One of the cheapest smart watches that can also make phone calls has appeared on the Czech market. The new Redmi Watch 3 Active gives an adult impression, offers all the usual functions and you can buy it for less than a thousand crowns. Is this an ideal choice for the undemanding and children?
This year’s novelty, the Redmi Watch 3 Active, is offered on the Czech market for less than a thousand crowns, yet it is a regular smart watch with very good equipment. It surprises with a large display, good endurance, a clear environment in Czech or the ability to make very good phone calls. The new product thus has the prerequisites to become a bestseller.
Construction46.9 × 38.9 × 10.9 mm, 41.7 g, durability: yes Strap plastic, replaceable: yes (22 mm), fastening: buckle DisplayTFT IPS, 1.83″ (240 × 280 px), shape: square System proprietary, compatible with: Android, iOSData functionsBluetooth: 5.3, Wi-Fi: no, mobile networks: no, NFC: noChipsetMemoryInternal memory: ?, memory cards: noBattery 289 mAh, charging: proprietary cradle, charging time: 2:00 hoursAvailability July 2023, 999 CZK
Package contents: everything you need
In addition to the watch itself (with a strap already attached), the white box contains only manuals and a short cable combining USB-A on one side and proprietary magnetic pins on the other.
I liked the stones, there is no shortage of important things
Construction: surprisingly elegant
At first glance, it is a larger watch, where the manufacturer tried to use the largest possible display, which will be discussed later. Now let’s look at the appearance itself, which seems surprisingly valuable and tasteful. The body is, as expected, plastic, but the sides are treated with a special surface treatment in such a way that they have a shine and at the same time should resist scratches. This has been proven so far during the test, but the question is how long the surface will withstand normal use.
The strap is usually silicone with a less traditional clasp that may slightly remind you of the popular Mi Band bracelets from Xiaomi. At first, we had to get used to the style of fastening, but after that you don’t know about the fastening anymore and it didn’t happen that the watch would come apart by itself, as the Mi Bands sometimes did. This can also be attributed to the low weight, which is less than 42 grams including the strap.
Although we have the cheapest smart watch in front of us, there is practical increased water resistance up to 5 ATM. In practice, the watch does not mind swimming in the pool, natural waters and, of course, even showering.
I liked it, it is pleasant to wear, water resistance up to 5 ATM gives a more expensive impression
Display: impressive size
The display is 1.83″ and is one of the largest in the entire segment of smart watches. The downside is a rather lower resolution, where the raster is visible to the eye, but this is usual for affordable watches. Very good readability is important, as all the elements are really large. The brightness reaches 450 nits and is sufficient even for outdoor use. You can only regulate it manually, there is no automation and you have to forget about IPS and Always-On technology. You can wake up the watch with a turn gesture, which works quite well, or by double tapping to the display.
We liked it better than the 1.8″ display, good readability We didn’t like it, the automatic brightness control is flawed
System and performance: absolutely fine
Apparently, Xiaomi has already made up its mind and is trying to stick to one proven application. Count on the Mi Fitness app for both Android and iOS. In the application, among other things, you can also set the display dials. You have dozens of them to choose from, while unfortunately there are only 3 clocks in memory. Someone may be pleased with the creation of their own clock face, or the possibility to place their own photo on the background.
The application itself is quite clear and well presented. Clarity is also a privilege of the environment of the watch itself, which is controlled by touching the display, gestures and one hardware button on the right side. After pressing it, the watch will light up, a subsequent press will take you to the main menu and eventually back to the screen with the selected watch face.
Editing the environment and watch settings through the Mi Fitness application, including widgets
The watch environment is completely in Czech and it is very easy to find your way around it. From the main display, you can swipe from top to bottom to get to notifications, from the opposite end to quick shortcuts and to the sides to practical widgets where you can see the weather, music controls or an overview of things you’re watching. The main menu is clear if you choose the list view. If you use a grid, it is perhaps more stylish, but completely confusing. However, movement in the menu is pleasantly smooth and the response to touch is exemplary.
As standard, the watch can monitor heart rate and blood oxygenation, you will also get data about your sleep or stress level. Notifications via a connected device with Android or iOS are a matter of course. Here you have to accept that you can only read them, you cannot react to them in any way. Diacritics are displayed correctly, but smileys only sometimes. Although the resolution of the display is weaker, its size is usually enough to fit the entire message, so you can see it at a glance without having to scroll.
Smileys are sometimes displayed in notifications, but sometimes not quite correctly
The exception is phone calls, which you can receive and handle directly from the watch. They have a speaker and a microphone on their body. You will be very pleasantly surprised that the other party understands you perfectly and you can hear them clearly and loud enough. This is a fundamental added value, and let’s add that cheap watches usually don’t offer something like this at all. Through the watch, you can control the music player, the phone’s camera and, for example, also find your phone if it’s within range, but you don’t know where exactly.
During testing, we also liked the fairly smooth operation, where browsing the menu feels pleasant, including decent animations. Of course, they cannot bear comparison with several times more expensive models, but on the other hand, they provide comfort that, for example, smart bracelets, which are often found around the thousand crown mark, do not offer. For completeness, we’ll mention that NFC is missing, but that’s understandable.
I liked the smooth running, the remote camera shutter, the support for calls through a connected phone
Durability and charging: pleasant values
Thanks to the battery with a capacity of 289 mAh, the watch should last around 12 days, according to the manufacturer. With intensive use, around 8 days. During testing, I charge once a week and use basically all functions and conveniences, so the durability can be rated as very good. Charging itself then takes about an hour and a half.
Sports and health functions: standard offer
Redmi Watch 3 Active are also ready for your sports activities, with more than a hundred on offer. There are various types of running, ball activities, but also jumping over a rope or throwing a flying saucer. As the watch is durable, you can also do water sports, including swimming, but not diving. Paradoxically, for example, the swimming sports mode is missing from the watch.
The large display can fit a lot of information, so you only need to look at your watch during a run and you will immediately know what time you have or how far you have already run. However, you have to put up with the lack of GPS, but again this is because the price of the watch is set really low.
I liked the small number of sports modes
Evaluation
You can buy the Redmi Watch 3 Active on the Czech market for less than a thousand crowns. That in itself is tempting. If we add to that that you get a large display, good endurance, all the usual functions and, in addition, the possibility to make phone calls through the watch, there is almost nothing to solve. You definitely won’t find a better watch at this price level. Yes, one can slander the display with a low resolution, but this can be forgiven precisely considering the price.
Competition
The competition will stand rather in the shadows, but we will mention it anyway. The biggest ones are probably the Amazfit Bip 3, which are only two hundred more expensive. However, they have a smaller display and cannot make phone calls.
Amazfit Bip 3
Construction44.2 × 36.6 × 7.6 mm, 33 g, resistance: yesStrap plastic, replaceable: yes (22 mm)TFT IPS display, 1.69″ (280 × 240 px)System proprietary, compatible with: Android, iOSConnectivityBluetooth: 5.0 , no, no Battery280 mAh, charging: proprietary cradle
Niceboy Watch 3 Lite is in a similar situation, with a design close to the model tested today, but it cannot make calls, has a smaller display and is slightly more expensive.
Photo: Petr Vojtěch, mobilenet.cz
2023-10-13 06:00:00
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