Overall Review Summary
Expert Rating: 8.0/10
Redmi Smart Watch 3 Active
Pros
- 1.83″ HD display with good brightness (450 nits)
- Lightweight, stylish metallic finish design
- Bluetooth calling with in-built mic & speaker
- Strong battery life (8–12 days use)
- 100+ sports & workout modes
- 5 ATM water resistance (safe for swimming)
- Health tracking (SpO₂, heart rate, sleep, stress, cycle tracking)
- Affordable price under ₹3,000
- Wide range of customizable watch faces
Cons
- LCD screen, not AMOLED
- Can feel slightly bulky
- Call clarity is decent but not as strong
- Battery drains faster
- Tracking accuracy may vary for advanced activities
- Not suitable for deep water diving
- Sensors give wellness-level data, not medical grade
- Limited app ecosystem
- Limited third-party app support
Redmi Smart Watch 3 Active - Full Review Overview
Redmi Watch 3 Active Introduction
In the budget smartwatch segment, Redmi (a Xiaomi sub-brand) has been pushing hard. The Redmi Watch 3 Active is one of their recent offerings designed to deliver a lot of value under modest price tags. It aims to offer essentials like fitness tracking, health sensors, notifications, battery life, plus extras like Bluetooth calling - all without the premium cost.
This review will cover what you get, what's good, what could be better, and whether it’s worth buying in 2025 or beyond.
Redmi Watch 3 Active Key Specifications & What You Get
First, let’s lay out what the Watch brings in terms of hardware, size, sensors, etc.:
Feature |
Details |
| Display | 1.83″ TFT LCD, 240×280 pixels |
| Design | Rectangular dial, lightweight build |
| Strap Material | Silicone (removable, skin-friendly) |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 5.3 |
| Compatibility | Android & iOS |
| Battery Life | Up to 12 days (typical use) |
| Water Resistance | 5 ATM (up to 50m) |
| Health Tracking | Heart rate, SpO2, sleep monitoring |
| Sports Modes | 100+ workout modes |
| Special Features | Stress monitor, breathing exercises, music control, call notification |
| Colors | Black, Grey (varies by region) |
| Weight | Approx. 41g |
| Charging | Magnetic charging cable |
Redmi Watch 3 Active Design, Display & Build
Design & Build Quality
- The Redmi Watch 3 Active features a metallic finish frame, which gives it a somewhat premium look compared to purely plastic frames.
- Strap options are basic silicone as default; color variants include black, grey, olive green strap sold separately.
Thickness is moderate; it’s slightly bulky compared with slimmer fitness bands but acceptable for a watch offering calling etc.
Display
- Active version uses an LCD screen: ~1.83-inch, HD resolution, around 450 nits brightness for peak.
- Non-Active version in some regions has AMOLED; that variant boasts higher contrast and richer blacks.
- No Always-On Display (AOD) in many regions for Active version, as that tends to reduce battery life.
Comfort & Durability
- Water resistance of 5 ATM allows wearing during sweat, rain, shallow water; not for deep diving.
- Build seems decent for daily wear; curved edges, LCD protects moderately well.
However, some users report screen locking brightness or visibility issues outdoors.
Performance, Software & Connectivity
- The UI is proprietary Xiaomi / Redmi software designed for wearables. It is fairly clean and simple.
- Bluetooth calling works for Active model; mic & speaker allow answering/rejecting calls.
- Pairing apps include Mi Fitness / Xiaomi / Redmi apps; supports Android 6.0+ and iOS 12+ in many markets.
- Some criticisms: GPS tracking delays in some models, lack of certain advanced features (like NFC, offline music storage etc.).
Redmi Watch 3 Active Health & Fitness Tracking Features
Redmi has packed quite a few health / fitness features for this price. Here’s what they do and how well:
-
Heart Rate Monitoring: Offers continuous tracking; alerts for irregular patterns? Basic but works.
-
SpO₂ (Blood Oxygen): Available; manual checking; continuous monitoring may not always happen in Active model.
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Sleep Tracking: Tracks total sleep, light/deep sleep components; many users find it fairly accurate for casual health tracking.
-
Stress Monitoring: Measures stress via heart rate variability or similar algorithms; decent, as long as expectations are moderate.
-
Period / Cycle Tracking: For women’s health, built into the features in many markets.
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Sports Modes: Over 100 modes in Active variant; includes common workouts like running, walking, cycling, etc. Some automatically-recognized modes.
- GPS: For some versions, GPS is built-in; in others it may require tethering or be less precise. Some users report delays or inaccuracy in GPS tracking.
Redmi Watch 3 Active Battery Life & Charging
Battery life is one of the strongest aspects.
-
Claimed battery life: ~12 days with normal/light usage for Watch 3 Active.
- Heavy usage (Bluetooth calling, frequent notifications, sensors, wake-to-wake settings) can reduce that to ~5-8 days.
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Charging time: Magnetic charger included; ~1 hour to full or somewhat longer depending on region; some reports say ~1h40m.
Battery behavior depends heavily on settings like display wake-time, notification frequency, always-on display (if supported), sensor usage. Turning off some features extends battery.
Redmi Watch 3 Active What It Gets Right
Here are the strong points:
- Value for money: For the price (~₹3,000 in India for the Active version), offers a very strong feature set.
- Battery backup when usage is moderate. It can comfortably last a week or more, even closer to 10-12 days under light use.
- Bluetooth calling is a useful add-on at this price, especially for quick access without pulling out the phone.
- Health sensors are many and work for casual tracking (HR, SpO₂, sleep, stress).
- Large-screen & many watch faces gives personalization options.
- Water resistance & sporty modes make it usable for workouts, swimming etc (within limits).
Redmi Watch 3 Active What Could Be Better / Trade-Offs
No product is perfect. Here are the trade-offs or weaker aspects:
- Display tech in Active version is LCD rather than AMOLED in many markets. Blacks & contrast suffer. Also, outdoor visibility could be better under bright sun.
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GPS accuracy / Signal lock: Some users report delays in GPS locking, inaccuracies especially in certain sports or outdoor conditions.
- No Always-On Display (AOD) in many versions, which is a compromise for battery.
- No NFC / no robust offline music storage in many versions. Depending on your expectations, this may be a limitation.
-
Software quirks: Some users report software bugs (lag in reading long notifications, brightness auto adjustment missing etc.)
- Bulk / Size: For people with smaller wrists, watch may feel large or heavy.
Redmi Watch 3 Active Real-World Usage
Here’s how it performs in daily life, based on reviews and user feedback:
- For day-to-day notification checks, fitness tracking, sleep and health monitoring, the watch works well. It feels like a capable smart companion for calls, messages etc.
- For workouts: good for gym, cycling, walking. For serious GPS-intensive outdoor runs or hikes, the GPS lag or inaccuracies may be noticeable.
- Standby times when notifications are fewer, screen sleep/wake settings are conservative, sensor usage light - you can go many days without charging.
- When used heavily (Bluetooth calling, always screen on, frequent health sensor tracking), battery drops faster. Users will need to charge more often.
- Fitness tracking features plugin well via the companion app; watch faces give variety. The app experience is generally clean.
Redmi Watch 3 Active Price & Value Proposition
- In India, the Watch 3 Active launched at approx ₹3,000, which places it strongly in the budget category with calling and health features.
- Given the feature set, battery life, calling capability, this price is attractive.
- When on offer / sale, value improves further. For users who don’t need premium features like NFC, always-on display, the trade-offs are acceptable.
Redmi Watch 3 Active Who Should Buy It & Who Might Skip It
Good Choice If You:
- Want a smartwatch with calling from wrist without paying premium.
- Value battery life more than flashy display tech.
- Need health/fintess sensors, notifications, sleep tracking etc. on a budget.
- Don’t need always-on display or premium features like NFC, offline music, ultra-precise GPS.
- Prefer a watch that works well with Android or iOS for basic smartwatch functions.
Might Skip If You:
- Want top-tier display tech (AMOLED, always-on display) or premium build.
- Need precise GPS tracking for serious running/hiking.
- Want NFC payments or advanced integrations.
- Have a very small wrist and don’t like bulky watches.
- Expect zero software bugs; you are okay with updates and small glitches initially.
Redmi Watch 3 Active Final Verdict
The Redmi Watch 3 Active is a very compelling option in the budget smartwatch segment (especially sub-₹3,000 to ₹5,000 depending on variant). It balances well between essential features and nice extras:
- Strong battery life
- Bluetooth calling at budget price
- Solid health / fitness tracking
- Water resistance and decent build
It’s not perfect - display isn’t premium everywhere, GPS sometimes lags, and software has room for polish - but for most users seeking “good enough + value”, it’s hard to beat.
If you are looking for a reliable basic/mid level smartwatch, want notifications + health tracking + calls, and don’t need every premium feature, then the Watch 3 is worth buying.
If you push your expectations too high (compare with flagship smartwatches), you’ll notice what’s missing; but that’s true for nearly all watches in this price range.
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