July 2021:We have updated our Xiaomi Mi Watch Lite review with details on software updates and new pricing options.
What you need to know about the Xiaomi Mi Watch Lite
The Xiaomi Mi Watch Lite is yet another ultra-cheap smartwatch from the Chinese brand. It only costs €50 (~$60), slotting it in nicely between Xiaomi’s popular Mi Band line and the recently releasedXiaomi Mi Watch. Eagle-eyed fans might also recognize it as a rebrandedRedmi Watch.
Although it has a traditional smartwatch form factor, it’s best to think of the Mi Watch Lite simply as a Mi Band with a larger screen. There are important differences between the two, but its focus is on fitness, not smartwatch features.
What I like about the Xiaomi Mi Watch Lite
Plenty of sport modes and fitness features
One would expect a €50 smartwatch to make some sacrifices in hardware. While that’s certainly true for the Mi Watch Lite, it comes with a surprisingly good spec sheet for the price.
The Xiaomi Mi Watch Lite has built-inGPS, an optical heart rate sensor, and a 5ATM water resistance rating. We’ll talk accuracy in a second, but the fact that it has onboardGPS+GLONASS(not connected GPS) is great news for runners.
See also:The best smartwatches you can buy
It can also track a variety of sport modes. Those include outdoor running, treadmill, trail running, indoor and outdoor cycling, walking, open water swimming, pool swimming, cricket, hiking, and freestyle workouts.
The Mi Watch Lite’s GPS is about as accurate as that of the Mi Watch. That is to say, it’s okay, not great. On numerous outdoor runs, the Mi Watch showed me running through rivers and on the other side of the street, even with little cloud and tree coverage. It was surprisingly more accurate than myGarmin Fenix 6 Proin some areas, but not by much.
The Mi Watch Lite’sheart rate sensorcan monitor your heart rate all day in 30, 10, 5, or 1-minute increments or with manual spot-checks throughout the day. It can also alert you if your heart rate goes above a normal level during inactivity.
The Mi Watch Lite’s heart rate sensor has been quite accurate in my testing. See below for a four-mile treadmill run:
Throughout multiple points in the run, the Mi Watch Lite was able to keep up exactly with the Wahoo Tickr X chest strap and the Garmin Fenix 6 Pro. All three devices matched up in the peaks of high heart rate periods, and again in the big valley midway through the run.
It’s not perfect, however. The Xiaomi Wear app smooths the data too much for my liking and doesn’t allow for data exports. Nevertheless, it’s an all-around good heart rate sensor.
Also read:The best fitness trackers you can buy
Battery life and the charger
Xiaomi says the Mi Watch Lite can last up to nine days on a single charge. My testing shows that claim is accurate.
I’ve been using the watch every day for sleep tracking, notifications, and a handful of workouts each week. Currently, I’m on track to get the full nine days of charge. If you work out nearly every day, though, you may see reduced battery life.
The charger included in the box is fine. It’s proprietary (hello e-waste) and not very attractive. However, it allows for a nice bedtime clock view when the watch is plugged in.
Sleep tracking
The Xiaomi Mi Watch Lite is a goodsleep tracker. Like other Xiaomi wearables, it keeps track of your total time asleep, deep, light, and REM sleep. It then gives you a sleep score from 0-100 based on how well you slept. Overall, the charts in the Xiaomi Wear app are easy to read.
Nevertheless, there are a few limitations. It does not track naps or daytime sleeping. If you have an unconventional sleep schedule, the Mi Watch Lite won’t be the sleep tracker for you. I’d also like Xiaomi to improve its sleep score implementation a bit. Right now, it’s light on the details on where the score comes from. It doesn’t give many details on how to improve your sleep score either.
A few other tidbits I liked about the Xiaomi Mi Watch Lite:
What I don’t like about the Xiaomi Mi Watch Lite
Kneecapped smartwatch software
I know I just praised the watch face options for the Mi Watch Lite, but surprisingly the on-device software is a notable step down from the Mi Watch proper.
Everything is set up in mostly the same way. You swipe down for notifications, up for quick settings, left or right for widgets, and press the button for the all-apps screen. Yet, there are a few omissions that bring the overall experience a step down. For one, there are zero software animations. That sounds nit-picky, but in reality, it makes using the smartwatch a pain. As a result, the Mi Watch Lite feels laggier than I think it actually is. I don’t know if my touches are registering until the next page of the settings menu shows up.
There’s also no haptic feedback which adds to the annoyance. Little things like haptics and animations help you connect with the device you’re using. Without them, you feel like you’re swiping around and hoping the swipes register. There’s no always-on display, likely because the Mi Watch Lite uses anLCD panel instead of OLED.
At launch, the Mi Watch Lite didn’t have an option to switch off do not disturb mode when you’re sleeping. Thankfully, Xiaomiaddedauto-DND mode to the Mi Watch Lite in software version 4.1.20, which automatically triggers when the watch senses you’ve fallen asleep. This is at least a small quality of life improvement if you forget to mute notifications before bedtime.
Still, despite this improvement, you’d think the Mi Watch Lite’s software experience would be on the same level as Xiaomi’s other devices.
The hardware and design
I won’t rag too hard on the Mi Watch Lite here. This is a €50 device, after all. However, I have run into some hardware issues that you should know about before buying one.
The Xiaomi Wear app needs a lot of work
I just covered theXiaomi Wear appin my Xiaomi Mi Watch review. In the interest of brevity, I willpoint you to that reviewif you want to learn more about the companion app. While it’s a step above Mi Fit in aesthetics, I have frequently run into translation issues, conversion issues from metric to imperial, and issues with time preferences.
Price and competition
The Xiaomi Mi Watch Lite is available from mi.com for €50 (~$60) in parts of Europe. Xiaomi is remaining quiet on the exact regions in which the Mi Watch Lite will be available. Your best bet is to checkmi.comorGearbestto see if it’s available in your region. If you’re in the UK, you can snag one onAmazon UK for ~£50.
If the Mi Watch Lite isn’t your cup of tea or isn’t available in your region, you can find many alternatives that share the same DNA. The obvious competitor is theAmazfit Bip U. It is readily availableon Amazon in the US,India, and other regions for around the same price as the Mi Watch Lite. It can track far more sports modes and has the same long-lasting battery. However, in her full review, Adamya noted that the materials used in the band are quite cheap-feeling.
TheAmazfit Bip U Pro, which costs$70 in the US, is nearly the same device as the Bip U. However, it also has onboard GPS and Amazon Alexa support.
If it’s just fitness tracking you’re after and you don’t find yourself in need of standalone GPS, consider theXiaomi Mi Band 5. It tracks lots of activities, can last two weeks on a charge, and has about the same amount of smart features as the Mi Watch Lite. It’s also~$15 cheaper. When the Mi Band 5 can’t be found, theAmazfit Band 5is a similar alternative.
Related:The best smartwatch deals|The best fitness tracker deals
Xiaomi Mi Watch Lite review: The verdict
The Xiaomi Mi Watch Lite is a good fitness tracker, but a very basic smartwatch. If you’re after the Mi Band experience and would like the benefits of a larger display, Xiaomi’s latest budget smartwatch is a fine option. It’s limited beyond those basic functions, however. Those looking for an on-device voice assistant or music storage for offline listening will want to look elsewhere.
I hope to see more competition in this space from companies that aren’t Xiaomi or Huami. Until then, this might be your go-to option if you want a smartwatch for around €50.
Next:The best cheap fitness trackers
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